Welcome to First This, a short mindfulness practice and message for any time.

I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Let's settle in, and since we're focusing a bit more on breathing today,

I suggest you arrange your body in a way that helps you breathe easily,

whether that's supporting your back against a wall or with a chair or lying down. I will take

any excuse whatsoever to lay down.

And if you need one, here it is.

Once you're there, draw a deep breath in through your nose.

And sigh from your mouth.

Again, fill it up.

And let it go.

Good.

Before we get into any specifics with this breathing exercise,

let's spend a minute or so just being in our bodies,

stepping back from the rest of the world.

So notice right now what you can feel on your skin through your soft tissues the movement of air over your're sitting or lying on. You can center yourself by literally feeling at the center of yourself.

Your solar plexus.

Right behind your diaphragm.

What is there there to notice? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So still calm, tuned in, we're just going to shift to an active style of breathing rather than the passive.

And as always, if at any point you feel like you should stop, just stop. No big deal.

This style of breathing is great for reducing anxiety,

for slowing things down.

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