Welcome to first this, a short mindfulness practice and message for any time.

I'm Catherine Nikolai, and I'm really glad you're here.

For today's practice, we're going to continue our breath school series, and we're working on a breathing technique to help wake you up and energize you.

So if now is not a particularly good time for that, maybe put this episode aside for later and listen to a different one.

Otherwise, stick with me.

And as always, when we work on breathing, if you feel at any point that you should stop, you

just will.

I'm going to recommend that you do this seated, and if at all possible, with sunshine on your face.

Gosh, if you could sit outside in the daylight, well, that would help wake you up even more.

But we're all working with what we've got.

So be where you can be.

Let's clear the slate with a big inhale through your nose.

And a sigh through your mouth.

Again, deep in and out.

Good.

Before we do anything to alter or direct the breath, let's just be aware of it.

So breathe naturally through your nose, noticing the sensations connected with breathing. You're just paying calm attention. You're just paying calm attention.

You inhale and you're

and you're aware that you're inhaling.

You breathe out and you know it.

A bit longer. Thank you. Think about your breath like a pendulum. are inhaling, you're stimulating your sympathetic nervous system, and that's activating, that's rousing.

When you're exhaling, you're stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, and that's soothing. It's calming. So if you extend one side of your breath longer than the other,

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