Live Healthy Relax

As you breathe, bring your awareness to the areas of your body where you feel discomfort or tension.  Imagine dissolving that area of tension or discomfort, whether physical, mental, or emotional. Become aware of where you feel this sense and use your breath to release it.

The Ocean Breath Work Practice is a guided meditation technique aimed at inducing relaxation and a sense of calm by synchronizing breath with the imagery and rhythm of ocean waves.

The Ocean Breath Technique:

Inhale deeply through your nose, filling your lungs completely, as you exhale, imagine the sound of ocean waves gently rolling onto the shore as you find a slight constriction in the back of your throat and breathe out through your nose. Imagine linking your breath with the cadence of the ocean waves. 

In this guided meditation the focus will be simply on observing the breath to soften and relax into the body and mind. By consciously observing each breath that flows in and out the mind has less opportunity to wander and more time to be present. 

As you continue to breathe deeply and consciously, imagine each breath as a wave of relaxation washing over your entire body. With each inhale, imagine drawing in peace, clarity, and positivity. With each exhale, imagine releasing any negativity, doubt, or tension that you may be holding onto.

In this guided meditation the center focus is on contentment – a profound feeling of having enough, finding gratitude for your life circumstances, and embracing the simplicity of the present moment, just as it is, instead of yearning for more. 

Focus on the feeling of having enough. Simply observe without judgment. In this space of contentment, recognize that you have everything you need within you to feel at peace. 

This guided meditation will allow you to find comfort in your body and to tune into the breath. Taking deep, long, slow, steady, relaxed breaths. With every breath finding more and more comfort. Begin to surrender to sleep with this rhythmic breathing. Finding softness in your body, find the most comfort you have ever felt, and relax in your bed observing each breath. As each exhale passes through your nose let yourself sink deeper.

Imagine every breath floats you into a state of deep relaxation. Your bed becomes so soft, your body so light, so effortless as you lull yourself to sleep.

In this guided meditation we will cultivate a shift in the body to find a state of rest to create this same shift in the mind and go from “doing” to “being”. Often in life, we are hurrying, busy from one task to the text, checking off our to-do list but feeling as if something hasn’t been completed. Find a pause in your day and release the notion that you have to get something done. The busier you are the more you need meditation because the mind and body need moments of rest, contemplation, and reflection. 

In this practice, steps will be outlined on how to shift from "doing" to "being" as well as a guided meditation to journey into the self of present awareness.

In this guided breath work practice, you will be led to become aware of the emotion of anger. Noticing what is going on inside, what emotions are present, and what you are feeling. 

A variety of breath work techniques that help to cool the body and calm the body.

The practice:

• Inhale for 5

• Forcefully exhale quickly 

• Visualization practice 

• Feeling into the emotion. Sighing it out. Become aware of anger and focus on letting go. 

Bhramari pranayama translates to humming bee breath. It’s a simple breathwork practice that utilizes sound by humming on the exhalation.

This sound and exhale emphasis helps to calm your nerves by stimulating your vagus nerve which has a direct impact on regulating your parasympathetic nervous system correlating to rest and digestion, slowing your heart rate, and reducing blood pressure. 

The practice:

• Find a comfortable position - soften into your body finding a relaxed posture
• Close your eyes
• Inhale drawing the breath in through your nose
• Exhale with your mouth sealed and hum as you slowly release

Breathing for calm and relaxation

This is a very short breath work practice that you can do anytime you are looking to find more calm. It takes just a few minutes. 

The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds through the mouth. 

In this 5-minute yin yoga pose, we will be exploring a wide-legged fold to stress the hip flexors and open the hamstrings and glutes. Through this long-held posture, the connective tissue will begin to release. Find deep breaths within this pose and allow the body to relax.

Various breathwork techniques have been shown to help balance the autonomic stress-response system, relieve anxiety and other symptoms of stress, and improve sleep. In this breathwork practice we will focus on a long, slow, and steady inhale and a complete exhale.

Use this daily restorative breath work practice to find a quiet mind, and feel centered, balanced, and more connected to the vitality of your life.

Through the 'physiological sigh' breathwork technique, you can quickly reduce your stress and anxiety within minutes.

This simple breath work practice is a 'physiological sigh method' consisting of a breathing pattern of two inhales through the nose followed by an extended exhale through the mouth.

The first breath through the nose is almost to capacity, followed by one more quick nasal inhale that further pop open the air sacks in the lungs. This is followed by an extended exhale. Just one to three cycles of this breathing technique can make a noticeable difference in reducing your stress. It’s as simple as that, and it takes only a few seconds. 

When you have a lot on your mind and your body is agitated it is difficult to find rest. If you experience symptoms of stress, anxiety, or depression then falling asleep can be difficult and so too can staying asleep. While sleeping 7-8 hours is important, what is more important is the quality of that sleep. So how do you find rest? What happens if you awake in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep because your thoughts are racing?

In this guided meditation you can return to this practice if you need to fall asleep, to prepare for your sleep, or simply to return to sleep. 

Welcome to 2024. Another year is here. When we think of a new year it often has a relationship with "new beginnings" and it does because in a way it is a new book of your life. Think of each month as a chapter. How do you plan to fill these next 12 chapters? How do you plan to fill each page as each new day arises?

The start of a new year is fresh and open to possibilities, but so is every moment that we consciously tune in to. Instead of thinking "new year, new you" think of how you can become more aware of each moment as it arises. As an author of your own life, you have the power to choose how you see each circumstance, how you react, and how you let it affect the rest of your days. 

While we may wait until the new year arrives to start setting our intentions – the reality is new beginnings happen in the now. So as your new chapter awaits you, know that you start each day with a blank page, every moment you tune in consciously to what is, to how you are present, you can start to find a new beginning waiting for you. 

Obstacles are surely going to greet you through the course of your life. Whether it is a minor derail from the path you are on or a huge setback – the ability to persevere with patience and gratitude is a gift and a skill that one can acquire through great reflection and meditation. 

In this meditation, you will be guided to observe the current obstacles you face in your life. As you begin to mentally examine each challenge or obstacle that is in your way, a deeper sense of purpose and patience will support you along this journey. 

Life has a way of distracting you from the very moment you are in. With so much going on in the world around us and so much going on within our own minds it’s difficult to not get distracted. But sometimes these distractions run so deep that they pull us away from experiencing the emotions that are present. 

When emotions are not felt in the body when experienced they can sometimes get lodged there. The issues are in the tissues. We store a lot of emotions in certain areas of our body such as the hips, the neck, and the shoulders. 

The next time you notice yourself feeling distracted from the emotions that you feel presently in your body follow this guided meditation to bring yourself into full awareness. 

When we learn to consciously relax, we develop the ability to purposefully release unnecessary tension in our body and mind. This creates huge shifts in our well-being. In this guided meditation we will work with the breath to extend the exhale to release stress and turn on the relaxation response. 

People who practice gratitude say they experience more positive emotions, relish good life experiences, enjoy improved health and build strong relationships. In this guided meditation you will find a sense of gratitude deep within. Giving yourself time and space to truly feel gratitude overflowing into your being. 

You can feel a range of emotions in a short amount of time. There are various ways for you to release your emotions such as through meditation, yin-yoga, breath-work practice, journaling, talking, therapy, and exercise. By understanding the range of emotions that you have and the circumstances that brought you to feel a certain way, you will be able to process them in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Surrender is a lifelong journey, a practice that continually returns us to the experience of life, allows us to flow without resistance. The natural state of surrender is about knowing when to do- and when to simply be. Discerning between the doing and being states requires awareness and an ability to tune in to the self that resides within. When we decide to embrace surrender in our lives, we are asked to become more and more discerning of what is within our control and what is not. In this guided meditation you will find a deep state of surrender and then surrender even more. 

It’s natural to have fears, worries, and anxiety about the future. The trouble is when these fear-based thoughts get in the way of living life. Holding you back from thinking or doing other things because you are stuck on a loop of negative thinking. It’s not always easy to release a fear-based thought. It continues to surface in your mind. Even if you distract yourself, it still lingers in the background. In this meditation, you will be guided to confront your fear, release your grip, and find a way to settle into the now.

If there is one thing we all have in common as human beings it is the search for happiness. Not only do we seek joy out, but we strive to maintain it in our lives. It’s not easy. Happiness comes and goes. In this meditation, you will be guided to find moments of joy through the power of thought. Allow yourself to find space physically and mentally to allow positivity to flow to you. 

Yoga Nidra is also known as Yogic sleep promoting deep rest and relaxation. Through this method, the body is brought into a profound state of relaxation. The nervous system can begin to recalibrate and the deepest parts of yourself can become activated. Find yourself in a state of calm, stillness, and peace. 

If you find yourself awake in the middle of the night unable to fall back to sleep easily, try this meditation to gently drift your awareness into a place of calmness and ease.

Do you ever find yourself staring at the time wondering what to do next? The feeling that there is so much to do and so little time. When the time approaches you panic, shut down, find yourself staring at a blank space that used to be occupied by thoughts. In this meditation we will find the spaciousness between thoughts and allow it to expand to sink deeper into stillness.

Energy can feel stagnant and sometimes lodged unpleasantly in the body based on certain emotions we experience. The feeling of physical and emotional resistance can make you feel discomfort, rigid, frustrated, and even depressed. It’s important to recognize this feeling and find ways to gently work through it. Our immediate reaction when feeling blocked might be to hurry up and get unstuck. In the rush to free ourselves from this discomfort we can end up causing more. Through this guided meditation we will work through the discomfort within mind and body to remove energy blocks. 

We live in a culture that is pressed to have more sunshine and joy. The desire for fulfillment and happiness arises and when we don’t meet that desire. Release your resistance to whatever emotions you are feeling at any given moment. Stop trying to make your way to the surface to find sunshine, just let these moments in. Accept them and then when you are ready you can begin to lift.

The New Year often inspires us to think creatively about what we would like to change in our lives or in ourselves. Days tick by and before you know it the year is over once again. What really changed? In order to make progress with the intentions we set at the start of the year we need to continuously remind ourselves what our focus is. Where your attention goes your energy flows.

There are millions of things outside of our control. The same event could happen to two different people, but the outcome of the result can vary. It’s not what happens to us that matters, but how we react that's important. Think about how you react to various situations throughout your day. If you find yourself to be a reactive person, see if you can spend more time in meditation. Through this process, we can cultivate awareness through mindfulness and use our breath to calm our minds.

When you find yourself dwelling about the past or stressing about the future, life has a way of pressing the pause button that distracts you from living in the now. Your breath is a powerful tool that can anchor you into the here and now and only takes a few minutes to reconnect. Slow down and release your anxiety with this breath work practice.

Shift your mindset with this powerful breath work practice using alternate nostril breathing. This is useful especially when you have an active mind. Settle into the awareness of conscious breathing.

Use this breath work practice as a tool to simply tune into your natural breath. Sometimes life gets the best of us and we forget to breathe. We forget to connect to ourselves and we get swept up moment by moment without truly feeling present. Allow this breath work to bring you back to yourself. By noticing the natural rhythm of our breath we find that stillness and our awareness increases. Fine tuning this space creates calm.

Practice this meditation whenever you feel unsettled and in need of feeling grounded and supported. Invite yourself to relax.

Use this practice to guide your focus to your breath which will anchor you into the present moment and help clear your mind.

Use this Yin Yoga practice to allow yourself the time and space you need to unwind from your day or to break up a busy day. If you simply just need to take a break from your day – this simple 10-minute practice will help instill a sense of calm so that you can go back to your day with more energy.

Some days life can feel pretty hectic. You find yourself moving in a fast paced throughout your day and may be in need to slow down and relax. Use this breath work practice to release any stress and tension in the body and mind.

This is a wonderful restorative yoga practice to do when you are feeling anxious, restless, or want to soothe the body and prepare for deep relaxation and/or sleep.

Use this meditation practice at night to allow a soft glow from a candle to be your focus point. Make your room dark and light a candle in front of you. Allow your body and mind to soften and relax. 

If you have troubles falling asleep or staying asleep, use this breath work practice to calm the mind and body. Find a comfortable resting position either by laying on your bed or supporting yourself with pillows, bolsters, or blankets.

Find freedom in this simple meditation. Focusing on the breath is an easy way to relax the mind and body. Simplicity is all about focusing on all that is most important to you and letting go of the rest.

Through the process of meditation we find stillness. That place we all have within us that we can go to at anytime. How can you quiet the mind? Allow your breath to sink you deeper into the present moment.

Cultivating the attitude of patience can help make us calmer. Simply by allowing ourselves to pause and connect to the present moment we are creating a sense of patience.