Insight Timer Live: Breathwork For Deep Connection

This is a recording of the Insight Timer Live Breathwork session on April 16th, focused on accessing the power of connection with the other to engage with the deep energies of life. The practice is simple: just lie down, close your eyes, and breathe into the belly, then into the chest, then exhale. The breathing is all through the mouth.
The invitation in these sessions is to center connection with the breath over any specific rhythm or outcome. Enjoy!

Transcript

Hi friends and welcome to this guided breathwork meditation that was recorded live on April 16th,

2023.

This practice,

As you probably know,

But just in case,

Is really simple.

You're going to lie down with your eyes closed and it's a three-part breath all through the mouth.

So you'll lie down and breathe into your belly,

Into your chest,

And then release.

There's no particular pace or depth that you need to go at.

The invitation in these sessions is always to use it as a space and opportunity to reconnect with the breath,

Reconnect with yourself,

And maybe connect with the other folks who have engaged with this practice through time,

Now that they're available and recorded.

The other thing I'll add for this one in particular is that there was a lot alive and moving in the group.

So you may feel the edges of some of that as you move through the practice.

So with that,

I hope you have a beautiful breathwork practice and thank you for listening.

I'll send you off to the recording now.

The sutra that wants to be shared tonight is sutra number 48.

In the great joy of seeing a loved one after a long absence,

A flash of recognition ignites you.

Space becomes charged,

The bond between you shimmers,

And a surge of delight arises in your being.

A surge of delight arises in your being.

Beloved,

Find within you the source of this surge.

Melt into that place of upwelling,

A wave rolling in a vast ocean of delight.

I love this.

Find within you the source of this surge.

There's a beautiful invitation,

As always in this for us.

This idea that it's through connection with another being,

Human or more than human.

Maybe it's a tree or a beloved pet,

But it's in that connection with the other that we experience.

D,

I want to hold that with you in a moment,

Right?

But it's in that connection with the other,

Right?

Those seven family members who you're going to see tomorrow,

That we experience that upsurge of delight.

And if we follow it back to its source,

Maybe we can experiment and see what we might find if we follow it back to its source.

All right,

My friends,

Let me get ready over here.

And as you lay down,

As always,

Before we start,

Just a really gentle invitation to remind ourselves,

It is safe for me to be in my body.

In my body,

It is safe for me to breathe.

And tonight there's an extra one.

It is safe for me to see and be seen.

It is safe for me to see and be seen by another.

And just take a nice slow breath into that.

Release it with a sigh.

Take another one.

Nice slow breath in.

Release it with a sigh.

And go ahead and start the breathing really gently all through the mouth.

Breathing in to the belly,

Into the chest.

And releasing,

Release.

And as you get started,

As always,

A reminder that these first few minutes are really your chance just to get used to the breathing pattern.

For some of you,

It's like revisiting an old friend.

Belly,

Chest,

Release.

And so as we breathe,

Even at the beginning,

Gently inviting in beings,

Guides,

Guardians,

Spirits,

Maybe the spirits of those who have recently passed,

Or the spirits who are just about to enter the world as well,

To be with us,

To breathe with us,

To see and be seen.

If your mind is really busy,

You can always just think the word inhale,

Inhale,

Release,

Inhale,

Inhale,

Release.

So for some of you,

You may want to breathe a little bit faster.

And for some of you,

A slower pace might feel nice.

Just using this space to find your relationship for the breath in this practice,

Which might be different than it's been before,

And certainly different than it will ever be again.

And if you want to,

You can take in a little more breath,

And then you can take in a little more breath,

And then you can take in a little more breath.

And if you want to,

You can take in a little more breath,

Maybe two or 3% more oxygen into the belly.

Just gently starting to open up a little more space for the breathing.

Belly,

Chest,

Release.

And if you want to,

You can bring the breath a little bit more deeply into the belly.

So we're breathing just behind the belly button and just below.

And as we breathe,

I want to maybe invite in the energy of the butterflies I saw today,

Exploring the world,

Sharing their beauty,

And emerging from the cocoons and the chrysalis to feel the sunlight on their wings and their wings.

And so there's an invitation maybe to allow yourself to experience the breath anew.

What if these next breaths are your first breaths in a new world,

Forgetting everything we think we know,

Everything we think we understand,

And noticing maybe what pulls your attention in the next breath.

Maybe it's the expansion of the belly,

The coolness at the back of your throat.

Maybe see what happens if you give yourself the gift of newness.

Stay with the breath.

And if you find yourself hooked on a thought,

That's fine.

You can always just bring your attention back to the breath as much as is available to you.

So stay with the breath,

Invitation becoming present to allow this moment,

Maybe this breath,

To be a new beginning.

Whatever is in the past,

Whatever happened even five seconds ago,

No longer defines this moment.

Just for now,

See if you can breathe as exactly who you are in this moment.

So maybe you are a frustrated you or a sleepy you or a relaxed and joyful you.

Whoever you are in this moment,

Breathe as you.

And if you want to let this practice go a little bit deeper,

The invitation is to let go of a little bit more control,

A little bit more tension.

So if you find the eyebrows are knit together,

You can allow those to release,

The jaw can release,

Maybe the shoulders.

Where so many of us carry the weight of the world,

Maybe the shoulders can release a little bit and the hips as you breathe.

With each little bit of release,

Breath can go a little bit.

It's not just breath,

It's energy.

And this energy carries the elemental spark of life.

And so you can imagine that spark just making its way with each breath through your body,

Through your veins,

Through your muscles,

To the very tips of your fingers,

The soles of your feet,

Your sacrum,

Your hips.

Stay with the breath,

Moving through the muscles of your chest and your back and sinking into the cells.

And so this breath can actually help your cells release anything they've been holding onto that's keeping maybe you latched to the past.

So anything that's ready to leave,

That's ready to be washed away,

The breath can be a great helper in that.

And so can the energy of the rivers and the creeks thawing after the long winter.

What within you is ready to flow.

We can bring that idea of flow to the breath,

Picking up the inhale just before the exhale ends.

So there's a constant stream or river of energy and breath moving through your body really gently.

And again,

The invitation just to breathe.

That's exactly who and how you are in this moment.

Noticing that as soon as we breathe and live in one moment completely,

It's gone.

And a new one emerges and then a new one,

Each breath,

An invitation into a whole new world of possibilities.

You'll just be breathing for about four more minutes.

You can let the breath really soften.

If it feels interesting to you,

You can let the breath just be a little bit longer.

If it's interesting to you,

You can let the breath take the lead,

Showing you exactly how to meet this moment.

That this breath moving through us is part of an infinite stream,

A river of energy that stretches from one side of the world to the other,

From one end of time to the other.

And each breath is just a little curve in the river.

That stream of energy can pick up some wisdom,

Some love,

Maybe some old stuff you've been holding on to and carry it on to its next destination.

Breathe a little bit more into your heart,

Just really gently and tenderly breathing into the chest,

Into that space behind the heart,

Breathing into the back.

And it's like as the heart opens,

It's as if you're hoisting a sail for your spirit on this vast ocean of life and existence.

And you can imagine that sail rising,

Filled with shimmering colors and energy and beauty.

If you want to,

You can kind of look around on the vast ocean of existence,

Those rolling waves,

And see the sails of the 60 or so other people catching the breath as we allow ourselves to be carried effortlessly.

And as you allow your sail maybe to expand even more,

That heart growing,

Growing and reaching ever higher and ever wider.

Just know that if you feel like your heart is really open,

That somebody in this group is being supported by you right now and inspired.

And if you're having trouble,

If it feels a little tighter constricted,

Just know that there's never any rush,

You can open as much or as little as right for you.

Every little bit is beautiful.

Just a couple more breaths.

I'll invite you to transition to a resting breath and then just a single inhale into the belly and a release.

And so the work is over.

These next few minutes are your chance to relax and receive.

Nothing left to do,

You can allow your little bit heavier against the earth,

The earth rising up to cradle you.

And as you allow your body to get heavier,

I'll invite you on a journey and you can come along or simply let the words wash over you.

If you want to,

You can imagine that you are in beautiful clearing in a forest,

The scent of pine or fresh spring all around you,

A water burbling nearby,

Maybe a stream or a small river.

You can feel the ground beneath your feet,

The air on your skin.

And there right across this stream or this river,

You can feel the right across this stream or this river is a beloved who you haven't seen for a long time.

Maybe it's a person,

A dear friend,

A relative,

A pet,

A tree,

A rock.

As you catch sight of this beloved and they see you,

Maybe you feel a spark of recognition or delight that upsurging that comes with seeing another being who knows us so well and who we know so well.

And maybe you can walk or move towards each other on either side of this river and a bridge forms over it.

So you can meet in the center and clasp hands or embrace.

Allow yourself to feel their presence.

And as you connect with them,

See if you can follow the energy of that connection down or up wherever it wants to lead,

Like following a beautiful shimmering thread.

Maybe it spirals like a double helix.

Maybe it becomes a blanket.

You can allow yourself and trust yourself to be held in the beauty of this connection with the other.

And now what I'll invite us to do is notice that all around this clearing,

All along these riverbanks are the 70 or so other people in this group right now connecting with a beloved.

And maybe in these last couple minutes,

We can all invite whatever being has come to us,

If any,

To come back to our shared campfire so we can introduce them around,

Let them get to know each other,

And also maybe take each other in as we are in this moment,

Potentially transformed by our connection with the other.

And if you want to,

You can take your palms and just place them lightly over your heart or any place on your body that wants a little bit of extra love and attention.

And maybe feel the presence of all of us breathing together,

Connecting around the campfire and sending love,

So much love to anybody in our worlds who needs it,

Especially to ourselves.

And sometimes that's hard.

So if you feel like you could use a little bit of extra love and support,

Just know that it's making its way to you right now.

And you can take another slow breath,

Maybe bringing the breathing to a more natural place.

And just take a moment to breathe before we come back to hold our heart.

And really slowly,

You know,

Wiggling your fingers and your toes,

Maybe wiggling your hips,

Taking a moment to land back in your body.

And there's no rush.

Whenever you're ready,

You can either turn over and go to sleep or maybe come back,

Get some water.

I always like to do a little bit of journaling after the practice,

Even if it's just a sentence or two.

And let's maybe take a breath together and releasing.

Thank you so,

So much for breathing with us.

And hope that you can join one of the live sessions on Sundays,

Most Sundays at 6pm Pacific Time here on Inside Timer.

And if you enjoyed this,

Feel free to leave a review just because it helps other people find us.

Reviews

I looked for a breathing meditation for my 35 minute ride home from work. Wasn’t sure this was for me, but so glad I stuck with it. (And didn’t get into an accident lol!) Can’t wait to do it again while I am lying down - it was that powerful of an experience while driving! Namaste 🙏

A beautiful energy-shifting exploration

This one is in my folder 'repeat, repeat.' So grateful for you Michael 🙏🏼💫