Hello and welcome to Roots of the Rise with me, sarah Hope. I feel like we've been covering some weighty stuff this week, so I thought I'd hit pause on that and do something simple and light a breathing technique. So let's get to it. Box breathing, sometimes also called square or four-square breathing, is a really simple practice that has been shown to have a bunch of benefits, such as lowering blood pressure. It's great for stress relief, for you know, helping with anxiety. It's actually especially useful for people who have lung conditions like COPD. Anything that makes breathing harder it can be very beneficial for that. So what actually happens with this is that it's a slow breath practice and it allows carbon dioxide to temporarily build in your blood, which lowers your heart rate and taps into your parasympathetic nervous system. This is a great technique for pretty much anyone. However, you may want to check with your doctor if you have a heart condition, have any kind of severe health condition or are pregnant. Another cautionary note if you become breathless or dizzy while doing this, stop immediately and just start breathing regularly. If the dizziness doesn't go away after stopping, then get medical attention. I say all of this to you, know. Then get medical attention. I say all of this to you know. Have the appropriate disclaimers, but don't let them scare you off. Generally speaking, most breath practice, especially something gentle like this one, are pretty safe and very useful. So do give it a try. If you don't fall into one of those categories where it's contraindicated, all right.

So how do you actually do the practice? First of all, make sure that you find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. This isn't going to take a long time, but you don't want to be bothered while you're doing it, especially the first few times that you're trying it out. Make sure that you're comfortable. Sit upright, as upright as you can, because obviously you're going to be breathing and you want to make sure you give your body space to do that. Feet can be flat on the floor, giving your lower body some stability. Hands relaxed. Do whatever you need to do to kind of settle. So make sure that your shoulders are relaxed, your arms are relaxed. Now, that said, if you are stressed, if you're having a moment of anxiety, this is a great breath to do. So you might not be relaxed and settled when you sit down, and this is the tool you're going to use to help you get there. So that's fine too, but just do try to make sure that you are seated in that upright kind of grounded posture. Okay, I am going to describe the whole process. Don't do it this time. Just listen to the whole description, all right, so that you just kind of have in your head where you're going to go.

So the first step is to simply get all the oxygen out. Just exhale and get all the oxygen out of your lungs. Second step inhale deeply through your nose to the count of four, and you're trying to pull the air into every part of your lungs Go into your upper chest, your ribs, all the way deep into your belly. Just pull that air in slowly to the count of four. Step three hold your breath for the count of four, and you want to make sure that the count speed is comfortable. You do not want to feel stressed during this. You don't want to feel like you are gasping for breath. Step four exhale through your mouth for the same slow count of four, getting every bit of air out. Step five hold your breath for the same slow count of four, before repeating this process four times. So to sum up, you're getting all the breath in and all the breath out every time and you're taking four even counts in each step. It's a box right. So you're taking four even counts in each step In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four, right, box breathing.

Truly, make sure you aren't gasping for breath. You never want to feel like you're struggling to get the oxygen you need, but you do want to keep the count as slow as is comfortable. So play around with that. It might take you a little bit and it might change, you know, on a daily basis. So if you're doing it and you realize, oh, this is kind of I kind of feel like I can't make it, then speed your breath up. And if you realize, oh, I am kind of going fast, I can slow this down, then do that. Okay, ideally you want to repeat the box breathing cycle four times in one sitting and you can do it as much as you need to to calm your nerves and relieve the stress. So play with that.

Today I'm not going to take any time here to walk you through it, because everybody's breathing cycles are different. So if I start counting the breath for you, you might end up kind of feeling like it's way too slow or way too fast. So, like. Play with this, be Goldilocks, experiment with it and let me know if you have any questions by emailing rootsoftherise at gmailcom. Otherwise, have a great rest of your day and remember, know who you are, love who you've been and be willing to do the work to become who you want to be. Just a quick reminder this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist and nothing shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist or any other qualified provider. That said, I hope it inspires you to grow, heal and seek the support you need to thrive.