When we are given the most basic instructions for sitting in meditation, we are often instructed to focus on the breath. The breath is employed as a foundational object of meditation for a variety of reasons, but first and foremost because its very nature is that of impermanence. It is always changing and flowing (which I just mistyped as 'flowering')– never stable, and always in flux. Bringing awareness to the breath promotes feeling vs intellectual concentration on focusing. It brings us deeply into our bodies.

Staying with the breath, we are invited into the possibility of letting go at any moment because we are training our minds in allowing the breath to flow freely. In allowing this freedom of flow, we are also developing our ability to let other impermanent things in our life flow freely as opposed to grasping at them or pushing them away – things like thoughts, emotions, visual and auditory phenomena – all of which are fleeting and impermanent, and create suffering when we either attempt to cling to or repel what will inevitably emerge from and dissolve back into the fabric of existence at any given moment.

The more we bring awareness to our breath, and work with our breath, the deeper sense of gentleness and calm we bring to our practice and life.

Breathing is also about tuning into the nature of reciprocity. As herbalists, it's easy to forget that we are already engaging in the practice of reciprocity by simply living and breathing. Sharing the carbon dioxide we breathe out with the plants and accepting the oxygen they create all in one shared breath. By working with our breath, we are tapping into our interdependence and interconnectedness with earth.

So, building upon our core practice of mindfulness meditation, I want to introduce you to Breathwork, with a few simple exercises to start you off.

Breathwork Basics

Below I've outlined a simple breathwork progression / regimen I offer some of my private clients. Breathwork and mindfulness meditation go hand in hand, and even if you are not in a place where you can meditate, you can always use these breathwork skills for nervous system grounding as needed (I wouldn't have survived as a bartender in a busy cocktail bar for so many years without these skills). The progression outlined below takes place over the course of a month, but if you feel comfortable with 4-7-8 and diaphragm breathing, you can jump right into them as well.

If you really want to get the most benefit out of this practice, do these exercises daily, no matter how frustrating or annoying, and even if you feel you have no time for them, do them anyway (doing something even if it feels impossible or that we don't want to do sends a powerful message to our nervous system, if it's something for the sake of self care and flourishing, it helps to rewire neural pathways that create habits that work for us and not against us).

Each week, you will expand upon what you learned by incorporating new techniques.

Connecting to your Breath and Body – (First Week, Daily):

By repeating this practice daily for a week, you will be able to create a strong foundation for the next few breath-work practices I will suggest:

1. Set an alarm to time your practice (5-10 min).
   1. I feel that this is an important step, because without the alarm, we allow our ego to 'decide' for us when we are done. With the timer, we are challenged to stay with whatever is coming up. Sometimes, especially in the case of anxiety and stress, our ego functioning does not have our whole body's best interest in mind.
2. Sit or lay down, whichever feels more comfortable.
3. Note your current stress levels and emotional state (either in your heart or in your journal). When you're ready, close your eyes to bring attention to your inner world and body.
4. Start by simply noticing your breath, feeling the movement of your breath: where is your body rising (upper chest, heart, or belly?) on the inhale and where is your body falling on the exhale. Allow your mind to be on the breath, where thoughts emerge, just notice them and return to your breath.
5. Allow yourself to be present to any emotion or sensation that arises without judgement. Everything that arises is a communication from your body, teaching you something about yourself. Even if difficult emotions or sensations arise, simply bear witness and let them pass.
6. Continue breathing slowly. Notice where you are breathing: if you are breathing out of your mouth, try to shift and breathe in and out through your nose.
7. When you have found a sense of comfort and awareness in your breathing, allow yourself to send gratitude to your body in all its beauty, complexity, and dynamism. Communicate with your body that you care about its wellness and are prioritizing a deeper sense of connection and aliveness. When you do this, notice what parts of your body respond, become activated, or call to your awareness.
8. Maintain this pattern for as long as you would like, aiming for at least five minutes. When you feel ready, slowly open your eyes, stretching your ankles and wrists and whatever other part of your body would like to be stretch.
9. Take a few minutes to write in your journal or meditate on how you felt, physically and emotionally, during this breathing exercise.

4-7-8 Breath + Meditation – (Second Week, Daily):

Popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil, and based on a pranayama breathing technique, this breath can be practiced daily to initiate oneself into meditation, and can also be used when something upsetting happens, or we need to ground ourselves in moments of intensity, or to simply help you into a state of rest and sleep.

Practice this technique for about two minutes (or five complete cycles) before entering into 5-10 minute meditation using the steps outlined in the first breathing exercise.

1. This kind of breathing tends to be much easier sitting upright for most people, but, if for whatever reason that isn't accessible to you, feel free to lay down.
2. Place the tip of your tongue at the back of your top front teeth, and keep it there throughout the practice.
3. Through an open mouth, exhale quickly and completely with a 'WHOOOOO' sound for a count of two
4. Close the mouth and inhale through your nostrils to a count of four.
5. At the top of your inhale, with mouth still closed, hold your breath and count to seven.
6. Exhale completely with another 'WHOOOOO' for a count of eight.
7. The end of this exhale completes one cycle.
8. Repeat steps 4-6 four more times for five total cycles.
9. After this breathing exercise, set a timer for 7 minutes and move into your daily core mindfulness meditation.

Diaphragm Breath in Meditation – (Third and Fourth Week, Daily):

The diaphragm is a muscle at the base of your lungs. Engaging this muscle through deeper belly breaths improves respiratory function (encouraging unconsciously longer and deeper breaths), digestive function, and also supports mental health. Ideally, we would be breathing from this place most of the time if not inundated with chronic stress. Learning to breathe from the diaphragm is an act of resistance to the busyness of our culture, and a shield against chronic stress and anxiety.

My hope is that the previous two weeks of practice have strengthened your awareness and breathing to enter more deeply into the diaphragm. This practice may require patience as you slowly build into moving your breath from the upper chest (where many of us often breathe from out of habit), into the lower belly and diaphragm. It's an essential, vital, and challenging practice, but one that will serve you well if you attend to it daily.

Try to incorporate diaphragm breathing into your core mindfulness meditation. Like the 4-7-8 breathing, diaphragm breathing tends to be much easier sitting upright for most people, but, if for whatever reason that isn't accessible to you, feel free to lay down.

1. Set a timer for however long you committed and move into your core mindfulness meditation.
2. Place one hand on your chest. While breathing, the hand on your chest should remain relatively still. Place the other hand right below your rib cage to feel the diaphragm expanding.
3. Take a deep breath in through the nose for a count of five. Notice where your body is expanding. If from the chest, invite it toward your belly so that you can feel your belly rise under your hand. Don't force it, just lead the breath toward the belly. If you can't get it right away, allow it to build slowly over the course of the practice.
4. Without pause, and with a slightly open mouth (and ever so slight smile), exhale through the mouth and allow the belly to relax, moving back toward the spine for a count of five.
5. Without pause, bring the inhale back in through the nose for five counts, followed again by the five-count open mouth exhale.
6. Continue for the duration of your mediation.
7. If you feel lightheaded, you may lay down and return to normal breathing for the duration of your meditation.
8. Write down or reflect upon anything that came up during your mediation in your journal.