Awaken Your Breath – Day 3 Of 7 | Enliven The Exhale

A 7-day exploratory, workshop-style series designed to help you freshly meet your breath. This is Day 3. Today, we’ll explore the paradox of expansive breathing - not through creating fuller inhales, but through discovering a couple of ways to naturally lengthen the exhale

A gentle heads up: you’ll hear the sound of my own sigh and straw breath.

If traditional breathwork has ever felt tricky or intimidating, this series is made for curious explorers like you. We’ll approach our breath with intrigue, ease, and a sense of play.

Each track is short, easy to return to, and ready whenever your breath feels shy or waiting and wanting to be noticed.

If this is your first time practicing together, welcome. If you're returning, welcome back.

What did you notice when you gave your exhale a little more space? What happened to the next breath in?

With gratitude to Donna Farhi for enlivening my exhales.

Transcript

Hello, Welcome. This is day three of a little mini-series. This series of practices are designed to awaken and enliven your relationship with your breath. And today's session is a bit of a paradox. For me, Full and expansive breathing has a lot to do with the exhalation. A lengthened exhalation not only serves to settle and calm your nervous system, Letting your body know that all is well, But it also has this magic of naturally deepening and lengthening and expanding the next inhale that you experience. And so wherever you are, You can be lying down or standing or seated. We'll explore a few ways of lengthening our exhalation. These are all invitations. Some might resonate more than others. So encouraging you to bring a sense of openness to your breath. So you might like to find a gentle breath in, Perhaps through your nose. Then release your breath out with a sigh. Your sigh might sound different to mine. Might be longer, Might be shorter. But letting your sigh make whatever sound feels really resonant and natural to you. As you find one round gentle breath in and sigh on the breath out, Find a few natural breaths. No need to change anything about the way that you're breathing. Allowing your alive breathing body to experience the breath exactly as it is. And then as you feel ready, Finding another gentle breath in and a sigh on the breath out. You might want to make this louder, More expansive, More vivacious. And maybe noticing here, What happens to the next breath in after the sigh? Perhaps you notice something very subtle. Trying out a few more. A gentle breath in and a sigh on the out breath. This vocalizing, Making a sound on the breath out. It's a natural way of lengthening your exhalation without any effort or counting or force. Another way that I love to release and lengthen the out breath is through a straw breath. So a gentle breath in. This time, Gently pursing the lips, Creating resistance for that outgoing air. And between your gentle breath in and straw breath, Allow a few settling natural breaths. So with your straw breath, Gently pursing the lips, Creating resistance for that outgoing air. So essentially we are tricking the body. The exhalation is the same amount of air, But the way that we are releasing it means that it lengthens. It's a smaller window for that air to float out. Again, Your straw breath might sound different, Might be longer or shorter. And if you do notice that at the very end of that straw breath, You are grabbing for the next in breath, There's a sense of hunger or urgency for that next breath. What you might try is to make that straw breath a little shorter, Do a little less, Allowing that straw breath to release gently find a few natural breaths, Maybe trying a few more if it's feeling useful or interesting. And to finish, We might combine a sigh or a straw breath with a shoulder shrug. The possibility of completing two or three, Maybe more if that's feeling useful today. But as you're ready, Gently shrugging your shoulders up any amount towards the earlobes, Find a breath in as the shoulders float up. And then as the shoulders find their way melting down your back, Release the breath out with a sigh or through gently pursed lips. Allowing the shoulders to melt completely. Allowing a few natural breaths and completing two more if you like in your own time, Your own rhythm. Gentle breath in as the shoulders float and rise up towards the earlobes, Let the shoulders have a little dance. And then when you're ready, Let the shoulders melt and soften down your back. Imagining tension dissolving as your sigh or your straw breath releases the exhale. One more, Let's do this one together. As you feel ready, Breath in, Shoulders rise up, Maybe a little squeeze at the very top this time. Keeping the face soft, And then let the shoulders melt down. What do you notice about the fullness, The texture, The quality of your breath? Thank you so much for sharing this practice together. It's one of my favorites. And hopefully I'll see you in the next day of this little mini series. Let's explore our side body breathing. But for now, Breathe well.