Good day,
Living Flow friends,
And welcome to Living Flow Breathwork.
Today we're going to do a breath,
Or pranayama,
Called Valoma I.
Now loosely that means interrupted breath,
And that's exactly what we're going to do.
It is a three to five part inhale.
Today we're going to work three to four inhales with slight pauses in between every little sip of breath.
The physical effects of this breath are great for creating more strength in your lungs,
And working one of the most important muscles in our body,
Our diaphragm.
Subtly,
This is a really good breathwork to connect to your prana.
Now prana is that subtle energy.
We call it the life force in yoga.
And this breath also can create focus,
Because you're connecting to the little sips of breath in and the holds.
So you have to really be in the moment to work the breath.
So for that reason,
It really allows us to create this calm,
Sweet,
Peaceful effect.
It is a great breath for anxiety,
Especially this first version,
Valoma I,
Because we are releasing slowly and letting go an abundance of energy that you have pulled in step by step.
Now I'm going to lead you through the breath.
At the end,
I will leave you to sit silently and just let it be natural.
So this is breathwork into a self-guided meditation.
Sometimes the breathwork is all you need,
But sometimes it opens up that door of the vast peace and focus and serenity we can find in a seated meditation.
Now I do suggest you do this breathwork sitting upright.
It allows you to access a little deeper of a breath and to work the diaphragm a little more.
But that goes without saying,
You can also do this lying down on your back,
Maybe with some pillows underneath your knees to help lift the legs,
Kind of release the low back a bit.
So take a moment to find your comfortable seat or lying down position.
We want to make sure that our breath doesn't feel stagnant.
So if you're stuffed up,
Yeah,
You can breathe through the mouth.
But to really access the depth of the work,
It's important to breathe in through the nostrils as they act as a natural humidifier and filter for our breath.
And it creates almost this straw to pull the breath a little deeper into the lungs.
So once again,
Find a comfortable position.
And we're going to begin by just checking in with your breath.
Noticing the qualities of your breath as you inhale and exhale.
Is there texture or is it smooth?
Where do you feel the action of the breath as you inhale and as you exhale?
It is not about right or wrong.
It is about being in the experience of the moment.
And let us begin.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the nose.
First a little sip.
Focus the breath into the belly region and pause.
Without exhaling,
Inhale a little more and pause.
Once again,
No exhale,
Just fill up.
Maybe you feel yourself sit a little taller.
Soften the muscles around the face and the shoulders.
And exhale slowly through the nose,
One long exhale,
Emptying out completely.
Maybe allow a small pause at the end.
And then we'll take a couple recovery breaths.
And that is just a natural inhale and exhale.
And two,
After you're empty,
Inhale a little sip into the belly.
Feel a soft expansion,
Pause.
The pauses are too long,
Never wait till you gasp.
Inhale into the diaphragm,
Feeling that subtle expansion.
Inhale into the chest,
Expanding across the collarbones.
And a long exhale from top to bottom.
Allow yourself to feel completely empty at the bottom and pause.
Once again,
Natural inhale and exhale,
At least one or two.
The holds will get slightly longer if it doesn't suit.
Just stay shorter,
One to two heartbeats.
We're going to go up to four heartbeats.
So after you're completely empty,
Inhale a little sip into the belly.
Hold,
Hold,
Hold,
Hold.
Inhale diaphragm,
Hold,
Hold,
Hold,
Hold.
Inhale,
Fill up to the crown,
Hold,
Hold,
Hold,
Hold.
Long exhale,
Empty out completely,
Feel the emptiness.
And then natural inhale,
Exhale one,
Two,
Or three times.
That was three rounds.
We're going to do four more with an extra bonus breath for the last two.
So feeling empty,
Exhale completely.
Inhale,
Pause.
Inhale,
Pause.
Inhale full,
Pause.
Slow,
Controlled exhale through the nose,
Empty out completely.
Natural inhale and exhale.
Round five,
Inhale into the belly,
Inhale,
Pull the breath to the diaphragm.
Inhale,
Fill up through the crown of the head.
Long,
Slow exhale,
Empty out.
Natural breath in between.
For the last two,
We're going to go to a shorter interruption,
Just a pause of two to three heartbeats,
And add a fourth inhale.
Empty out completely.
A little sip into the belly,
Pause.
A little sip into the diaphragm,
Pause.
Little sip into the heart,
Pause.
Little sip up into the crown,
Try to release the strain.
Just feel the fullness.
No more can come in.
You've got to let go.
Long exhale.
Feel the body start to relax at a deep level,
As many natural breaths as you need.
And we'll do one more round,
Four inhales,
One long exhale,
Emptying out completely.
Inhale,
A little sip,
Pause.
Inhale,
Building up the breath,
Pause.
Like you're filling up a chalice,
Inhale,
And then fill up to your fullest.
Feel abundance of energy in the body.
Relax within that energy,
And be willing to let it all go.
Long,
Luxurious exhale,
And come back to the natural breath,
And just be a witness to the prana flow in your body,
Maybe the tingling sensation under the skin.
And ease in your breath,
Steadiness in your mind.
Thoughts may come in,
And that's okay.
Let the mind's eye just follow the breath.
Maybe you can gaze behind the eyelids,
Connecting to the light,
The kaleidoscope,
A sense of focus into the internal self.
The prana does its work subtly,
But the expansion it creates,
The connection it creates is beautiful.
May you be allowing yourself to sit in this space,
Just being the vibration,
The sensation of flow.
Please feel free to sit as long as you would like,
And may you find your way to living flow.
