Many of my clients ask me what to do during a Reiki session, especially during distant healing sessions.
A great place to start when you first lie down for your session, is to try to relax and focus on your breath. Brush away any thoughts that may come up about your day or things you have to do. This may be easier said than done, but breathing can be an excellent tool in helping you to quiet your mind. You may find that after a few minutes, you fall asleep, or you may find certain emotions surface, past memories arise, or visions or images play out in front of your closed eyes. Try not to resist this – it is completely normal; but everyone is different, so each person’s experience is unique.
In this blog, I have included a few of my favourite breathing exercises. These exercises are also great to practice throughout the day, particularly if you’re feeling anxious or stressed.
Backwards breathing
When asked to take a deep breath in, most people will suck in their stomach, lift up their shoulders and puff out their chest as they inhale into it. This is called backwards breathing, and it’s the complete opposite to how we are designed to breathe. Breathing like this is common when in a state of stress of anxiety, and as with any habit, it can be difficult to break. Whilst there will be some movement in your chest and shoulders as you breathe, you should actually be breathing with your stomach and not with your chest.
When thoughts about your day or things you should or should not be doing come up, just brush them away and return to your breath.
Belly breathing
Close your eyes. When you are ready, start to observe your breath. Notice it’s natural flow and rhythm, in and out, in and out. As you inhale, notice the feeling of cool air at the entrance to your nostrils. Follow your breath as it travels through your nostrils, down past your throat, your chest and into the base of your stomach, just below your tummy button. Notice your stomach expanding, as your chest moves ever so slightly. As you breathe out, notice your stomach slowly contracting, and follow your breath as it travels up your body this time, and out of your nose.
Each time you exhale, let everything go. Let your shoulders drop, soften the skin of your face, unclench your jaw. Let your body get heavy.
Square (box) breathing
This one is great for anxiety and stress!
Slowly, start to elongate your inhales and your exhales, breathing in (to the base of your stomach) and out through your nose with your lips closed.
When you are ready:
- Inhale for a count of four (into your stomach, as above)
- Hold for four (or two, I sometimes find this easier)
- Exhale for four
- Hold for four (or two)
- Repeat
Do this for a few breaths. This is called square or box breathing. It is great for stress and has immediate results. Research shows this type of breathing can help your body to release toxins more readily.
It’s important not to strain your diaphragm when doing this type of breathing, so just do what feels comfortable for you. If you need to reduce your count to say a count of 3 for each movement, then do it. If you want to increase your count, you can do this too. If you start to feel dizzy, stop and come back to the practice later on.
I find this technique is particularly helpful my anxiety, especially when my body goes into fight or flight mode. I get very anxious before speaking during work meetings – my breathing rate increases, my heart pounds very fast and my face gets very hot – so I always practice these breathing exercises for a few minutes before a meeting, or when I can feel my anxiety getting the better of me during the meeting!
You can read more about box breathing, here.
Ujjayi Breath
Another technique I practice every day, and one I use in combination with the square box breathing, and during yoga sessions, is Ujjayi breath.
Ujjayi is pronounced ‘oo-ja-i’. It can be translated to ‘victorious breath’ but is commonly referred to as ‘oceanic breath’ or if you’re a fan of Yoga with Adriene you may be familiar with the term – ‘Darth Vader breath’! This type of breath has been used for thousands of years and is particularly useful during yoga practice because it helps you to synchronise the movements of your body with your breath.
The easiest way to produce Ujjayi breath is to start with your mouth closed, breathing in (to the base of your stomach) and out through your nose. It’s helpful to start by just noticing the natural rhythm of your breath, in and out, in and out. Then, when you are ready:
- Inhale deeply (into the base of your stomach, for a count of four if helpful)
- Exhale slowly (your exhale should be slightly longer than your inhale, for example, if you are inhaling for a count of four, you can exhale for a count of six)
- Inhale deeply again
- This time as you exhale, contract the muscles at the back of your throat. The sound you make will be quiet, but will sound similar to the ocean or to, in Adriene’s words, Darth Vader!
- Inhale deeply, this time contracting the muscles at the back of your throat.
- Exhale slowly, contracting the muscles at the back of your throat.
- Repeat
The benefits:
- increases amount of oxygen in your blood
- increases internal body heat
- relives tension
- encourages the flow of vital life force throughout the body – which is essential for healing
- regulates your blood pressure
- great for meditation and presence
If you’re struggling with the sound, or if you want more information, click here to read on.
Taking notice of your breath in these ways means that your mind cannot focus on anything else, making it a great tool during meditation!
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, click here and ask away.
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Thanks to:
- Learn the Ujjayi Breath, an Ancient Yogic Breathing Technique: https://chopra.com/articles/learn-the-ujjayi-breath-an-ancient-yogic-breathing-technique
~ A V I N A ~ 
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