Hello,
Welcome back.
I'm Sarah,
A somatic facilitator and coach,
Here to help you build nervous system resilience so you can live up to your fullest potential with ease and confidence.
I'll be guiding you through meditation.
Breath works.
Visualization and deep rest so that you can explore the pause between where you've been and where you're going.
Welcome to liminal space.
If you feel life is asking more of you right now.
Maybe your energy feels a little scattered or fragmented.
You feel there's more structure,
More demands,
More doing that needs to be done.
Today we'll be finding our way back to a more balanced state.
We'll be exploring equal breathing.
What is known as Samavriti in yogic tradition.
Summer means equal.
Even.
Smooth.
Means fluctuation.
The ebbs and flows of the mind of the breath.
When we make our inhale and exhale equal in length.
We offer the nervous system a subtle symmetry.
Nothing complicated,
No striving.
Just even.
A rhythm.
Teaching the body that steadiness is available through rhythm.
You can take this practice seated or laying down.
Whichever feels best in your body right now.
So start to settle in.
And once you've found your position,
Take a moment to land physically here in your skin,
Into the earth,
Into your surroundings.
Feel your bones loosen and grow heavier to the earth.
Your muscles just melting around your skeleton.
The space between your eyebrows releases.
Your jaw softened.
The tongue rests on the roof of the mouth.
Shoulders drop.
And if it feels good to do so,
Allow your eyelids to close.
Or just take a soft gaze.
If you'd like to set an intention as Sankalpa.
Plant that seed now.
Whether it's just for this practice.
Offer the space between now and when we meet again.
Before we start to influence the breath.
We'll meet it.
Exactly as it is.
Start to notice the natural rhythm expressing itself through the body.
Arriving and leaving.
Its location,
Its speed,
Its character.
No right or wrong.
It's just information.
A gentle check-in with your inner landscape.
We'll take three clearing breaths before we begin.
A slow inhale through the nose.
Gentle pause.
And slowly blow the exhale out of the mouth.
Two more,
Breathing in.
Gentle pause.
And release.
Final time inhaling.
Pausing.
And letting everything go.
Seal the lips,
Let the breath return to its natural pace,
Its natural rhythm.
For this equal breath practice.
We'll start by breathing in for the count of four.
And out for the count of four.
We'll take eight breaths there.
And then move on to inhaling for the count of five.
And exhaling for the count of five.
And again,
We'll take eight breaths there.
The final round will be an inhale for the count of six and an exhale for the count of six.
And that will be for another eight breaths.
Equal in.
Equal out.
In and out through the nose if that's comfortable,
If not maybe you take your exhale through the mouth.
Soft pursed lips as if you're blowing through a straw.
I'd love to invite you to bring awareness to the mechanics of your breath today.
Breathing slowly,
Gently and expansively.
Feeling the lower ribs moving,
A 360-dimensional breath.
The front,
The sides and the back of the body moving.
I'll be guiding you,
But if my pace doesn't work.
.
.
Please try to ignore me and find your own.
This isn't about striving to take in as much air as possible.
But it's more about allowing your breath to be gentle enough to fill the count.
So I iterate again,
Really lean into finding your own count if mine doesn't work.
So we'll start when you're ready.
We'll take that first breath in.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
Out two,
Three,
Four,
Inhale.
Exhale.
Breathing in.
.
.
Breathing out.
Let the breath rest for a moment at its own pace.
This even after a few breaths of equal breathing,
Whether anything has begun to find rhythm or shift within.
We'll add a little more spaciousness this time.
So again,
If five doesn't suit your body today,
Stay with four or find your own pace.
Your breath is yours.
When you're ready,
We'll find that first breath in and out.
Inhale.
Exhale Let your breath find neutrality for a few moments and again recognize the felt scents in the body.
Maybe the muscles have softened.
And maybe the mind is less busy.
You don't need to feel a particular way,
Just simply bring your awareness to it.
And for the final time we'll add a little more spaciousness.
Finding your own pace if six feels too much.
When you're ready.
But breathe in.
Inhale.
Exhale.
And now taking a few rounds at your own pace,
Equal in,
Equal out.
Smooth,
Steady,
No strain.
Finding the best pace that works for you.
And relax into the earth with each breath.
You don't need to count if you don't want to.
Just really trying to feel that equal inhale and equal exhale.
Taking your final round exactly as you are.
And then releasing all control of your breath.
Returns to its natural pace,
Its natural rhythm.
Just witness what remains after the breath returns.
Perhaps a steadiness.
A quiet evenness.
A subtle harmony in the body and the mind.
Everything a little smoother and more rhythmic than when we began.
Harmony isn't something we achieve once and hold onto forever.
It's something we return to again and again.
And your breath is always a way back there.
Bring your awareness to that seed you've sown,
Your sankalpa.
Feel it take up space in your body,
Absorbed into every single cell.
And then feel your senses start to come alive.
You can notice the texture of the surface beneath you,
The air touching your skin,
The sounds near and far.
The breath moving through your body.
And the urge to twinkle your fingers and toes.
And then your eyes start to flutter open.
Just feel that steadiness,
Feel the rhythm.
You're more grounded.
Nor clarity from within.
If this practice helped you find a little more harmony.
Please share it with someone who's got a lot being asked of them right now.
Rest well,
And I'll see you next week.
