Meditation · Anxiety
Loosening the Chest
Priya Raman · 10 min
10:00
remaining
What to do, minute by minute
1. Settle in
0:00–2:00Sit or lie down somewhere you won't be disturbed. Let your shoulders drop, close your eyes or soften your gaze, and take three slow breaths.
2. Follow the breath
2:00–4:00Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Let the out-breath be longer than the in-breath — that's what calms the nervous system.
3. Scan and release
4:00–6:00Move your attention slowly from your jaw to your shoulders, hands, belly and legs. Wherever you find tension, breathe into it and let it go.
4. Rest in stillness
6:00–8:00Stop steering. Let thoughts come and go like passing traffic — when you notice you've wandered off, that noticing is the practice. Return to the breath.
5. Come back gently
8:00–10:00Deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes slowly. Carry a little of this quiet into whatever comes next.
Opening the space where held breath collects.
Notice whether the breath is stopping high, near the collarbones. Let the ribs widen sideways instead of the chest lifting. Sigh out once, audibly, and let the shoulders drop with it. Repeat the sigh whenever the chest tightens again.