The exhale is the mind blowing.
Hello again,
And thank you for joining me for another guided meditation.
Let's settle in and start with a few nice,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
On the inhale,
We take in the new oxygen and awaken our senses.
On the exhale,
We can settle and invite a sense of calm and ease.
Breathing in,
We are aware we are breathing in.
Breathing out,
We are aware we are breathing out.
As we focus on our breath,
Or any other anchor that we find is helpful in keeping us present in the here and now,
We're going to take a little exploration.
What's interesting and kind of cool about guided meditations is that we can direct our attention towards our home base and then let the guidance just rain down over us.
Let the body absorb whatever it wants to absorb.
This meditation is unique because as we may be focused on our breath,
The topic is about the breath.
This idea that the exhale is the mind blowing,
In a literal sense,
Refers to the fact that our minds have some responsibility for the exhale.
With our minds,
We can regulate,
Although most of the time,
Breathing happens without any intentional thinking.
In a figurative sense,
The exhale is the mind blowing,
Speaks to the power of letting go.
There's a funny saying in mindfulness circles,
Meditation can change your life,
Just don't hold your breath.
For some of us,
Though,
A subconscious holding of the breath can be the result of anxiety,
Fear,
Doubt,
Or uncertainty.
I should add here that while,
Yes,
The exhale is the mind blowing,
It isn't to imply that the inhale isn't also capable of blowing our minds.
When we remember to breathe during challenging situations,
It's often the inhale that saves us.
So it's okay,
Inhales,
We aren't neglecting your value or suggesting in any way that one or the other is more important.
I'm sure we'll find a way to highlight the inhales in another guided meditation one day,
Very soon.
For me personally,
Especially in my childhood,
But also throughout most of my life,
I experienced a considerable amount of anxiety.
And only when I began a daily meditation practice did I realize that holding my breath was something that I did often.
The repetition of time spent in relaxed breathing lent contrast to allow me to see it.
More importantly,
Perhaps,
Is that it allowed me to feel it.
Holding my breath was the source,
Or at least a contributor,
Of mental anguish.
And on many occasions,
The source of physical pain.
My chronic gastrointestinal issues got profound relief not long after I established a daily practice.
That was mind blowing.
To realize that something so simple and basic as the breath was both the source and relief of my predicament blew my mind.
As you continue,
See if there are any areas in the body where there's tension,
Anxiety,
Or holding that can use a little letting go.
Maybe can use a little letting blow.
One of the things that I love to do,
And have loved to do as long as I can remember,
Is to sing.
A few years ago,
I decided to re-engage with that passion after having left it at a young age.
I still sang almost every day,
In the shower,
Alone on the highway,
But not much in the way of a formal practice.
Something spurred me to seek out some vocal training,
And I landed in the home of a young,
Talented teacher and coach named Shanice.
She's amazing.
Patient,
Kind,
And beautifully gifted musically.
A sharp ear and a soft heart.
Breathing was the main focus of my time with her.
She could see the habits I had formed,
And she could hear the straining as I forced sound with my throat instead of letting it flow with my breath.
The body is an instrument,
And when the breath is engaged in conjunction with the vocal cords,
It makes music.
And here's the thing.
That music is only on the exhale.
We cannot sing while breathing in.
We cannot speak while breathing in.
And maybe what's further mind-blowing is the realization that all words ever spoken,
All songs ever sung,
Have been on the exhale.
Of course,
There would be no exhale without the inhale,
And vice versa.
The two are intertwined and woven into our existence.
Each cycle of an inhale and an exhale is one full breath.
Just like each daytime combines with each nighttime to make one full day.
The cycles of life.
The breath can seem boring or benign in our daily practice,
But it holds wisdom.
It is the sustenance of life.
We tend to think that our breaths go on forever,
But they are numbered.
We don't know how many we get,
But knowing they are limited helps us appreciate that each one is precious.
In these last few moments,
Let's ease out gently.
As with every sit,
Good or bad,
We have cared for ourselves.
We have taken time for ourselves.
You might let in a gentle smile at the corners of the mouth.
And in the heart.
