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.
Today's practice is an energizing one.
The sluggish mornings,
The mid-afternoon fog.
The days your body needs gentle activation rather than another coffee.
We'll be exploring Kapalabhati.
Translated as Skull Shining Breath.
A traditional yogic technique where the exhale is short and sharp.
And the inhale is left completely passive,
Happening on its own.
It builds warmth,
Vitality.
Mental clarity and a sense of brightness behind the eyes.
A few things before we begin.
Because this practice is more active than most of what we've been doing together.
If you're pregnant,
Menstruating,
Have high blood pressure,
A heart condition,
A hernia,
Or if you're recovering from any recent surgery.
Prone to dizziness or feel specifically anxious today.
Please skip this practice.
Listen to a different episode that feels more fitting today.
If you are joining me here today and at any point you feel lightheaded or want to pause,
Please just return to your natural breath and let it settle.
As always,
Everything I offer is an invitation,
Not an instruction.
Wherever you meet your breath today,
You will still benefit from connecting to the anchor of it.
This practice is best seated with a long soft spine.
Upright but not uptight.
Just take a moment here to land.
Feel your hips rooted and heavy.
Your crown gently rising.
Allow the space between your eyebrows to soften,
Your jaw unclench.
Feel your shoulders drop to the earth.
And notice your breath exactly as it is.
No changing,
No analysing.
Just allowing it to express itself how it wants through your body.
Take a moment to reflect on how your energy is today.
Foggy,
Flat,
Scattered.
Maybe it's good.
Just notice.
Awareness itself is a powerful thing.
And however you're feeling,
Honor that today and understand your capacity.
And before we start our practice,
We'll take three clearing breaths to prepare.
Taking a slow inhale through the nose as you fill the lungs.
And sigh out of the mouth.
And again,
Breathing in.
And release,
Let go.
Breathing in.
And letting everything go,
Release.
The breath finds its intuitive pace again.
It's settled and rhythmic.
Kapalabhati is a sharp active exhale through the nose.
Coming from the belly.
Followed by a passive inhale that simply happens by itself through the nose.
The belly pumps in on the exhale and releases naturally on the inhale.
Strong but never strained.
Think of it as a pumping of the breath.
The exhale is active.
Inhale is passive.
We'll take three rounds of 20 exhales with a rest between each round.
And I'll set the pace with my voice.
But as always,
If my rhythm doesn't work for you,
Please just try to find your own.
And remember,
You can soften the effort or pause at any time.
You do not need to force anything.
If you've never done this practice before,
It will sound a little bit like this.
We'll take an inhale.
And then we'll pump the breath.
So we're really focusing on the exhale.
You might want to pause and try this yourself.
But if not,
We'll start when you're ready.
We'll start with your ready round one.
With me,
We'll breathe in nice and slowly.
And then out,
Out,
Out,
Out,
Out.
And release.
Take a slow full inhale.
Gentle pause at the top.
And slowly extend your exhale out of your mouth.
And let the breath return to its natural pace.
Notice the aliveness,
Maybe a slight tingling or a warmth.
Maybe you can really sense the brightness behind your eyes.
And just witness any energy that's moving or shifting.
And then when you're ready,
We'll move into round two.
Always rhythmic,
Never forced.
Take that slow inhale,
Fill the lungs.
And And release,
Slow inhale.
Gentle pause at the top.
And a long,
Soft and gentle exhale out of the mouth.
And then resting again in that stillness.
Feel the contrast.
The activation and then the settling.
And this is your nervous system practicing the oscillation between two states.
Rising and returning.
Activating and grounding.
Just bringing a little energy into the system.
When you're ready,
We'll take that final round here.
If you're coming with me,
Take that slow inhale,
Feel the lungs.
And.
.
.
And release everything,
One last full inhale.
Pausing at the top.
And a slow,
Long exhale out of the mouth.
Release all control of your breath.
It returns to its natural pace,
Its natural rhythm.
And now just rest in what you've created.
Map the body.
Where is the warmth?
Where is the brightness?
Where is the energy?
And just checking in with how you're feeling right now.
Your energy,
Your state.
No expectations here.
Notice anything that's shifted or maybe nothing has at all.
There's no need to feel a particular way.
Energy sometimes unfolds over the minutes or the hours that follow.
Just be present and receive whatever is here at this very moment.
And then notice that vitality didn't come from outside of you.
No caffeine,
No supplement,
No external noise.
Just breath,
Clean and clear.
Then draw your attention to the weight of your body rooted into the earth beneath you,
The surface just holding you.
Notice the textures beneath you The temperature of the air touching your skin.
Sounds that you can hear both near and far.
The energy of your surroundings.
That subtle hum of the external world.
And then let your senses awaken when they're ready.
Maybe there's an urge to move.
Starting with a twinkle of a finger or a toe.
Maybe the head softly rolls from side to side.
And when you're ready blinking your eyes open taking this energy with you into your day.
Feeling a little brighter,
Please share this practice with somebody who needs a lift today.
Rest well and I'll see you next week.
