Breath Tool: 8 Stroke Alchemic Breath

If you are looking for a releasing breath practice, look no further than the 8 stroke alchemic breath to dissolve negative thinking and challenging emotions.

8 Stroke Alchemic Breath

This breath tool helps you alchemize frustration, anger, fear, and grief — helping you cleanse and clear out negative emotions, relieving stress, and strengthening the nervous system.

How to practice it:

• Find a comfortable seat on the ground or on a cushion

• Take a couple of conscious breaths to connect

• Lengthen your spine and soften your shoulders away from your ears

• Gradually draw your shoulder blades together so that your chest lifts slightly

• Soften your belly and take a deep breathe in and a full breathe out

• Now inhale through the nose eight short and steady strokes (breaths), like taking in eight sniffs

• Then exhale powerfully through the nose in one breath for a count of eight, drawing your navel towards your spine

• Repeat for 8 rounds

• To finish, take a full deep breath in and pause briefly at the top

• Exhale to relax and release completely

Benefits:

• Relaxes the mind

• Calms the nervous system

• Releases anger and stress

• Transforms negative feelings

Tip for beginner practitioners: If eight breaths in and an eight-count exhalation feels challenging, begin with four and work your way up.