Hi there and welcome to this live session that was recorded on September 17th,
2023.
As always,
The breathwork practice we'll be doing in this session is a three-part breath.
And to do it,
You're going to breathe all through your mouth.
You'll breathe first into the belly,
Then into the chest,
And then you'll release it.
So two inhales and an exhale.
There's no particular pace that you need to go at.
The invitation is always to listen to your own body and to allow the breath to lead you wherever it might be right for you to go in this session.
You'll be doing the practice lying down with your eyes closed.
And if you need to take a break at any point,
Feel free to do so.
Thank you so much for being here and joining through space and time with this practice.
And with that,
I will send you off to the session recording.
Have a beautiful session.
So Sutra number 73,
Just as a desire leaps up and you perceive the flash,
The sparkle quit from its play and maintain awareness in that clear and shining place from which all desire springs.
Just as a desire leaps up and you perceive the flash,
The sparkle quit from its play and maintain awareness in that clear and shining place from which all desire springs.
I think there's a beautiful invitation as always in this to notice when we may be chasing a result,
Specifically in this practice,
But really any time.
To notice when we get swept away by a desire or a need.
And instead of allowing it to take us,
To kind of enchant us,
To observe it and see if we can trace it back to the kind of primordial soup of all desire and all creation and see what happens if we spend time with that,
If you want to.
So as we prepare to breathe,
Maybe just a gentle reminder,
It's safe for me to be in my body.
It's safe for me to breathe.
It's safe for me and I am worthy of accepting support and love.
That might be a big one.
It's safe for me and I'm worthy of receiving support and love.
With that,
I'll invite us just to take a nice slow breath.
Release it with a sigh.
And we'll start that breathing all through the mouth,
Breathing into the belly,
Chest and releasing,
Belly,
Chest and release.
Being really,
Really gentle with yourselves,
Gentle with the breath,
Belly,
Chest and release.
So as we start,
Just noticing your body,
Feeling your body against the floor,
The bed and feeling the breath,
Inflating the belly,
Inflating the chest and then just releasing.
I like to think of the exhale sometimes as a setting free and anything in the body that's leaving with the breath is being liberated.
Belly,
Chest,
Release.
And sometimes the pattern can be a little bit challenging to find at first.
So you can just think the word,
Inhale,
Inhale,
Release,
Inhale,
Inhale,
Release.
Just as we breathe and start to find and create this space together,
It's just kind of a gentle invitation to acknowledge that the version of you that existed 20 minutes ago,
Five minutes ago,
10 seconds ago,
No longer exists.
And that with each breath,
We get the opportunity to reweave ourselves into connection.
So what might it be like to approach this breathing with the curiosity of a child,
Really getting curious about the inflation of the belly,
The inflation of the chest and that release,
That beautiful surrender of carbon dioxide and tension of assumptions.
What if in a very real sense,
We have no idea what the next breath holds and that can be a really gentle exploration to play with.
It's like when you're holding on to the edge of a swimming pool and then kind of kick off for the first time and allow the water to take you.
Each breath is an invitation to trust,
Trusting the body,
Trusting the earth,
Trusting spirit.
And as we move a little bit further into this,
Continuing to breathe into the belly,
Into the chest and releasing,
I'll invite you to notice anywhere in your body that feels really open to the breath,
Where it feels easy to expand,
Easy to energize,
Easy to connect,
Even if it's just like a really small piece of you.
And as our attention moves to that place of ease,
The breath will naturally follow.
And sometimes when the breath moves to those places that already feel open,
Then that feeling of ease can start to just gently radiate outwards.
What if just for now,
We let go of struggle,
Just for now,
And allow our breath to be easy and gentle and soft.
For some of us,
That might be a little challenging.
If you want to,
You can take in a little more breath.
It's like three or four percent more oxygen into the belly,
Allowing the breath to really discover how deeply it can move into the body a few inches below the belly button,
A few inches behind.
So it feels safe that it's not just your belly expanding,
It's actually expanding into your lower back and your hips like a like a balloon.
And stay with the breath.
And we can start to allow this practice to deepen a little bit if you want to.
And that can simply be about letting go of a little bit more agenda,
A little more control,
Allowing the breath to guide you and our campfire to hold you,
The earth to hold you.
So you can see if your jaw is tight,
Maybe release your jaw,
Release the forehead,
Bringing awareness that this isn't just breath,
It's energy,
It's wisdom,
It's love,
It's memory.
Moving through your cells and your body,
Belly,
Chest,
Release.
And there's an invitation present to just gently bring awareness to those places or those moments where we haven't been kind to ourselves,
Maybe where we've done a kind of violence to our own hearts.
We all do this.
Maybe we can just breathe gently with those awarenesses and allow our hearts to forgive us.
Your heart forgives you.
Your spirit forgives you.
Inviting all of those parts of ourselves that may have felt a little bit scared to breathe,
To join us.
It's like they're kind of coming out of the woods or the caves or the oceans,
Sitting around the campfire with us,
Laying down with us and breathing into the belly,
Into the chest and then releasing.
You're doing great.
Stay with the breath just about six and a half more minutes.
And now,
As we continue to breathe,
Just bringing into our awareness individually and collectively,
Any of those places where we haven't been in right relationship with others,
Coworkers,
Loved ones,
Parents,
And just energetically and really kindly asking forgiveness of that energy that maybe has been wounded.
And see if you can keep breathing as we work with this,
The breath will help move things through.
Belly,
Chest,
Releasing,
Letting the exhale carry forgiveness,
Maybe even carry repentance,
So that we may come back into right relationship with ourselves and others,
The world.
And this can be challenging,
So we can always ask for help from the breath,
From spirit.
Help me come back into relationship.
We can ask support from each other.
Of this group of our campfire,
I need a little help.
You're doing great.
Stay with the breath.
And if we allow it,
The breath will help our body release any of those old stories that may be keeping us looping in old patterns.
Old ways of misalignment.
And you can even whisper to yourself,
Help me,
Help me be in alignment.
Help me remember who I am.
Belly,
Chest,
Release.
And we're just going to stay with it a few more minutes.
I'll invite you just to breathe a little bit more into your heart,
If you can,
Up into the chest.
So often we forget how beautiful and powerful and wise,
Brilliant our hearts are.
And how much they can teach us about connection.
Bringing awareness as we work with the heart and allow the heart to open that the heart is the meeting place between the earth and the sky.
And so can invite that energy from the bottom of your feet up through your legs,
Through your hips,
Through your belly,
Through your solar plexus to your heart.
And down through your head.
Through your throat.
Down to the heart.
And those two energies meet and alchemize in a way that's uniquely yours.
If you want to,
On the exhale,
You can imagine releasing that unique,
Beautiful energy to be shared with the circle,
With our campfire.
Recognizing as the heart maybe softens a little and opens.
That whenever we feel that sense of being a little bit off kilter,
Out of alignment,
Out of sync,
The heart can always lead us back to ourselves,
To our souls.
Just letting the breath soften so that we can be breathed together.
Inviting in guides,
Guardians,
Wise ancestors,
All of those parts of ourselves.
So that we may be renewed and reborn.
Remember why we came here.
When you're ready,
I'll invite you to transition to a resting breath.
And that's just a single inhale,
Still through the mouth,
Into the belly and the release.
So just one breath.
And as we do that,
We let go of all of the work that parts over these next few minutes are your chance to receive.
So you can feel the earth kind of softening beneath you.
You can let your body get a little bit heavier.
It's like we're just putting down all the weight that we've been carrying.
And the earth rises up to embrace you.
If you want to,
You can even remember and allow yourself to just sink into the earth.
And this can feel very comforting,
Very safe,
Warm,
Welcoming.
And as you allow yourself to just sink into the earth,
Feeling the millions,
The billions of microbes and cells vibrating around you,
Dancing,
Welcoming you.
Helping yourselves remember how to be part of this dance of life,
Creation,
Support.
And if you want to,
You can sink even deeper.
So it's almost like you're in this beautiful cavern right at the center of the earth.
The place from which all life has sprung,
The meeting place of the fire,
The water,
The air,
The earth.
And in this place,
Feeling the vibrations of the planet all around you and through you.
And so there's no division between body and water and earth and air and fire,
Just as it was before you came to this plane.
And right before you came here,
You knew what you were coming here to do.
Who are you?
Underneath all the stories and the memories and the titles,
The family stuff,
The question doesn't need an answer.
We can just let it float with us.
Who are you?
What did you come here to do and share that nobody else can or could or will be able to?
We'll just gently start to allow ourselves to float up from that cavern in the deepest depths of the earth and through the different levels of the soil.
Noticing as we rise upwards,
Maybe how we are transformed.
What we're bringing with us as you rise back up to the surface of the earth and find yourself around our campfire.
Sitting with the 60 or so other people from all over the world,
Maybe all with a cup of tea.
Sharing light with each other,
With the fire,
With the world.
And if anyone out there,
Anyone of you needs a little extra support,
It's there for you.
And if any of you have extra life,
Extra light to share,
Just know it's pouring off of you in waves.
You can bring the breathing to a more natural place.
And just really gently,
Gently,
Gently can bring yourself back.
And I always like to wiggle my fingers and my toes,
Being aware as you sit up that you might feel a little bit dizzy.
You might want to get some water or tea,
Spend a few moments just writing down anything that came to you during that practice.
Thank you so much for exploring this breathwork adventure together.
And I hope to see you again soon.
Be well.
