Welcome.
Thank you for taking some time with me to pause,
Breathe.
And gently return to yourself.
In this 15-minute guided meditation.
I'll be leading you through the practice of central channel breathing.
The central channel breath is an ancient breathwork practice that uses intentional muscle engagement and visualization to help move stuck emotional energy through the body,
Regulate the nervous system,
And restore a sense of inner balance.
We'll start by grounding with the breath and then begin activating the body's anchor points to support the flow of energy through the body.
You can do this practice sitting up or lying down.
Whatever position that allows you to relax while maintaining enough attention to focus on the practice.
Let's settle in.
And journey together.
Take a moment to reconnect with the breath in its natural state.
Noticing all the sensations involved with your inhale and exhale.
Allow your breath to flow evenly.
Like a current moving in and out of your body.
With each exhale,
Invite yourself into a sense of relaxation and calm.
As you settle in,
Expand your awareness to your body.
Noticing how your body feels in space and what sensations are present Notice your connection to the earth.
The places where your body makes contact with a chair,
The floor,
Or a cushion.
And as you breathe,
Allow yourself to release.
You can visualize roots from your body sinking far into the earth.
Creating a strong foundation for you.
And reminding you that you're held and supported right now.
As you continue breathing at your own pace.
Start to visualize the breath as a current of energy running through your body.
And wherever your awareness goes,
This breath energy can follow.
Begin imagining a channel.
That runs up and down the center of your body.
This column of energy.
Or thread of light.
Connects the ground beneath your feet.
All the way up to the sky above your head.
Different traditions have different names for it.
But today,
We'll refer to this as the central channel.
This channel uses four anchor points in the body.
Places will gently activate to feel the channel come alive.
I'll guide you slowly through each one now.
So you can find them in your own body.
The first anchor point is at your root,
Your pelvic floor.
Gently,
Without strain,
Draw subtle lifts upward from the base of your pelvis,
Like you're gathering yourself from the very bottom of your body.
Hold that tension lightly.
The second is at your heart center.
Gently squeeze inward like a soft internal hug around the chest.
The third is in your throat.
Gently constrict this area and take a slow,
Slightly audible breath through the back of your throat.
This is sometimes called the ocean breath and may sound like an ocean wave or a light snore.
And the fourth is behind your eyes.
You can invite a soft,
Subtle tension at the brow point or gently gather your awareness at the tip of your forehead.
To the best of your ability,
Hold them all simultaneously and softly,
And continue to breathe.
It's natural to notice some difficulty with holding these points and focusing on your breath.
At any point,
You can take a break and return when you're ready.
Keep your anchor points gently engaged as we move through this practice together.
Now,
Take your awareness up about six inches above the crown of your head.
Imagine a soft,
Warm ball of light resting there.
Inhale and visualize drawing the breath from that light above your head.
Imagine that breath traveling down through the anchor points and let your belly fully expand as the breath arrives.
Exhale,
And draw the breath down through the floor and into the earth beneath you,
Through those roots we visualized earlier.
Now,
We'll reverse this action.
Inhale and pull up from those roots through those anchor points,
Expanding the belly as you breathe in.
Exhale up and out through the crown of your head.
Returning this energy to that warm ball of light.
This is the full cycle of the central channel breath.
And we'll be repeating this through the rest of this practice.
You can follow along with me for the next two rounds and then move at a pace that works best for you and your body.
When you're ready,
Inhale to pull down from above through the channel,
Belly opens and expands.
Exhale into the earth,
Releasing through your roots.
Inhale to pull up from the earth through the channel.
Belly opens and expands.
Exhale to release up and back to the light.
Inhale to pull down.
Belly opens.
Exhale to release down.
Inhale to pull up.
Belly opens.
Exhale to release up.
Now I'll offer you some space to practice on your own.
Keep the anchor points gently engaged and breathe out a rhythm that works for you.
When your mind wanders,
Notice it.
And return to moving with the breath.
With each breath down toward the earth,
You might notice a sense of groundedness or rootedness.
With each breath up towards the light,
You might notice a sense of lightness or expansion.
Allow yourself to be both,
Rooted and expansive,
Grounded and free.
As you continue to breathe.
Notice how you're feeling in your body.
What's activating for you.
Or shifting.
As we start to close this practice,
Let the structured breath soften.
Release your anchor points.
And let the body breathe naturally.
Notice what's present for you.
What you feel.
And how your awareness of yourself may have shifted.
Take one more slow,
Nourishing breath.
Bring some gentle movement back into the body.
And let your eyes slowly open if you have them closed.
Thank you for taking some time to practice with me.
And I look forward to our next journey together.
