Shallow breath during lying relaxation

[Jason]

Greetings,

I'm 65 days into my goal of 90 straight days of daily lying relaxation (missed one day in there early on).

On days 43 and 44 I experienced what I'm guessing is what Kit means by "now experience the sensation of being deeply relaxed". It felt like I was floating in space and my limbs were gently swaying, even though I was just laying on the floor. Hasn't really happened since but it was indeed wonderful. Two things were different during those days:

1. I was very tired and I think I kept dozing off during the script.
2. I realized that up till then I had been somewhat controlling my breath. I decided to just let my breath do what my body wanted regardless of how it affected by mental state.

Giving up control of my breath resulted in very shallow breath, and now it seems that I can get closer to that state of relaxation if I really focus on not controlling my breath. Just let it get very shallow with fairly long bouts of no breathing. Just curious what anyone has to say about this. Thanks.

-Jason

[Kit_L]

@Jason: All sounds good, to me. I would not like to label the state you mentioned, but it does sound lovely! Many people have reported to me that they had that kind of experience while in a zone between awake and asleep, often in the mornings when waking naturally (i.e., no alarm clock).

Re. 1: dozing off is normal, especially when tired (because you need sleep!)

Re. 2: Don't control the breath, unless that is an explicit part of the process. I don't teach this in the relaxation recordings, but do this myself, as in: breathe in; pause the movements (I count, one, two); let the breath go out; once out pause again one, two. This and many other similar patterns can be excellent alternatives to breath counting.

But unless you are doing one of these kinds of practises, don't control anything. And yes, the breath naturally will become light, and the periods of not breathing can be quite long, up to 30" in my experience. Again don't force or create this—simply go with it if it arises. Relax more!

Have you tried breath counting? Breath comes in, breath goes out, count "one". Repeat. Set a modest goal the first time you try it (28 is a good number). Counting can really tell you if you are dozing off, because you'll forget where you are! If you forget the count, smile to yourself and either start again, or start from where you're sure you remember.

All sounds excellent; there really is a universe to be discovered inside.

[Jason]

@Kit_L Thank you for the reply. There were a few scripts that used counting breaths. It's a great idea for when I know I'm too tired to stay awake. Thank you for the suggestion. I look forward to each day of meditation and the new experiences it brings. 

Having those scripts all in one place is such a great resource. Thank you for posting them. I use them every time. Really looking forward to doing one of the extended ones that are over an hour. 

[Jason]

Something I've noticed is that I'm able to relax much more easily while holding an exhalation. It's true for lying relaxation as well as stretching exercises. I can feel my body sink into the ground, or sink into a stretch, after exhaling and holding it. Inhalation, on the other hand, tends to create tension in my body. Normally I like to just let the breath do its thing but it's really quite noticeable how much more easily I'm able to relax. Is this just one of those things that we find out works for us as individuals? 

It also occurred to me today that the sigh at the beginning of each lying relaxation is reminiscent of the feeling of playing a didgeridoo. The vibration in your esophagus and throat while lying down feel very similar to playing that instrument. Thought you Australians would appreciate the insight 🙂

[Jim Pickles]

@Jason I encourage my students (and myself) to pause at the end of an exhalation. Our relaxation routine (done lying) includes instructions like: as you breath out, imagine the breath draining out down your body, down your legs, and out through your feet. Follow the breath down your body with your mind. As you go deeper into the relaxation, pause a moment in full exhalation, and feel how your mind is empty, before breathing in again. Imagine the breath rising up your body." There is no mention of when to stop breathing in and starting to breathe out (that comes naturally). Lengthening the pause at the end of the outbreath (and the focus of the mind at the feet, with thoughts stilled) are encouraged. I (and they) find this very relaxing.

[Jason]

@Jim Pickles, thank you for the feedback. Good to know I’m not the only one! I will try out the visualizations you mentioned. 
It really is incredible how much I can relax while holding an exhale, compared to any other phase of breathing. True for underwater too.

[Kit_L]

@Jason: and this perception is supported by the research, too: muscle tonus decreases with each breath out in everyone, and increases with each in breath. The relaxation part can be enhanced considerably with practice, as many have written about before.