Breathe Into Your Bones

Most of us live on the surface of the body. We feel our muscles, our skin, the parts of us that hurt. The skeleton underneath stays mostly out of awareness, even though it's alive and feeling things in its own way. This 10-minute sitting practice draws attention down into the bones, starting in the hands and finishing in the skull. No light, no energy, nothing you can't actually feel. Just slow breath and slow attention, moving piece by piece through the structure of you. Good as a morning settle, a midday reset, or before a slower seated meditation. People who've found regular body scans don't quite land for them often find bone breathing reaches a deeper layer.

Transcript

So I invite you to sit somewhere you can be comfortable for the next few minutes. A chair is fine. The floor with the cushion is fine. Just somewhere your spine can be long without you having to brace. Allow your hands to rest somewhere they're not going to fall on your thighs or maybe one on top of the other in your lap. Close your eyes if you'd like. Or let them rest soft, Looking a few feet in front of you. Take a slow breath in through your nose. And let it out. Again, Slow in. Slow out. Most of us think of our skeleton. If we think of it at all as a frame. A scaffold, Something dead inside of us. But it isn't. Your bones are alive. They've got blood vessels and nerves and marrow that make new cells every day. And your bones feel in their own way. So today we're going to put a bit of attention on the bones. We're not going to imagine light or energy or anything you can't actually feel. We're just going to put attention there and breathe. So beginning with the hands. The bones in your fingers and palms. Have a small wiggle of the fingers if you like, Just to find them. Now let the hands rest still. Feel the bones underneath the skin and muscle. The knuckles, The little bones in the wrists. Breathe in slow, And as you do, See if you can sense those bones in your hands. Don't picture them, But sense them. As you breathe out, Let the hands soften. A few breaths there in, The bones come into focus a little more. Out, The hands soften. Now move your attention up the arms, So the forearm bones, The bones of the upper arm, The shoulders. Breathe in and feel the breath reach all the way out into the arm bones. Breathe out and feel the arms get a little heavier. So breathing in, Feeling the arm bones coming into focus a little more. Breathing out, Letting the arms get a little heavier. And now the spine. Starting at the lower back. Feel the lumbar vertebrae stacked one above the other. As you breathe in, Feel the breath reach into the spine. As you breathe out, Let the spine rest, But stay long. Move up the middle of the back, The thoracic vertebrae. Breathe in. . . Breathe out. And the neck, The cervical vertebrae. Seven small bones holding your skull up, Allow them to rest but stay long. Breathing in. . . Letting go. Breathing in. Letting go. Now bring your awareness to the ribcage, 12 ribs each side. Wrapping around your heart and lungs. Breathing in, Feel the move out and up Breathing out, Feel them settle back in. Breathing in, Feel the move out and up. Breathing out, Feel them settle back in. Now the bones of the skull. The forehead, The cheekbones, The jaw, The jaw especially, Let it fall open a tiny bit, That's where most of us hold the day. Breathe in. Breathe out. And out. And now feel the whole skeleton at once. Hands, Arms, Spine, Red. Skull. All of it. You don't have to picture it, Just feel the structure of you. Sitting Uprise held together. Quietly alive. Take three more slow breaths here in. . . In. In. And let the breath return to what feels natural or normal. Don't manage it, Just let it be. Slowly open your eyes when you're ready. And take your time getting going again. Thank you for joining me today.

Reviews

So lovely to connect to my bones and skeleton! Not so something I have thought of before, good to say hello and honour that part of me. Thank you Pat 🌷