To really breathe naturally you need to be at ease.
For your body this means to be in alignment,
In comfort and with support.
So whether you are lying in bed or sitting make sure your spine is supported,
Your chest,
Ribcage and abdomen are as open and unobstructed as possible,
That your feet,
Knees and hips are generally aligned,
Let your arms be a little away from your sides,
If you can manage have both palms facing up.
Position your head in line with your spine,
Now gently tuck your chin back softly.
Visualise an imaginary line running down the centre of your body.
Do both halves feel the same or even similar.
If there are any adjustments you can make to feel symmetrical and comfortable do so now.
Closing your eyes,
Focus all your attention at the tip of your nose at that very point where the air enters into your body.
Keeping your mouth closed using all of your awareness become aware of its temperature.
Does it have a taste,
A density,
Is it a colour?
Perhaps it even has a scent.
Listen to the sound.
Is it long,
Soft,
Short or strained?
Don't try to change anything about the breath just observe.
Watch as it flows.
Continue now for a little longer just watching as it flows.
Now exhale through an open mouth and take a few regular breaths.
Usually the lower part of our lungs are never fully emptied of carbon dioxide during our waking breaths.
This is because we keep around one and a half litres of air in our lungs at all times to prevent them collapsing and suffocating us.
So come back now to the very tip of your nose.
Closing your eyes,
Focusing your full attention at the very point where the air enters into your body.
Keeping your mouth closed using all your awareness watch as your body drinks in another beautiful deep inhalation.
Can you feel that place deep inside you that you are breathing into?
Can you feel how far outside of your body you are drawing breath from?
Perhaps now you can experience where your breath leaves from.
Just watching,
Observing the flow,
Letting go as it leaves.
How far away does your outgoing breath flow to?
Can you experience the very last warmed molecule as it leaves,
As it merges into the space around you?
Continue for a few more breaths.
Now exhale through an open mouth.
Take a few soft regular breaths.
Not only will practicing this breathing technique improve your communication with your body and in doing so speed your healing but it will also help you to manage your pain physical,
Psychological and emotional.
It will help you to manage the trauma of your recovery experience because we are very much aware of our pain so we are very good at experiencing it.
One could say pain is truly the most persistent and consistent teacher of awareness.
The Bhagavad Gita says,
One should know that the unyoking from the yoke of pain is designated yoga.
Because you see yoga means union.
It's not a physical fitness fad,
Not something we do for beautiful bodies alone.
It's that state where mind,
Body,
Pain,
Emotion,
And your real self become one in unity,
In harmony,
A state of being rather than a state of doing.
No strain,
Discomfort or effort,
Internally or externally.
So now that we have experienced being aware of our breathing rhythm,
Making sure you are still comfortable,
Your body is aligned and supported,
That you are warm enough,
Let's try a more structured breathing practice.
Closing the eyes.
Place one hand lightly onto your upper chest and one below your navel.
If you can't manage that,
Just become aware of those areas,
Visualize them.
Focus now on the natural rhythm of your body breathing,
The cool inhalation,
The warm exhalation.
Begin now to listen to the sound of your breath.
Imagine that as you breathe in,
You begin to fill.
Firstly,
The upper regions of your lungs only.
Can you feel the small clavicle bones at the base of your throat begin to rise gently as you draw breath into these upper reaches of your chest.
Feel the top area begin to gently inflate.
Feel that area as it lowers back down towards your spine.
How do you feel when you breathe like this?
Into the upper reaches of your chest and lungs only.
Top hand rising and falling.
What kind of thoughts do you have?
What emotions are you experiencing?
Just observe as you continue on with the practice.
Upper chest rising and falling.
Top hand rising and falling.
Observing how you experience this breath,
This particular state.
Now exhale through an open mouth and take a few natural breaths.
Keeping your awareness on your breath,
Focus now on the space between your hands,
Your solar plexus,
Your own mini Sun.
As you inhale,
Can you feel the edges of your rib cage begin to naturally,
Effortlessly expand sideways.
Draw the breath now a little deeper,
A little more fully.
Can you feel your rib cage moving back inward as you exhale and let go?
How do you experience this breath,
The space in between the hands rising and falling?
How do you experience this breath?
What kind of thoughts do you have?
What emotions are you experiencing now?
Just observe as you continue for a while with the practice.
Listen to what your body is saying to you.
Is it more relaxed?
Less?
Hotter?
Cooler?
Tighter?
Softer?
Listen to the sound as you breathe.
And now exhaling gently through an open mouth,
Watching the natural ebb and flow of your own body breathing.
Remember that in time this practice will really help you to ride the recovery road in ease.
Where the sharp bursts of pain,
Physical or emotional,
Spasms,
Fear,
Even anger and frustration.
It will help you to identify what you can and shouldn't move today.
To learn to direct precious energy,
Control,
Even power to where you need it most without creating pain or discomfort.
So now keeping that flow,
Going back to your awareness,
Begin to breathe into your abdomen.
Feel the bottom hand rise and fall.
The soft space around your navel begin to naturally inflate.
Let this whole area gently rise upward into a little pot belly.
Breathe into any remaining pockets of resistance.
