Breathing Exercise (3)To help slow a busy mind down and help with a good nights rest

[EmJay]

Before you try going to sleep, think about your day, and try and clear your mind. Is anything worrying you? If so think about whether or not you can do anything about it. Focus on all the positive things that have gone well for you, how good you feel about them or the things that have happened during your day. Any negative thoughts you may have collect them all together and have them ready to leave your body.

Once you have done this, close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Breathe in and out a few times, in your own time

Next, take in a nice, long, slow, deep breath through your nose

Breathe out a nice long sigh through your mouth

Repeat this 3 -4 times

As you feel yourself ready to relax, shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and then let them drop

Focus again on your breathing, now think of the number 10 as you breathe in

As you breathe out, see the number 10 leave your mind.

Feeling any tension leaving your body as you do this.

Next, breathe in nice and slowly as you think of number 9

As number 9 leaves your mind, breathe out slowly.

As you breathe in, see the number 8

Imagine every bit of worry within you being caught up in your breath and being pushed out

as you see the number 8 leaving your body,

taking everything that concerns you away.

Continue to focus on your breathing

Imagining with each breath in, you are gathering up every bit of tension from every part of your body.

Every breath out takes all this tension away.

As you see the number 7 enter your mind,

feel the activity within your head and thoughts starting to slow right down

breathing in and then out, feeling more and more relaxed each time as the numbers leave your mind.

Your breathing should now be nice and slow, your heart and pulse will be more relaxed and your mind will feel so at eased.

As you slowly count your way down the numbers, you should be feeling ever so relaxed and the days worries and stresses should be as far away from your mind as possible.

The more you practice this breathing exercise, the easier it should become everytime ?

[jillygirl Administrator Queen Bee]

Thanks Emjay , will try this .

[andi22]

I'm falling asleep reading this. (Snore, snore)

Should one do this every time you wake up during the night?

[EmJay Partner]

It was really hard for me to type this up and think about what I was saying as I typed!

The thing with breathing exercises is that it is best to practice them so that it is really easy for you to do as and when you need to.

Yep, Andi this is a good one for when you can't get back off to sleep. The very least it will do is relax you :0)

Maybe we should pick one breathing exercise to practice each week

[jillygirl Administrator Queen Bee in reply to EmJay]

That sounds good. Like andi says If it works when you wake up in the middle of the night. Thats normally the problem.

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer]

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