Instructions:

• Find a comfortable seating position. Feel your feet touching the ground, keep your legs uncrossed. Let your spine strengthen and lengthen, imagine as if someone is slightly pulling your hair on top of the head. Shoulders roll back slightly to open up your chest and let your palms rest comfortably in your lap. When you are ready, gently close your eyes.
• Turn the attention to your body and become aware of your breath. What sensations do you notice? Can you feel the contractions of muscles you are using for breathing? Notice the points of contact between you and the surface that your body is touching. Can you feel the clothes on your skin?
• With your next breath, let your belly expand as you breathe in, while your upper chest remains relatively still. Breathe in through your nose, hold the breath a bit, and then breathe out through your mouth and make a sound of relief, a long aaaaaaaaaaaaa, while you are releasing the tension. Repeat as many times as needed.
• Continue breathing in through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, not making more sound. Do this at the pace that feels good for you. Let your exhale be twice as long as your inhale. This helps you slow down.
• If any thoughts or feelings come up, just let them be, without a need to analyse them. Consciously bring your attention back to breathing. Feel the sensations of the breath going from your nose, down to your chest, making your belly grow and then observe how you slowly exhale, while your belly contracts.
• When you feel like it is time to finish the exercise, take a deeper breath, and while exhaling, make another aaaaaaaaaa sound and release the remaining tension. Continue breathing in and out through your nose with your eyes still closed.
• Thank yourself for taking a few moments to just breathe. Begin to gently roll your shoulders, slightly move your fingers and toes and when you feel ready – slowly open your eyes.

Advice:

You can breathe with relaxing instrumental background music. You can also use a timer on your phone.