M6 : Lesson 7: Advanced Breathwork- Creating Safe Sympathetic Activation
Use discernment in practicing activating breathwork. While this type of advanced regulation practice is powerful, it can also be activating for some.
See the audio download for advanced guided breathwork practice.
Transcript
Less than 7. Advanced breathwork creating safe sympathetic activation, a guided, advanced breathwork practice. So are you ready to try advanced breathing? Let me explain it to you, and then we’ll do it together. We’ll just do a smaller session so you can get a feel for this.
What we’re gonna do is we’re gonna be taking some big inhales and then natural exhales. We’re gonna do this kind of rapidly about 30 times. And for this practice, we can breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Sometimes people do this all in and out through the mouth. It just depends on the technique.
But let’s do it in through the nose and out through the mouth. And what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna do this up and down, inhale, exhale, exhale, about 30 times. At the end of 30 times, we’re gonna exhale all of your air out, and you’re gonna hold it. Maybe up for 30 seconds ideally of the first time. And then after a 30 second exhale, which you’re like, how can I hold that long?
When you’ve done this hyperventilation, you should have enough oxygen in your brain to handle a 30 second hold What will happen is after the end of the 30 second hold, and I’m gonna guide you through all of this, then we’re gonna inhale completely for about 10 seconds. And then we’ll exhale, and we’ll do round 2 of inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale for about 30 seconds again, and then we’ll exhale and hold for about 30 seconds, maybe actually up to a minute for round 2. You can try that. And then, again, a full inhale. And then round 3.
We’re gonna do 3 rounds. Okay? If you are new, you just wanna do one round, that’s fine. So you can try that. I usually do this laying down.
I’m gonna demonstrate it to you sitting up, but I’m also gonna be kind of guiding you through it. So lay down if you can. And remember, it’s very normal to feel tingly, especially through your hands. Some people’s hands even kinda clamp like this. Please obviously consult with your medical provider before doing this and get clear that it’s okay to stimulate your heart if you have severe dysautonomia pots and severe health issues, please do not do this advanced practice.
This is for those that are more stable. And you are responsible to decide what this is for yourself because obviously, I’m not able to evaluate you. And like I said, you might have a little trauma come up that’s normal. Emotions and if you feel like you need to cry or yell or make a sound, go ahead and do it and then come right back to the breath. Okay?
So Like I said, do this incrementally, maybe just do one round the first time, two rounds the second time you listen, and just see how it goes for you. Shall we begin? Okay. So through the nose, out through the mouth 30 times. Ready?
Here we go. Inhale. Exhale. Just let the air fall out. Inhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale, and hold. Hold for 30 seconds.
Okay. And then an inhale fully for 10 seconds and hold at the top. And exhale, and back to round 2. Here we go. Inhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Exhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale.
And tomorrow, inhale. Exhale. And hold. Exhale fully. Hold for 30 seconds.
And if you’re really good, you can try to hold for a whole minute. Maybe hold a little longer. Really challenge yourself for just a moment. Alright. Go ahead and inhale fully for 10 seconds.
And hold. And exhale. One last round. Here we go. Inhale.
Exhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Ten more. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Exhale. Exhale. Three more. Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. It all out.
Hold. Try holding. As long as you can, I’m even dizzy as I’m guiding you through this. It’s harder to speak and do this at the same time. Keep going.
Let’s just hold the exhale. Just really come into your body. Be present and notice how still your body is. As it’s been hyperoxygenated, being present with that sympathetic response, can you feel the tingling through your body? And hold space for it.
Safe, sympathetic activation. Continue to hold as long as you can. Letting yourself know that you are here now in this with this sympathetic activity, with the stress response that you purposely induced You may have sounds. You may wanna cry. You may wanna shake.
All of that is normal. Let your body do what it wants to do. And just slowly, as you complete the process, Just coming into stillness, into deep presenceing. And when you’re done, just really slowly look around the room and orient yourself Before you get up, just take it easy and just notice your hands, notice your environment, Don’t just rush up and get out of this. Take your time and just presence your body so that your body learns to ride that whole wave of sympathetic activation and coming into presence, such as being in presence, seeing what is.
You might have all sorts of weird little feelings in your body that’s totally normal. And just coming back to the present moment. And that completes the practice.