Hi,
My name is Laura Haraka.
I am a somatic experiencing practitioner,
Breathwork facilitator,
And mind-body coach.
Over the course of three years of pelvic pain,
I used breathwork and somatics to heal myself.
The breath has become my anchor and something I can always count on.
Today we are going to do something called circle breathing.
Circle breathing is a somatic breath where we create a flow of the breath in our bodies.
During this breath,
We are going to open pathways of flow to shift pain.
Pain and flow are opposites.
When we have flow in our body,
We can't have pain.
So before we start,
I would just like you to notice the areas of your body that feel comfortable,
Pleasant,
Or neutral.
Just putting your awareness on these parts of your body for a moment.
Now notice the parts of your body that feel constricted,
Tight,
Or not as comfortable.
And I invite you to notice them without judgment or fear and with mindful awareness and curiosity.
And just taking a moment to breathe into those parts.
Now you can do the breath today lying down,
Standing up,
Or sitting down,
But I recommend for today's practice you do this sitting down.
And your inhale and exhale will be done through your nose.
We're going to create a circle with your breath.
I just want you to imagine there is a vine of beautiful flowers going from your pelvis up the front of your body all the way to your neck.
This vine could be any flower of any colors that you like.
So when we do this breath,
You can imagine that you can breathe in up the midline of your body and come all the way to your neck.
And as you breathe out,
Sense your breath moving down the front sides of your body.
Just making a border for this vine of flowers down through your chest,
Your ribs,
Your belly,
Your pelvis,
And down each leg.
So let's begin.
Just putting your hands on your belly if that feels comfortable.
Now imagine your breath breathing in from the base of the pelvis,
Just through the front of the body,
Following this beautiful vine of flowers all the way up.
And feel your spine naturally lengthening and your chest opening until you reach your neck.
And on the exhale,
Allowing the breath to go down each of the front sides of your body,
Creating a border for the flowers.
Just letting the breath on the exhale bathe over your chest,
Your ribs,
Your belly,
Your hips,
And pelvis,
And down both legs,
Allowing the breath to enter into the earth.
And on the inhale,
Sending the healing energy of the breath up the entire front of your body,
Up this vine of flowers,
And down the sides of your body,
All the way down into your legs,
And out your feet into the earth.
Now just continuing this for a few cycles at your own pace.
And on your next inhale,
When you get to the top of your neck,
Just allowing yourself to pause if that feels comfortable,
Pausing for as long as you like,
And then exhaling down the sides of your body.
And if it feels right,
I invite you to pause on the exhale.
And when your breath reaches your feet,
Just for a moment,
Connecting to the earth and sensing into the ground and the support you have from the surface below you.
And on your next inhale,
I want you to imagine that a beam of light appears and flows through and among the flowers.
That light can be any color or colors that you choose,
And noticing the flowers sparkle as the light hits the vine.
And just allowing the breath to pick up the healing energy.
And as you exhale,
Imagine that beam of light going down the sides of your body,
Washing over your body.
And if there are any areas of pain or discomfort,
Just allowing the healing light to bathe and wash over these areas.
And imagine this light picking up all the healing energy as it moves up your body and washes over all your organs,
Your heart,
Your muscles,
And every cell of your body.
And bringing that energy back down your body and allowing it to overflow as it goes down your sides,
Into all the muscles of the back,
Down your arms,
Into your hands,
And into your pelvis and down into the earth.
And I invite you to repeat this for the next few breath cycles,
Allowing that light to get stronger and stronger on every inhale and spreading through your body on every exhale.
And on your next exhale,
Bringing your awareness to your heart,
Just sensing into your heart and the beat of your heart,
Allowing this healing light to bathe your body and wash all over your body,
The parts that are not as comfortable as we'd like.
Just allowing this light just to sit there with those parts,
Just for a moment,
Coming back to your normal breathing cycle and just noticing your body as if you completed the circle and just keeping your eyes closed and your awareness in your heart.
What do you notice in your body now?
What do you notice now in your whole body?
Notice how your upper body and lower body both feel.
What's different?
What's the same?
Just taking your time to come back to your space,
Just allowing that healing energy to be with you.
Thank you so much for breathing with me today.
