Opening Through Breath: Body, Vibration & Loving Presence
This 30-minute session is an invitation to slow down and reconnect with yourself through breath and gentle awareness. We’ll begin with a short somatic practice to settle into the body, then move into a flowing breathwork sequence inspired by vivation — helping you stay present with sensation, emotion, and the quiet intelligence of the body. As the breath softens and deepens, we’ll shift into an Inner Smile meditation to nourish the heart, followed by a simple loving-kindness mantra to close. You don’t need to do anything perfectly here. Just bring your breath, your presence, and whatever you’re carrying. This space is for you.
Transcript
Welcome.
Over the next few minutes,
We're going to gently explore how breath can reconnect us to the wisdom of the body and help us move through emotional blocks,
Which opens us up to a sense of grounded compassion,
Both for ourselves and others.
And we're going to begin with a short somatic awareness practice,
Just to settle in and tune into the body and breath.
From there,
We'll ease into a vivation inspired sequence,
Which is a gentle but powerful practice that helps us to feel more deeply,
Soften into resistance and access our aliveness.
And then once that energy is flowing,
We'll shift into an inner smile meditation to nourish the heart and close with a simple loving kindness mantra to really anchor us in compassion.
This space is yours.
So if at any time you want to pause,
Adjust,
Or come back to stillness,
Please just listen to what your body needs.
And we're going to begin by arriving in the body together.
So if it feels safe,
You can gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Allow the outside world to fade into the background,
Just for now.
And bring your awareness inward.
Notice the weight of your body.
Where do you feel contact with the ground,
The chair,
The surface beneath you?
And simply allow your body to be supported.
And when you're ready,
Let's bring awareness to the breath.
We're not going to change it yet.
Simply notice it.
Feel the inhale and the exhale.
Notice if it's shallow or deep,
Expansive or constricted.
Rapid or slow.
And remember,
There's no right or wrong answers here.
Just noticing what is in this moment.
And when you're ready,
We're going to begin to tune in to your inner landscape.
And just notice what sensations are present in your body right now.
Begin to scan from the top of your head,
Through your face and jaw,
Throat,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Belly,
Hips,
Legs,
Down through the feet.
If you notice any areas of holding or tension,
See if you can allow them to be there.
If there's discomfort,
Acknowledge it with care and curiosity.
We're not trying to change anything.
Simply allowing what's there as it is.
Let's turn our awareness back to the breath.
Feeling it move through the nose,
Expanding the lungs and softening through the exhale.
Just allow your breath to slow,
To deepen,
To meet you where you are.
You may notice a subtle shift,
A settling,
A quieting,
A softening.
If it's there,
Just allow that shift to be felt in your body.
Taking another moment here to rest in this awareness.
Feel whatever aliveness is here,
A tingling,
A movement or stillness,
Knowing that all of it is welcome.
From this grounded awareness,
We'll begin to shift our breathwork practice,
Allowing the breath to guide us into deeper connection.
As you feel ready,
We'll begin to deepen the breath,
Gently and intentionally.
Begin with a few forward breaths,
Inhaling and exhaling through the nose,
Allowing the breath to expand and release without effort.
We're going to begin to find a continuous circular rhythm,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the nose without pauses.
Just a gentle,
Steady flow from one breath to the next.
As you breathe,
We're going to begin to notice the feelings in your body.
Simply observing anything that comes up,
Any comfort,
Tension,
Ease,
Emotion.
Allow yourself to track what you're feeling without judgment.
If you come across something that feels uncomfortable,
Intense,
Or emotionally charged,
Try gently speeding up the rhythm of your breath,
Allowing the breath to become a little faster and more energizing.
We can imagine breathing into those sensations,
Into emotion,
Into resistance,
Knowing that this is where the shift can happen.
On the inhale,
We allow ourselves to meet whatever's coming up,
To stay with it,
And then release it and allow it to move.
Alternately,
If you notice places of peace,
Of ease,
Or warmth,
Try slowing the breath down,
Taking deeper,
More spacious inhales and longer,
Softer exhales.
Allowing yourself to settle into the comfort,
To amplify it,
To absorb it,
So the rhythm becomes dynamic,
Faster,
And more activating.
When discomfort or emotion is present,
And slower,
More nourishing,
When you touch something soft,
Loving,
Or still,
Just trust your body to guide you and stay with what's present.
We're making this breath flow intuitive and personal for you.
You may feel energy building,
Tingling,
Heat,
Or emotion rising.
Allow movement if that feels right,
Maybe a shift of the shoulders,
Gentle sway,
Or a soft sound through closed lips.
Just following the natural impulses in your body.
This is a space of permission,
Permission to feel,
To release,
To receive.
You're just going to stay with the breath for a little longer,
Speeding up when you feel challenge,
Slowing down when you feel peace.
Allowing each breath to carry you deeper into presence.
We can begin to allow the breath to slow and soften,
Returning to a natural rhythm.
Just noticing any changes that might already have occurred in the body.
Simply observing the breath,
Absorbing the benefits of this practice.
From this open-hearted state,
We'll move into our inner smile meditation,
Nourishing the heart and allowing a deeper kindness to rise.
When we're ready,
We can bring our awareness to the heart center and imagine a gentle smile forming there.
Beautiful smile inside your heart.
There's no need to force the feeling.
Simply allow the image or the sense of a smile to be there.
Like sunlight behind your ribs,
Or a soft glow rusting in your chest.
And if you have trouble finding your smile,
It can help to remember a time when you were really,
Truly happy.
It can be something small.
Maybe a time you spent with a family member or a pet.
Someone or something you love.
A moment in nature.
A time when something wonderful happened.
Visualize that.
Remember where you were,
What was happening.
And when you feel that smile energy,
That joy,
That warmth,
That happiness,
Come in.
Just invite it into your heart space and picture that smile.
When you have that smile in place,
We're going to allow it to spread gently into your lungs,
Your shoulders,
Your face and jaw.
Feel it infusing the space behind your eyes,
Your temples.
Just allow your breath to guide it,
Like a wave of kindness moving through you.
And as you breathe,
Allow this smile to move down into your belly.
Soften the space behind your navel.
Feel the warmth of kindness rusting in your gut,
Your hips,
Your pelvis.
Each breath,
Invite in a little more ease,
A bit more gentleness,
A soft inner yes.
You may notice a feeling of gratitude for this breath,
This body,
This moment.
Allow whatever comes up,
Whatever arises to just be there with love and acceptance.
Just inviting this warm smile energy into every cell in your body.
Yeah,
If we imagine we have a radio dial,
Like a volume button,
And we can turn that energy,
The intensity up or down and find the exact perfect level that feels just right in our body right now.
And from this place of loving kindness,
This place of warmth,
Self-love and gratitude,
We're going to begin our loving kindness mantra.
So either silently in your head or even out loud,
If that feels good to you,
Repeat together.
May I be safe.
May I be well.
May I be loved.
May I live with ease.
May I be safe.
May I be well.
May I be loved.
May I live with ease.
Just feel it as a blessing or a message of self-love.
Not something you have to earn.
Simply something you're allowed to receive.
Breathe it in.
May I be safe.
May I be well.
May I be loved.
May I live with ease.
And when you're ready,
Gently bring someone to mind.
Maybe someone you care about,
A loved one,
A friend,
A teacher or guide.
Or maybe someone you find challenging,
That you wish was easier to connect with and love.
Whoever it is,
Picture them clearly in your heart.
See their face.
Feel their presence.
And repeat.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you be loved.
May you live with ease.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you be loved.
May you live with ease.
Now we expand our awareness,
Imagining the two of you.
You and this person,
Surrounded by a field of warmth.
Allow this to grow and include more people.
Your community,
Those nearby,
People you see every day but don't know.
Expand this love as we repeat.
May we be safe.
May we be well.
May we be loved.
May we live with ease.
Allowing the circle to continue and widen.
Allowing it to extend to your city,
Your region,
Maybe even the entire world.
All of the joy,
The suffering,
All beings.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be loved.
May all beings live with ease.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be loved.
May all beings live with ease.
Just feel that resonating out from you.
Expanding into the world.
Back to our own bodies.
Noticing the breath.
Where we are in the room.
Maybe wiggling our fingers and our toes.
Bringing in some movement to ground us.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Come back into the room.
Thank you all so much for joining me here today.
