Breathwork For Courage & Inner Strength

This 30-minute guided breathwork session helps you tap into deeper courage by quieting the thinking mind and accessing the inner strength available in your body and breath. Through grounding, conscious connected breathing, and gentle visualization, you'll release tension, meet emotional edges with compassion, and reconnect with clarity and presence.

Safety Note: If you’re pregnant, have cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, a history of seizures, or significant psychiatric conditions such as psychosis, this stronger mouth-based breathwork may not be appropriate. You’re welcome to stay with gentle nasal breathing and follow the guidance only. If you feel lightheaded, panicky, numb, or like it’s “too much,” stop the active breath, close your mouth, and breathe naturally through the nose until steady again.

Transcript

Hello and thank you for being here. Wherever and whenever you're listening I'm honored that you've chosen to show up for yourself in this way. Today we're gonna do some breath work together. First I'm gonna talk just a bit about how the session is structured and then we'll spend the majority of our time doing what you're here to do which is to breathe, To explore, And to access a deeper sense of courage in your life. So the session is divided into a few main parts. In just a moment I'm gonna introduce the theme which today is courage. This will provide food for thought and also will quietly guide your inner process as you breathe today. Then when I cue you, You'll lie down and we'll move into a short grounding meditation. This will let us deeply settle, Create a felt sense of safety, And from there we'll move into what we call our active breath. This is the core work part of the breath work today and in just a moment we're gonna talk through the method there so don't worry about that. And finally after active breath we move into a period of rest, Integration, And a little closing visualization. Overall what we're up to today is we're gonna quiet down the thinking cognitive mind for just a bit and tap into those natural energies that are beneath the surface. The energy of the body, The subconscious, Those emotional layers, And what I like to call the psycho-spiritual layer. Things that are usually repressed or suppressed. And today with this breath work we'll be allowed to move, Be felt, Give us insight on aspects of our life that might normally be just below the surface of our thinking mind. Okay so a little note on safety and preparation here. If you haven't please read the safety note in the description here and determine if this type of breath work is appropriate for you today. I do have some suggested modifications. And second let's be sure that you're in a place where you can lie down safely and you won't be disturbed for the next little while. That could be on a bed, A couch, A mat on the floor. You may want to have a blanket or even an eye cover to help you drop in. And if at any point you need to adjust or just come out of the practice of course you're free to do that. You are always in charge throughout this practice. You are in the driver's seat. I'm here to guide you, To invite you into the experience, But you absolutely decide how far you want to go today. It's normal to feel some kind of physical sensations with breath work like this. That may be a little bit of tingling in the hands, Feet, Or face. A little lightheadedness, Some energy moving through your body. If the sensations at any time become too much for you, You can simply stop the act of mouth breathing. Close your mouth and breathe gently in and out through the nose and allow the body to settle. Okay? So again just a reminder you're in control. Listen to your body. The breath itself is your teacher today. I'm just a guide. My voice and the music are both here to support you. All right. Let's quickly satisfy that part of your mind that's gonna want to know if you're doing this right today. That way it can relax into the practice. The method today is a form of conscious connected breathing with a two-part inhale through the mouth and relaxed exhale. So again mouth will be open. First inhale into the belly. A second inhale into the chest or heart area. And then a relaxed exhale out through the mouth. So it may sound a bit like this. Over and over again like a wave. Now in everyday life we want to be breathing primarily through the nose but for this particular session we intentionally use mouth breathing to accelerate the physiological shift and more quickly quiet the thinking mind so that we can access that primal energy body we're talking about. We're gonna do three rounds of that active breath with some breath holds in between. The first two breath holds will be at the top of the breath. Then we'll do a final breath hold at the bottom after an exhale and you do not have to remember all of that. I'm gonna be cueing you and guiding you the whole way. Okay? Let's talk a little bit about the theme today which is courage. You know we can't deny we're living in a wild moment on planet earth. There might be something in the collective that's asking for courage right now. Injustice, Conflict of all kinds, Environmental crises, Or simply the emotional intensity of the world we live in right now. Courage for you right now may also be something much more personal. A conversation you've been avoiding. A phone call that feels really uncomfortable. A doctor's appointment you've been putting off. A boundary you need to set. A self-care plan you need to actually follow through on. So I want to give you a few questions to quietly hold in the background of your practice today. You don't need to force answers. Just let them float in your awareness like gentle prompts. And if you're a journaler you may want to have a journal out right now and even pause the recording and do a little bit of journal response as you move through the questions. Question number one. What aspects of your life require courage right now? Where in your life are you being asked to show up just a little bit more bravely? Where's that uncomfortable edge that you might be avoiding? Whether it's a situation or even an inner feeling. Second question. What is the source of courage in your life? When life asks you to call on courage, Where do you usually reach? Is it something outside of you? Other people? Leaders? Circumstances? Or is it something inside? Your body? Your intuition? Your faith? Your heart? And a third question. Of the sources you named, How many were outside of you? And how many were your own inner resources? I'm not here to tell you what the answer should be, But I will say this. I believe with about a thousand percent conviction that as humans we have barely begun to tap our inner potential. The mystics, The depth psychologists like Carl Jung, People like Stan Grof who studied holotropic states, They all point to this same idea. We hold vast universes within us. Archetypes, Collective wisdom, Deep reservoirs of energy and courage at the level of the nervous system and soul. We're just rarely trained how to access them. Breathwork, The kind that we're about to do, Is one of those ways. So the framing for today is this. Where in your life is courage being asked for? And what if one of your deepest sources of courage lives inside your own body and breath? Now hold that gently as we move into the practice. Take a moment and find your starting position lying down. If you need to pause the recording, That's fine. But when you're ready, Let's move forward with our practice today. Settle your body into the surface beneath you. Let your arms rest where they feel comfortable. Palms up or down. If you have an eye cover and it feels good, You can place that on now. And let's take our first deep inhale together through the nose in three, Two, One, Inhale. And exhale, Letting your body sink into the earth. One more just like that. Inhale through the nose in three, Two, One, Inhale. And exhale, Letting the weight of your body be held by the earth. Now, Let your breath move naturally in and out through the nose, Not forcing it, Just a gentle, Easy rhythm. For our relaxation, We're going to use a simple visualization of cleansing and clearing. Slay the groundwork for our active breath. And as you keep breathing smoothly in and out through the nose, I want you to imagine this. On the inhale, A clear, Bright white light enters through your nostrils and spreads throughout your body. It moves into every cell, Cleansing, Brightening, Clearing. On the exhale, Imagine a gray or black smoke leaving your body through the nose, Carrying out heaviness, Tension, Stale energy, Whatever you don't need. Inhale, Clear, Vibrant white light. Exhale, Gray smoke, Releasing, Releasing. No need to overthink what the toxins are that you're releasing. Just like when you brush your teeth, You don't track every crumb of food, You simply clean. Same thing here, We're simply rinsing the system. In through the nose, Bringing in that clear, Powerful, Penetrating white light. Let it spread through your torso, Your arms and legs, Down to your fingertips and toes, Up to the crown of your head. And on that exhale, Slow and steady through the nose, Gray smoke leaving the body, All the gunk, All the heaviness, All the static, Just releasing. Beautiful. Continue at your own pace for a couple more breaths. On that inhale, White light flowing into every cell, Every organ, Your emotional body, The places where you may be holding knots. And on that exhale, Gray smoke, Releasing the residue that's ready to leave, Not forcing, Just allowing what's ready to go. Keep your awareness also on the simple physical reality, The contact between you and the ground, Gravity holding you, The earth supporting you, Nothing to fix, Nothing to perform, Just energetic hygiene. Inhale white light in, Exhale black smoke out. If you notice a tight spot in the body or the emotions, Invite that white light to gently penetrate that knot. And on the exhale, Let it carry away whatever is ready to dissolve. Some knots take more than a few breaths to release and that's okay. This is a gentle massage, Not a forced purge. We'll stay here for just another moment, Inhaling white light, Exhaling gray smoke, Feeling a little bit more clear, A little more grounded, A little more safe with each breath. With these last couple of breaths, See if you can really feel the lightness on the exhale and the sense that your inner light is just a little more visible. Inhale light, Exhale, Releasing heaviness. The foundation is now set and we're going to shift in just a moment into our first round of active breath. A quick reminder on the method, It's a two-part inhale through the mouth, First into the belly, Then into the chest, Then we'll relax out the breath with an exhale through the mouth. The inhales are intentional and full and the exhale is relaxed and effortless. Okay. Let your mouth fall gently open. We'll begin our first round in three, Two, One. Inhale into the belly, Inhale into the chest, Exhale, Release. Inhale into the belly, Inhale into the chest, Exhale, Release. Find a steady rhythm at your own pace again and again, The belly feeling like a balloon, The heart expanding and on that exhale letting it all fall away. Belly, Chest, Release again and again. Nice intentional inhales, A relaxed exhale. No need to force the breath out, Let it spill out naturally. This first round is really about finding the pattern and meeting the first edges. Feels a little different. We don't breathe like this throughout the day, So a little discomfort is completely normal. Keep breathing. Belly, Chest, Release. Maybe some physical sensations are starting to come into your awareness. If that's happening, Just notice and keep following the breath. The breath is the teacher. You're doing beautifully, Nice and steady. We'll stay in this first round just a little bit longer, Building that wave. Belly, Chest, Release. Belly, Chest, Release. And in just a moment, We'll move into our first breath hold at the top. Keep breathing. A couple more breaths. Belly, Chest, Release. Belly, Chest, Release. And on your next inhale, I'm inviting you to fill all the way up to the top. Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill. And at the very top, Seal it in. Hold, Hold that breath. Relax the body as much as you can in this stillness. Notice the energy that you've created and built up. Notice thoughts as passing clouds. You are the observer. Stay steady. Relax into the stillness. See if you can allow that relaxation to spread throughout the body. If the edge of the hold becomes too intense at any moment, You're free to take a breath. If you're still with me, Stay a few more moments in this stillness. This is where some of that charge builds up. This is the charge that helps us tap past the usual barrier of the thinking mind into the deeper layers of courage and presence. We're going to take a big, Beautiful exhale in three, Two, One. Exhale, Letting all the air go. Sink into the ground. Feel that the earth is still holding you. You're steady. You're safe. You're good. And take a couple of breaths in and out through the nose to stabilize. And in just a moment, We're going to move into breath round two. Right. We're moving into round two. Let the mouth drop open. Once again, We'll begin in three, Two, One. Belly, Chest, Release. Again. Belly, Chest, Release. Again. Your body remembers this cycle now from round one. So find that rhythm. Call in that rhythm like a wave rolling in and out. Find your pace and just stay steady. Let the breath be your guide. Let the breath be your anchor again and again. For this round, For round two, I invite you to gently increase the intensity just a bit if that feels right. Not to strain, But to put in, Let's say, 10% more effort than the first round. What would it feel like to breathe 10% more deeply, 10% more committed to the inhale? Again and again, The belly fills, The heart expands, And you exhale and let it go. A beautiful, Beautiful cycle again and again. You're deep into this practice now today. As you breathe, You may want to notice any edges that start to appear for you. An edge, The part of you that wants to stop, The part of you that says, This is too much, This is unnecessary, The part of you that just doubts or resists in general. That is the practice ground. The way that we meet these edges here is often the way that we meet them in life. So here, In a completely safe environment, You can explore what it means to just stay with the breath. Honor yourself and soften into that edge. You're learning about your relationship with courage. Keep breathing. Belly, Chest, Release again and again, Nice and steady. If the physical sensations are increasing, Just notice, Ah, Energy is moving. You're already deep into round two. Stay with it. We're just a few moments away from our second breath. Hold at the top. Keep breathing. Belly, Chest, Release. Nice and steady. And on your next inhale, Fill the belly, Fill the chest and fill all the way to the top, Maybe a little more than before. And hold. Relax into that stillness again. Let the body be full, But as soft as it can be. Notice any subtle shifts. Thoughts perhaps are a little less solid. Emotions a little closer to the surface. Energy more alive. This is your natural power. This is one of the places where we can find courage, Not from the stories in our mind, But from the actual energy of our body, The vitality of our spirit. Stay here for a few more moments. If you can, You're doing beautifully. Expand into that stillness. Let that energy flow and spread. And in three, Two, One, Exhale. Letting the breath fall out. Sink back into the ground again and rest in the echo of that breath. Hold. Take a couple of breaths. Nice and easy in and out to the nose as we prepare for our final round of active breath. We have one more round. You've already done most of the work. This third round is your opportunity to bring a final burst of effort, Not to punish yourself, But to really be curious and explore what's possible. So here we go. Let the mouth gently open. And we begin again in three, Two, One, Belly, Chest release, Belly, Chest release. Let the breath continue. Maybe the intensity is rising just a little bit, But you still have that sense of fluidity. This round three is where the edges really tend to show up. The urge to quit that voice that says, I can't, I'm done. The old patterns that might say, This is just too much for me. I really invite you to just hang in there, To just follow the breath. One breath at a time. Just try to take the next breath, That next cycle moving in, That next cycle moving out again and again. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. Remember our theme today, Courage. Here deep in round three, What does courage feel like? Not as an idea, But as a sensation in your body. Is there a willingness to stay one more breath? Is there a willingness to feel, To soften, To let emotions flow? There's no right answer. Just keep breathing. Belly, Chest release, Belly, Chest release. You may be feeling those physical sensations, Waves of emotion, Maybe a sense of spaciousness or even imagery arising in your mind. Let it all flow. Anything that arises will also pass. You're so deep into this inner journey. You're almost to the end. You're like that explorer who's gone far enough that turning back now would be missing the treasure. So just keep breathing. Belly, Chest release, Belly, Chest release. We're about to move into our final breath hold. This one will be at the bottom of the breath. Keep breathing. Okay, Here we go. So on your next exhale, I invite you to empty, Empty, Empty those lungs, Let all the air go. And when you're completely empty at the bottom, Gently hold. Let your body relax in this emptiness. Let the mind soften even more. Feel how close you can get to your own essence here without needing to grasp for the next breath immediately. The breath will come when it needs to. For now, You can rest in this still empty space at the bottom of the breath. Hang in there if you can. Just releasing effort, Expanding awareness to contain the body and go beyond the body. Just a few more seconds. And now we're going to take a big beautiful inhale in three, Two, One. Inhale, Breathe in, Fill all the way up. Hold at the top for three, Two, One. And exhale, Relax. The work is done. Now we enter the exploration and integration phase. So just allow your breath to return to a natural rhythm in and out through the nose. There's nothing more you need to do. Just be with whatever is here, Sensations in the body, Emotions, Images or impressions, Or maybe simply a deep, Quiet stillness. Trust that your system knows exactly what to do with this moment. I'm going to stay silent for a minute or so, And I'll be back for you. Just listen for my voice. Very gently now, I'm going to start guiding you back. No need to move yet. Just bring your awareness back to the physical sensation of your body lying on the ground. Feel the weight of your body, The contact points with the surface beneath you. Notice that the earth has been holding you. This entire time, Safely, Steadily, Without asking anything in return. In fact, The earth is not separate from you. Its minerals are in your bones. Its water is in your blood. The only thing that maintains a sense of separation is the thought that we're separate. Right now, With your defenses lowered and the edges softened, We're going to invite in a little more of that earth energy to close our session. So return to that gentle, Long inhale through the nose. And on each inhale, Imagine a vivid green light rising up from deep within the earth, Entering your body and going first to your heart space. It fills your heart to overflowing. Once the heart is full, The green light spreads to every cell of your body, Bringing nourishment, Healing, Grounded power and courage. On the exhale, Imagine breathing out gratitude back to the earth. Again and again, This cycle. Inhale this green earth energy up into your heart and out through your whole body. Exhale gratitude down back into the earth. A beautiful cycle. See if you can take a few more breaths like this on your own at your own pace. Maybe this green light has a shade of green you've never ever seen in the outer world. Maybe along with the light, There's a sense of information or wisdom, Not in words, But in feelings and tuitions coming from the earth itself. If there's a simple message or feeling from the earth that wants to reach you right now, Let it land. Now gradually, Gradually, Let's begin to bring a bit of movement back into the body. Maybe you want to wiggle your fingers or toes. Maybe allow your head to roll gently from side to side. You can stretch your arms overhead like a big morning stretch. Let your body instinctively show you how it wants to wake back up. And as you come back, Take a moment to silently acknowledge yourself. You just practiced courage, The courage to feel, The courage to explore your own inner world, The courage to meet edges in a safe and embodied way. And let's go back to those questions from the beginning of the session. Where in your life is courage being asked of you right now? What is the source of courage in your life? How much of that courage might actually live inside your own body and breath? Now, Of course, You don't have to have those answers today, But just know that you've opened a doorway. You've tapped into a very real inner reservoir that you can come back to. Whenever you're ready at your own pace, You can gently roll onto one side and then slowly make your way to a seated position, Bringing this sense of grounded courage with you. And let's take one last deep inhale together through the nose in three, Two, One. Breathing in and exhaling out with a sigh. I encourage you to sit in stillness and reflection as long as you can. Maybe grabbing a journal, Doing a little bit of reflection and journaling on the session. This is part of the integration process of bringing these insights back into your daily life. I want to thank you for breathing. I want to thank you for showing up for yourself today, Sending you courage, Connection, And love.