Guidance and Tips for Leading a Breath and Body Awareness Practice
The Breath and Body Practice can be facilitated two ways:
Playing the recording
Reading the script and facilitating the practice yourself
Either way, it is important that you listen to and experience the practice yourself, before leading others.
Materials: Phone that can play recording & Bluetooth speaker that has great amplification.
Location: Choose a spot in a mowed area next to trees, or in a forest where participants can lie on the ground or a log, or sit at the base of a tree. Try to be away from heavy traffic or crowds of people. (This practice can also be done indoors.)
Tell participants ahead of time that they can choose to lie down in the grass (or forest floor) with your head supported in some way.
Make sure to have seated options for people with accessibility/mobility issues.
Set-up Recommendations
Share the following information with your participants:
Gather materials that will allow you to be comfortable (water bottle, sweatshirt or backpack for under your head if you choose to lie down)
Your breath and body are always communicating with you. Your breath may get quicker or shallower when you get anxious. Your body may feel tight or loose – heavy or light.
It is MOST important to listen to your body throughout the practice. If at any point your body feels unsafe, please slow your breath, place a hand on your heart, and follow along and listen.
When breathing: notice when something doesn’t feel natural. For instance, you may be holding your shoulders or forcing your breath. Try to relax into the practice and breathe in a natural rhythm.
Your body requires practice in calming itself. The more it remembers how ‘calm’ and ‘centered’ feels, the more easily it will be able to return – and your awareness of when you are not calm and regulated, will be more enhanced.
Listen to your body.
Before Beginning
Allow participants to engage in the way that feels most comfortable to them. (Choose to: sit, lie down, eyes closed or not, practice breathing or noy – we never know people’s past experiences so we must trust that they will engage in the best way they know how.)
It is your role as the facilitator to set the brave space for them to experience something new/different, should they feel safe to do so. We cannot make others feel safe (this is out of our control & lives in their body), we can only create the brave space in which they feel into and choose safety.
It is important to remember that no reaction is wrong. Some folks may not have the capacity or it may make them feel anxious to slow down. Assure participants that their body is wise and celebrate them listening to their bodies.
Tips for a Successful Practice:
“When we are stressed, we breathe more shallowly and carbon dioxide builds up in our bloodstream, which can make us feel agitated and jittery. Physiologically, the cyclic sigh breathing technique works by reinflating the sacks in our lungs and the longer exhale rapidly offloads excess carbon dioxide, providing an immediate sense of increased calm. Additionally, our heart rate declines and oxygen levels go up contributing to a greater sense of calmness.”
Source:
CALS Wellness Committee tip: Manage stress with breathing techniques College of Agriculture and Life Science at the University of Wisconsin Madison, April 13, 2023
Evidence shows that people practicing "cyclic sighing" breathwork for 5 minutes per day for four weeks (28 days) experienced reduced physiological anxiousness, less perceived stress, and enhanced mood.
Source: peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports Medicine
Cyclic Sigh Benefits
This material was created and designed by Sally Pelto-Wheeler (Owner, Collaborative Training Network, LLC).
She would appreciate if it was shared widely and practiced with care.