And our focus this evening is on the idea of spaciousness.
So we'll start with some spacious breath,
Some breath to create a sense of space.
We're going to do a series of three different types of breath and the first type of breath is a kind of energizing breath just to get some energetic flow going before we settle into some gentler,
Softer practices.
So bringing your arms out and your elbows don't have to be shoulder height,
Whatever's comfortable for you and let your palms face up toward the sky and just very gently make fists and I'll show you in slow motion but we'll be doing this as fast as feels comfortable for you.
So breathing in,
Kind of drawing your elbows behind you so your sternum opens up toward the ceiling just a little bit and on the exhale breathing out through the mouth and throwing your fingers forward as though you were throwing water off your fingers.
And you can speed this up to be as fast as feels comfortable for you.
So keep doing this,
Breathing in,
Breathing out through your mouth as though you're throwing water off your fingers on the exhale and we'll do this for eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One and then just let your hands float down to your lap,
Your thighs and rest for a moment and just checking on your energy and how that feels in your body.
Notice anything that's stirred up and bring your focus to the rise and fall of your chest,
The rise and fall of your belly,
The movement of your ribcage,
Noticing where you are feeling your breath most in your body.
Notice if you're holding tension in your belly and see if you can just soften your belly.
And then begin to equalize your breath.
So your inhale and your exhale is the same duration.
So that might mean breathing in for three or four or five and breathing out for three or four or five.
So still breathing in and out through your nose but just letting your breath be equal on the inhale and equal on the exhale.
Eyes can be just a soft gaze on something in front of you or closed,
Whatever you're feeling comfortable with.
And let yourself sink into your breath.
Just letting your mind rest on the pattern of your breath.
Letting your breath rest in your body.
And you can stay right here.
Just keeping your focus on that gentle breath in,
Breath out.
Or add a layer here,
A little bit of resistance on the exhale.
So imagine you're whispering with your mouth closed or you're fogging up a mirror.
And notice that noise at the back of your throat.
Breathing in through your nose,
Breathing out through your nose.
But just gently closing the back of your throat on the exhale as though you were fogging up that mirror.
Maybe it sounds a little like an ocean wave on the exhale.
So breathing in through your nose and on the exhale adding that little bit of resistance.
Gently closing the back of your throat.
Make that as loud as you want to begin with.
And if you're tapping into that resistant breath,
Starting to quieten down the sound on the exhale.
So you still feel the resistance in the back of your throat on the breath out,
But it's very quiet.
Ujjayi breath,
The victory of breath over mind.
A few more breaths here.
And without ceremony,
Simply letting go of that resistance on the exhale and just returning to breathing in and out through your nose of equal breath.
Take a moment to notice how your body feels.
And with your next inhale,
Draw air up all the way to the crown of your head.
And as you exhale,
Imagine that breath going all the way down to the base of your spine.
So the movement of your breath here is filling up to the crown of your head and exhaling all the way down to the base of your spine.
So as though you're moving your breath through specific parts of your body.
To the crown of your head and all the way to the base of your spine,
Just cultivating that awareness of breath moving throughout your body.
Breathing in to the crown of your head and breathing out to the base of your spine.
Moving air in.
Moving air out.
For a few more rounds of breath.
Breathing in through the crown of your head.
And on your next exhale,
Sending your air all the way down through the soles of your feet.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
We'll do that three more times.
Visualizing your air,
Breathing through the soles of your feet and up through the crown of your head.
And on your third exhale,
Without ceremony,
Just letting go of any control over your breath.
Just bringing your focus to the sensation of movement to the breath moving in and out through your body.
And noticing how that feels.
