Pranayama ✨ Soothing Sleep Meditation with Breathwork

[00:00:10] Hi there, Karissa here, and on tonight's episode of the Sleep Wave Podcast, we have a lovely breathing practice that will help us drift off to sleep easily. Before we take a trip to dreamland though, I wanted to give a shout out to a recent reviewer, a lot of numbers here, so here we go. 1-2-1-2-3-2-2-5-1-5-8. They are a military veteran who says that Sleep Wave has been an amazing relief that has helped them get to sleep each night.

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[00:03:23] One of my favorite ways to transform my state of mind is through a conscious breathing practice. In my many years of being a practitioner of yoga, I also got exposed to pranayama, the yogic practice of breathing. Pranayama is the life force and yama means control. Through breathing practice, we can open up to our vital energy, our prana,

[00:03:47] and allow it to flow through our whole body, revitalizing every cell of our being, simply by controlling the passage of air through the nostrils. Pranayama brings more oxygen to our body and feeds our ability to concentrate and relax. By controlling our breathing and being conscious of the movements of inhalation and exhalation, the yama, we also control the flow of our thoughts,

[00:04:16] slowing and calming the mind. Before we begin, stretch out in your bed. Take a big, long stretch and bring comfort to your spine. Bring your spine forward and then back,

[00:04:44] then to one side and the other, and also twist your spine on its own axis. Move intuitively, however feels best. The important thing is to feel that you are creating space in your body. Stretch your front,

[00:05:14] and your back, your sides, and the space between your ribcage and your hip. Now sigh out loud, letting a sound of relief exit your mouth.

[00:05:41] feeling how this makes you more relaxed and more aware of your own body. If you want, you can also massage yourself, taking all the tension out of your neck and shoulders.

[00:06:20] Try to give yourself some time every day to stretch and move your body gently and mindfully, and see how it helps you to relax. Lie on your back if you're comfortable doing so. During the practice of pranayama, your position can be varied as long as you're comfortable

[00:06:48] and able to concentrate. found a comfy position? Find a comfy position? Settle into it and try to relax your body even further into the mattress. And now, lying comfortably, we begin today's pranayama.

[00:07:17] This particular practice is called Nadi Shodna Kumbhaka or alternate nostril breathing. Close your eyes and focus completely on the air you breathe in and out through your nose.

[00:07:46] With your thumb, press your right nostril and inhale only through the left. With your lungs full, switch to press the left nostril with your index finger so that you can exhale all the air through your right.

[00:08:19] In the next inhale, you will not change. Inhale through the right nostril with full lungs. Press the right nostril with your thumb and exhale all the air through the left.

[00:08:49] Again, do not change. Inhale through the left nostril and then with full lungs, press the left nostril and continue at your own pace.

[00:09:18] inhale through the right through the left nostril through the left and exhale through the right nostril

[00:09:45] through the right nostril

[00:11:52] keep your rhythm by taking turns with your breath.

[00:12:06] Continue as you breathe.

[00:13:12] Visualize two imaginary snakes sliding up your spine starting from the base of your spine and moving to the top of your head

[00:13:43] of your spine. Exhale through the right nostril visualizing the snakes moving up your spine.

[00:14:50] Keep changing the active nostril whenever your lungs are full. Keep changing the active nostril lungs are full

[00:15:12] through one nostril obstruct your right nostril

[00:15:35] change the working nostril staying there right nostril

[00:16:01] then switch continue to breathe this way for five minutes.

[00:21:19] as you continue your practice notice the temperature of the air as it enters your nostril and the temperature of the air as it exits your opposite nostril on your exhale is there any difference?

[00:21:54] Inhale through one nostril nostril and swap

[00:22:12] that same nostril

[00:22:42] through the other

[00:25:01] to finish the next time you exhale through the right nostril as that is where Nadi Shodhana Kumbhaka began you can cease this breathing exercise and keep your eyes closed.

[00:26:22] This pranayama works with our two Nadi's which are energy centers of our body that surround the spine like the two snakes we visualized next time there are visualizations to intensify this pranayama

[00:26:51] you may find it helpful to move your concentration to your spine throughout the exercise imagine that every time you breathe in this prana this air and energy it reaches the base of your spine

[00:27:23] and every time you exhale that same energy runs upwards traveling up your spine towards your head as you inhale you focus on the base of the spine and as you exhale you feel this energy run upwards from the base of the spine

[00:27:52] to the top of your head if you want to repeat this exercise alone I advise you to start with five minutes of practice finish this exercise you should feel more relaxed and calmer if you still feel agitated

[00:28:22] try to reorganize yourself and follow this guided pranayama once more the goal of pranayama is to make you feel more relaxed and more connected to your own body

[00:28:59] take advantage of this balance your emotions identify the sensations you are experiencing

[00:29:30] so that you can return to this state of peace and tranquility

[00:31:49] and as you exhale feel your hold release any tension in your feet relax your hip

[00:32:15] and feel the free movement of your breath your heart