Breathing Into The Heart

In this resting back practice, we begin by settling into the body and relaxing with the breath. We then move into the felt sense/visualisation that we can breathe into the chest, to breathe into the heart, contacting our emotional life and finding space there. We then spend some time feeling for how we are and where we need our own loving attention, spending some time breathing into that area. We hear a poem by Rilke that speaks to this experience of breathing space. We are then guided back to movement.

Transcript

Any adjustments you need to make now so that you can be still, You can make now. And once you feel yourself at ease, Settling into the breath, Into the belly breath. Breathing in the belly rising, And breathing out opening the mouth. Let the breath fall out of the mouth with a sigh. Let the belly get even softer. Breathing in the belly full, Breathing out a sigh it out. Breathing in belly full, Breathe out a sigh it out. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out toes, Feet, Ankles, Legs relaxed. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out pelvis heavy, Belly full, Lower back relaxed. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out chest softening, Shoulder blades resting into the ground. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out shoulders resting, Arms heavy. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out fingers and thumbs curling in in softness, Hands relaxed. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out the neck relaxed, The head heavy. Breathing in the belly full, Breathing out the bottom jaw falling away from the top, The inside of the mouth softening and opening as the lips fall away from each other. Breathing into the eyes, Breathe out let the eyes relax. Breathing into the belly, Belly full, Breathing out let the forehead and the temples relax. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out let the brain relax. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out let the mind relax. Breathing into the belly, Belly full, Breathing out resting on the earth. Breathing in belly full, Surrendering the weight of your body, Surrendering the thoughts to gravity. Breathing in the belly full, Breathing out to let go. Breathing in belly full, Breathing out let go. Belly full, Body and mind relaxing, Softening, Resting into the ground. Let's come back to the sense of the breath cascading in as if a very gentle flowing waterfall, Breath coming in through the chest as if we could breathe in through the pores of skin at the chest, Breathe in through the flesh and the bone, Nourishing the chest and the breath filling the belly. And then exhaling the breath evaporating off of the belly like steam rising from a lake on a warm autumn morning. Breathing in breath cascading like a waterfall onto the chest, Through the chest and pooling at the belly as the belly fills. And then with the exhale the belly relaxes as the breath evaporates off of the belly. Breathing in through the chest to fill the belly. And exhale belly relaxing as the breath evaporates off of the belly. Breathing in breath cascading through the chest, The pores of the skin breathing in, Taking in this nourishment to the chest, Let the belly fill, Let the belly rise and then exhale let the belly relax. Breathing in through the chest, Fill the belly and exhale let go. The breath like this gentle waterfall cascading onto the chest, The pores of the skin breathing in to fill the belly and then the belly opening as the breath falls out with an exhale. Breathing in through the chest, Breathing out, Belly soft. Breathing in nourishing the heart, Filling the belly, Exhale relaxing as the breath evaporates off of us. Breathing in through the chest to the heart to fill the belly and exhale let go. Feeling sensing imagining this soft coolness of the breath washing in through the chest, Cooling and nourishing the heart and filling the belly. And then the sense that the breath could just relax off of the belly, Evaporate out of the belly. Total ease as the breath washes in through the chest to fill the belly. And then exhaling letting go, Breathing in through the chest to fill the belly and exhale letting go. Heart, Belly, Ease as you sigh it out, Nourishing the heart, Filling the belly and letting go with the exhale. And for the last minute or so let's allow our awareness to feel inside the body, The mind, The heart. Where do we need the breath to go, This cooling, Spacious breath. We'll spend a minute there, Breathing into wherever we feel we need it. And then with this exhale there's a sense of evaporating, The breath evaporating off of this part of the body or the mind. And this inhale feeling is that we can nourish and feel. And this exhale feeling is that we can let go and relax. Nourishing feeling, Letting go and relaxing. And if you feel like you need this breath at more than one part of the body then you can move it along, Allow this breath awareness to rest somewhere else. The in-breath is nourishing, The out-breath is relaxing and softening. Breathing into this chink of possibility, Chink of light, That healing is possible and that we can offer it to ourselves. We don't need anyone else to do this for us, Just this simple breath. I read a poem by Raina Maria Rilka. Quiet friend who has come so far, Feel how your breathing makes more space around you. Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, What batters you becomes your strength. Move back and forth into the change. What is it like such intensity of pain? If the drink is bitter, Turn yourself to wine. In this uncontainable night, Be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses, The meaning discovered there. And if the world has ceased to hear you, Say to the silent earth, I flow. To the rushing water, Speak, I am. With the in-breath, I flow. With the exhale, I am. I flow, I am. I flow, I am. Let's take some extra deep inhales and exhales now into the belly, Breathing in through the nose and with the exhale, Sigh it out. Let there be the sense that these in-breaths now enliven us and breathe out, Let go. The in-breaths are enlivening. Exhale, Let go. Let go, Feeling how you feel as you start to move the fingers and toes. Feeling how you feel as you maybe roll the head from side to side and staying with your eyes closed and this sense of inward looking can stay even as we come into movement. Feeling your body, Feeling what you might need, How you might need to move. What does your body want to do? Let your body guide you to movement. You might like some massage. You might like just to rest and breathe as you feel.

Reviews

I really appreciate the level of instruction with this meditation. It gave me confidence the whole way through.

👌So good ... so simple ... both a relaxing & energizing practice ... Namaste 🙏 ... and a new follower in the bag