Hi,
And welcome to this breathwork practice in which we will be using a circular,
Continuous breath in and out through your mouth.
This practice can be done seated,
You can lean against the wall,
You can be just on your cushion,
Floor,
Yoga mat,
You can also lay down.
The best way to practice this is in the place where you feel the most comfortable.
So as you find that position,
Your comfortable seat or supine posture,
Make sure that before we begin your body is really comfortable.
You want to adjust any clothing,
Jewelry,
Watches,
Hairstyles,
Etc.
That might keep you in a sense of constriction.
So take a moment and get comfortable.
And once you are ready,
Close your eyes.
And with your eyes closed and your body in your chosen position,
Take a first intentional breath in through the nose,
Empty out through the mouth.
Let yourself arrive in the space of our practice.
Pulling away from your day,
From all the activities,
Conversations,
Energetic exchanges,
And hooking your attention from everywhere else other than you.
Softly,
Lovingly,
But firmly calling all your energies home.
So that the space of the practice of breathwork can be an offering,
A container,
An opportunity to reconnect with the subtleties of you,
With your needs,
To perhaps meet and hold anything that's been waiting for your attention,
For your acknowledgement.
There is something incredibly medicinal and profound in the simplicity of the breath.
And the breath as that bridge that connects our inner world with the outer world often tends to show us the very places within our inner terrains that need attention,
That need love,
That need tenderness and softness.
So let's start to allow the breath to lead the way.
Take one more big breath in through the nose,
Empty out through the mouth.
And begin to breathe in and out through an open mouth.
Just a very soft breath in and out through the mouth.
See if you can create a flow that feels organic,
There isn't any straining to it.
And yet within that flow,
There is no gap in between your inhale and exhale.
Sweet,
Easy,
Steady,
Conscious,
Connected breath in and out through the mouth.
And give this breath all of your attention and all of your trust,
Allowing it to show you the edges that want to soften,
The places of contraction that want to open up.
Maybe the tenderness or the magic,
The mystery that's waiting to be made contact with.
So stay curious as you breathe in and out through the mouth.
And you can allow the breath to be a facilitator of a healing space and allow yourself to enter into this healing space.
Taking breaths of nourishment,
Taking breaths of self-care,
Allowing the rhythm of your breath to connect you to your body.
And as you keep breathing in and out through an open mouth,
Also fully allowing the breath to do its work.
Staying curious,
Keeping yourself on the edge of the novelty of the discovery of your inner landscapes.
Keep your body soft enough at any point you find yourself tensing,
Contracting.
Let that sweetness of the breath in and out through the mouth gently travel to the areas that are holding,
That are gripping,
That are pulsating with discomfort.
And you may notice that as you keep breathing,
Emotions start to arise,
Sensations intensify.
So here you have a choice.
You can stay present with your breathing and incur all of your attention in the sensations in the mouth,
Around the lips,
In the movement of the breath itself in and out of your body.
Or you could embrace your experience with curiosity.
You could gently take your breath to the places in your body where perhaps there is a sense of breathlessness,
A sense of tightness.
Continuing to breathe in this sweet continuous rhythm in and out through an open mouth.
And you may have an experience of an energetic release.
The breath is our connection to prana,
To the life force.
The breath often carries new energy,
New attention into the places where it may have been blocked,
Constricted,
Stagnant.
So sometimes when we intentionally breathe into the uncomfortable places,
There might be stirrings,
There might be twitches,
You might feel heat or cold,
Electricity.
Be so very receptive of how your body responds to this breath.
Your body contains a cellular memory of every single thing that's ever happened to you.
So if your body contains a cellular memory of every single thing that's ever happened to you,
Where would you like to take your breath?
And where would you like to place your attention?
Let yourself stay wide and spacious and at the same time so rooted in your body.
Breathing yourself into presence.
Using the breath as a vessel for your own loving attention,
Loving kindness.
And finding that sweet middle ground between the inhale and exhale.
We're neither running to the next thing,
Next breath,
Nor holding on.
We're quick to empty out.
Let yourself ride this nourishing space fully in the here and now,
In this intimate conversation with you.
And for the final few moments here,
Let go of the breath and come back to an organic natural rhythm of inhales and exhales.
It can still be through the mouth,
If you prefer,
You can come back to breathing through the nose.
And for a moment connect to a space of a true honest rest,
Softening,
Surrendering.
Finding within yourself capacity and willingness to simply meet and accept everything that's alive in your experience of breathing in the container of this practice.
So could you fully meet yourself with what is coming forth?
And could you really bring tenderness to every part of you?
And could the way your physical body feels,
The way your breath was unfolding,
The emotions that perhaps stirred up,
Memories,
Insights that flooded in,
Could all of it just be allowed to be a part of this practice?
So that this masculine part of us that controls and has agendas and expectations could take a moment to soften and relax and be replaced with radical acceptance,
Radical compassion.
Radical compassion is in one that includes all of human experience in itself,
All of our experience in itself.
Yes,
The love and joy and the incredible insights but also the pain and the numb leg that's causing you physical discomfort and the irritating thoughts about dinner.
All of our human experience held with softness,
Held in the grace of your breath.
