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Open expansive breathing and your physical and emotional
well being are very much intertwined. Breath = Life; Breath = An oxygen rich
blood supply; Breath = Movement; Breath = Calmness; Breath = Freedom. Most
everyone has a tendency to restrict their breathing when they are
frightened, anxious, or feeling overwhelmed. It is not "natural" to restrict
one's breathing at such times, but for most of us it is a default habit
nonetheless. The very essence of a habit is that we can perform an action
without needing to pay careful attention to what we are doing. Soon we can
perform certain habits without seeming to think at all. For many of us,
restricting our breathing has become a habit that we do so "well" that we
have come to not even notice when and how we do it. This Practice is meant
to reawaken you to the process of breathing, and help you to reverse
degenerative breathing habits, so that you can once again, "Breath with
Grace and Power." Metaphorical explanation of the process involved: Sit up
straight, without leaning against the back of your chair. Imagine that your
torso is a strong yet supple cylinder that is able to transmit fluid and
oxygen through it walls. Your torso-cylinder is hanging from a fairly thick
string that is attached to a strong branch of a big tree, and this string
cradles your head and neck, so that your throat and sinuses are open and
soft. As your head, neck, and torso hang from the branch, your entire upper
body rocks back and forth ever so much, as you are moved by a strong yet
calming breeze. The bottom of your cylinder is your pelvic floor which is
situated in your pelvic cavity. The top of your cylinder is your palate,
sinuses, nose and mouth. In this practice, air enters your cylinder through
your nose and sinuses, and air exits your cylinder through your mouth. As
you inhale, think of each molecule of air as being like a bubble that floats
down to your pelvic floor, with each bubble resting on the bubbles around
it. You can think of an image of a cylindrical jar filled with water
bubbles. When the jar is "just full" you pause for a relaxing moment or two,
and then the molecular bubbles start to exit your cylinder through your
mouth. The bubbles near the top of the cylinder of course are the ones that
exit first. The bubbles resting on your pelvic floor are the bubbles that
exit last. When your cylinder is "just empty" you pause for a relaxing
moment or two, and then your inhale begins once again. Inhaling through your
nose and sinuses, exhaling through your throat and mouth. 1. Your inhalation
enters your body through your nose and sinuses, and goes all the way down to
your pelvic floor. Remain relaxed while practicing this. Do what you can,
and no more or less. 2. When your cylinder is just full, you pause for a
relaxing moment or two and then: Your exhalation leaves your body via your
throat and mouth. 3. Breathe in slowly through your nose making a "Suuu"
sound which emanates from the area of your sinuses. What is important here
is that you make a slow and constant inhalation, and that the inhalation has
some sound to it. 4. Exhale slowly through your mouth making a "Haaa" sound
which emanates from your throat, as the air lightly bounces off of your
palate. The sound you make is a throaty sound. 5. While being certain to
remain relaxed, build up to a cycle of inhaling for about twenty seconds and
exhaling for about twenty seconds. Perform Breathing With Grace and Power,
for a minimum of five minutes. Better to do it for ten minutes if you have
the time. This Practice is very simple, AND very profound. You will discover
yourself in the process and you will reawaken yourself to the process of
breathing, and reverse degenerative breathing habits. Over time, you will
once again, "Breath with Grace and Power."
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