To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.
Today I want to lead you through a pretty simple pranayama practice or breath work.
As the title of this suggests, this is a great tool for when you have anxiety.
Before we get started, I want to take a moment to fully acknowledge any anxiety you’re feeling. Maybe even say out loud, “I am feeling anxious.” There’s a real sense of lessening the power that anxiety can have over us by simply acknowledging that “yea hey I am feeling anxious right now.” So maybe take a moment- write it down, say it out loud, or simply notice a thought to yourself.
So today we’re going to be doing the 4-7-8 breath. It’s pretty simple. I’ll count you through a few rounds. We’ll inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, and exhale for a count of 8. What this does - the longer exhale - allows the nervous system to receive the signal that it’s time to settle or calm.
If inhaling for 4 feels too long, or holding for 7 feels too long - shorten them as you need to. The idea is that your exhale is longer than the inhale.
If you need to re-settle in your physical space, you can be seated. My favorite way to practice this is lying down. Get comfy in bed or anywhere else that feels relaxing to you. Maybe keep the feet planted on the Earth, knees bent. Help support the physical body + notice the grounding beneath the feet.
We’ll start with a few rounds of cleansing breath - inhale through the nose, expand the belly.
Sigh it out, let it go. Repeat x2.
If you need a few more cleansing breaths, feel free to pause and take them.
Otherwise, we’ll start our 4-7-8 breath.
Take an inhale for a count of 4, 3, 2, 1… Pause at the top + hold the breath 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Gentle exhale out the nose or mouth… 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
We’ll repeat this a few more times. Inhale for 4. Pause for 7. Exhale for 8.
Keep breathing like this at your own pace. If you need to shorten the length of each breath in or out, please do. Spend a few moments in silence focusing on this breath pattern - in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8.
Notice what arises during the pause. That in-between moment.
I hope you enjoyed this simple practice. It’s another tool to keep in the back of your toolkit for when you’re feeling anxious. Come back to the breath + slow some of those anxious thoughts in the mind.
Allow tension in the shoulders + jaw or wherever you hold tension to simply melt away.
Give yourself so compassion - anxiety can take such a toll on us. Give yourself time to rest a little longer. Maybe ask yourself, “what is it I REALLY need to do today?”
Anxiety Reset 4-7-8 Breath