Pranayama

Breathing Exercise - Square or rectangle breathe.

1. Sit in a comfortable position with the spine upright and shoulders drawn back to open the chest.

2. Close the eyes and visualise a rectangle or square in your favourite colour.

3. Take a few deep breaths before beginning the exercise.

4. Inhale up the left side of the square or rectangle.

5. Hold the breath along the top of the shape.

6. Exhale down the right side of the shape.

7. Hold along the bottom of the shape.

8. Continue for 2 minutes and extend the time as you feel comfortable with this breathing practise.

9. When you have finished the practice, sit with eyes closed for a further couple of minutes and let the breath return to normal.

Use the rectangle if you are a beginner to breathing practice. The hold time is less with a rectangle and we aren’t used to holding the breath.

The breath should be long and deep but not so deep that you begin to feel tension in the body, especially neck and shoulders.

Discontinue the practice if you feel uncomfortable, short of breath or notice tension building within the body.