Hi,
I'm Dina Gotthelf.
This is a practice on cycles.
Just like the cycles of the moon,
Day and night,
Seasons,
We as human beings are cyclical in nature.
We fluctuate,
We ebb and flow,
Rise and fall,
Contract and expand,
And all the subtleties in the transitions in between.
Our breath cycle is at its core the most basic and essential for life.
Every inhalation and exhalation,
Coupled with pauses at the top of every inhale and the bottom of every exhale,
Offer us the opportunity to begin again and again and again.
Today we're going to move through an exercise called box breath,
Which is a four-part breath,
Equal parts inhalation,
Holding,
Exhalation,
Holding at the bottom of the exhale,
And then we'll continue.
The four parts of this breathing exercise can also be correlated to the four different seasons.
As we are entering into the summer season right now,
This transition brings a beautiful opportunity to reset,
To notice,
To listen in to what's happening within your body,
Mind,
And spiritual self in this moment.
So you can find a comfortable seat or reclined posture,
Whatever works for you in this moment.
Allow your stance or your posture to be tall but not too rigid,
Shoulders lowering away from the ears,
Jaw slightly slack,
And if it feels right for you,
You can allow the eyes to close.
We'll move through a box breath,
Which incorporates a four count,
The breath in,
A hold,
The breath out,
And a hold to allow ourselves to enter into this space and time.
So before we begin,
Just allow yourself a big full cleansing breath in through the nose.
Open the mouth and let something go.
Maybe it's a sigh,
Maybe it's a hum,
Maybe it's a flutter through the lips.
Twice more just like that,
Filling all of the way up,
Creating even a bit more spaciousness than you think you have.
Opening the mouth and letting something go with the release.
Settling in.
Your next breath in through the nose.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Out two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Out two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Out two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Continue on your own.
I will mind the time.
As you continue with this rhythm of breath,
You might like to visualize or imagine the breath in like the coming of spring,
A breath of fresh air.
An abundant pause at the top of your inhalation,
The bountiful summer.
The breath out like a gust of wind,
Autumn.
And that pause at the bottom of your exhalation,
The introspective winter.
The breath of fresh air in,
The coming of spring.
The abundant,
Bountiful summer,
The top of your inhale.
The breath of release,
Fall,
Autumn,
Letting go.
And the pause at the bottom of your exhalation,
A quiet introspective winter.
The cycle continues.
Following the breath,
Feeling into the body,
Seeing if you can notice without judgment.
After the next round of breath,
You can gradually shift into a more natural rhythm,
Releasing the count,
Releasing the pauses,
And just let the breath in and out flow naturally.
Observing the spaciousness from within.
And at any point,
If your mind begins to wander,
Your attention wavers,
Allow your next breath in to anchor you back inwards.
Following the ebb and flow of breath as it moves through your body.
You might notice what this breathing body feels like physically.
Where are you feeling the breath as it draws in?
And the breath as it releases out.
Observing any thoughts as they draw in,
And seeing if you can allow them to pass on through,
Without clinging,
Just noticing.
As if you're an observer from the outside looking in.
What do you see?
What do you hear?
What do you feel?
And the beauty of this practice is that there is not one right way.
Whatever is your experience in this moment,
It's perfect for you.
With the eyes soft or remaining closed,
Allow your palms to come towards one another,
And begin to rub the palms together,
Creating a bit of heat,
Friction,
Or as I like to refer to it as energy created between your own two palms.
Separate the palms,
Leaving the fingertips lightly touching,
Feel the energy bouncing from palm to palm,
And then gently guide your hands somewhere on your body.
It needs a bit of extra love and attention in this moment.
Perhaps you feel the breath pour into your palms with every inhale,
And the light press of the palms against the body with every exhalation.
And at this point,
I'd like to remind myself as a message from self to self.
I am here,
And I am listening.
I am here,
And I am listening.
I am here,
And I am listening.
I am here physically,
Mentally,
Energetically,
And I am listening in.
Notice as your awareness becomes more and more attuned to the breathing body,
Your internal landscape,
How much more you can truly hear from within.
This practice is an opportunity to reawaken the connections that already exist inside of you.
And in time,
Come to recognize that these connections extend beyond the boundaries of our skin,
And this practice extends to our connections with one another,
With our communities,
And our environments that we live in.
So with the eyes remaining closed or soft,
I'd like to invite you to simply notice the feeling of the earth beneath you.
And the temperature and the space that you're in right now against your skin.
Notice the sounds that you hear around you.
And in that absence of sound,
What noises that we normally don't notice have come to life?
Observing any scent lingering in the air.
Lick your lips,
Swallow to taste.
Invite the corners of your mouth to turn up into a soft smile.
A silent thank you from yourself to yourself for doing this for me.
For listening in.
And then as you're ready,
You can allow the eyes to flutter open.
Bringing back in your sense of sight.
Noticing.
Noticing.
From a place of non-judgment.
Thank you so much for your practice today.
See you again soon.
