Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Meditation Mini - Breathing for Balance

Episode Date: February 27, 2020

Find relaxation and balance with this meditation and breathing technique. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Hello, and welcome to Wake Me Up, the podcast where morning people are made. This is another meditation mini, and these are a bit different than the morning routine episodes of Wake Me Up. So these are just a variety of guided meditations and mindfulness exercises. My hope is that they will deepen your meditation practice and make the morning routine episodes more effective for you. I want to give a big shout out to Kimberly for her wonderful feedback, which actually helped me shape the last episode, part two of becoming Beyonce. Also, another big thank you to those of you who have messaged me through Instagram and posted about the podcast as well.

Now, candidly, I was rarely checking the Wake Me Up Instagram because I was, I didn't think people would try to connect with me there. But now that I know some of you do, I will definitely keep a closer eye on it and start posting a bit. Don't forget that Wake Me Up is all about you guys, the listeners. So hit me up and let me know what you're thinking. Episode requests, how you're using the podcast, etc. You can reach me through Instagram at Wake Me Up Podcast or through the website at wakemeuppodcast.com. Now, enough chit-chat and let's get to chat.

started. Today we're going to practice a breathing technique called alternate nostril breathing. It's actually a pretty old technique from yoga called anelovoloma or sometimes Nadi Shodana. Now there's a lot of ways to complicate this and I see people doing that all the time, but it's actually really super simple. All we're going to do is breathe while alternating between plugging our left and right nostrils. So you'll breathe in through one and out through the other. In through the left, out through the right, in through the right, out through the left. Just like that.

And what this does is help balance the airflow to both sides of your brain. I'm sure you've heard of left-brained people and right-brained people. And it's true that the left and right side of our brains do have somewhat different roles. Oftentimes we favor one over the other too much, though we don't necessarily do it consciously. So this exercise will help balance the air, the energy, going to both sides of the brain.

Now, one quick word of caution before we begin. Please only do this exercise if you're feeling well. You need to be able to breathe through both nostrils, easily in order to do this. So if you're sick, wait until you feel better. This exercise can also make you feel a little lightheaded.

So make sure you're sitting down in a safe place that you're not driving or operating machinery. If you have heart or lung problems, if you're pregnant, if you have any question or any doubt about whether you should do this, then

maybe press pause on this, try a different episode, and talk to a doctor. first. But if you're in normal health, you should be totally fine. So go ahead and find a comfortable position with a supportive seat. Of course, if you have a special place where you meditate, that's great. But it's not a requirement. Now take a second to let your body settle in. Feel free to make any subtle movements you'd like. Roll your shoulders, loosen up your hands, whatever your body is calling for. And then once you've taken any of the movements that you'd like, let your body fall still.

Take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, gently close your eyes. Start with a few deep breaths at your own pace. Inhaling to fill your lungs completely. Holding at the top for a moment. and then exhaling. Just allow your breathing to warm up a little bit. Now, we'll do a couple rounds of this breathing technique,

and I'm going to guide you the whole way. We'll rest for a moment in between rounds, and then we'll repeat. Feel free to pause at any time and join back in when you're ready. On each round, we'll inhale for two counts, hold for eight, and exhale for four on the other side.

So bring one hand to your nose and pinch your nostrils between your thumb and your index finger. Now open your left nostril, keeping the right closed. And let's begin. Inhale through the left. One, two. Hold, closing both nostrils. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, Exhale through the right.

Two, three, four. Inhale through the right. One, two. Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale through the left. Two, three, four. Inhale through the left.

One, two. Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale, right, two, three, four. Inhale right. One, two. Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Exhale, left. Two, three, four. Inhale left. One, two, hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale, right. Two, three, four. Inhale right.

One, two. Hold. Two, three, four. 5, 6, 7, 8. Exhale left. 2, 3, 4. Inhale left. 1, 2.

Hold. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Exhale right. 2, 3, 4. Inhale right. One, two. Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale left. Two, three, four, and pause. Let your hand relax down and breathe normally for a moment. Let's prepare for the next round. Bring your hand up to your nose and pinch your nostrils. Open the left nostril and inhale.

One, two. Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale through the right. Two, three, four. Inhale through the right. One, two. Hold.

Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale through the left. Two, three, four. Inhale left. One, two, hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale, right. Two, three, four. Inhale, right. One, two, hold. Two, three, four. Two, three, four. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Exhale left, 2, 3, 4, inhale left. 1, 2. Hold, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Exhale, right, 2, 3, 4. Inhale right, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4.

Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Exhale left. Two, three, four. Inhale left. One, two. Hold. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Exhale, right. Two, three, four. inhale right one two hold two three three four five six seven eight exhale left two three four and pause let your hand relax and just breathe normally notice how your body feels and just watch your thoughts come and go for a moment start to Bring yourself back to the present. Notice the chair beneath you. And any sounds in the room. Gently wiggle your fingers and toes. And when you're ready, open your eyes.

Take a moment to pause and collect yourself while I wrap things up. So I hope you found that refreshing and energizing. It's a really great bit of breathing to do if you're feeling a little off or distracted or overly emotional. It sort of brings you back to center, like pressing the refresh button, if you will. But that's all for now. Thank you so much for listening in. If you're enjoying Wake Me Up, please consider leaving a review or sharing it with a friend. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone started their day off positively, just like this.

You can help create that world by sharing the podcast through reviews and recommendations. I'll talk to you soon. And until then, I hope you have a wonderful day.