Category: Breathing With Nature

Fluidity

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Barton Springs, Austin, Texas

Fluidity is our natural state of being.

With life’s “hits” we often become static, fixed and rigid, wrongly thinking that these states will protect us from whatever is “out to get us” in our day to day living.

Instead we can be knocked over quite easily and incur even greater trauma when in these non-fluid states.

The amount of water in the human body ranges from 50-75%. The average adult human body is 50-65% water, averaging around 57-60%. The percentage of water in infants is much higher, typically around 75-78% water, dropping to 65% by one year of age.

To add to that according to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, and even the bones are watery: 31%

We can’t ignore the fact that water makes up more of who we are than other elements and considering that we came from a watery home while inside of our mother it seems curious why we outright deny that we are in fact fluid and liquid in nature.

There is nothing more directly noticeable than the breath when we are not in a fluid state in our bodies, thoughts, emotions and how we express in the world.  Our breath is hung up in the upper most part of our chests, and secondary breathing muscles (in neck, shoulders and upper chest) compete to see who can become the most contracted in their efforts to breathe us.

When we are breathing effortlessly from our primary breathing muscles (diaphragm, intercostals between the ribs, and moving-waterabdomen)- or being breathed as I like to say –  our bodies feel supple, fluid and flexible and our expression in the world comes from a deeply relaxed place of trust and confidence.  Imagine a wave of breath washing through you.  There is no way to be fixed, contracted or rigid in that!

If you really want to feel liquid and fluid I would suggest swimming with dolphins in the wild.  This was a peak life experience I was privileged to have several years ago.  One can’t help but feel the sensuous nature of being free, playful and lovingly liquid as when swimming with these amazing creatures.  For moments in time you feel that you could breathe under water too!  Perhaps we all did at some time in our ancient past!

A FEW TIPS FOR EASEFUL FLUID BREATHING:

* Be aware when the breath becomes shallow and you feel tension in your neck, face, upper chest and shoulders. Take a breath break!

* Breathe with your primary breathing muscles: diaphragm, intercostals between the ribs, and abdominal muscles. (by the way holding tight in your abdominal muscles or wearing unforgiving tight clothing constricts the breath unnecessarily)

* Imagine a wave of breath moving through you and washing all of the tension away.

* Smile and laugh often and watch the fluidity come back into your being!

* Dance with abandon and move from all parts of your body.  Celebrate the body you have been given!

* Join with another and breathe together.  Watch as your breath eases and lets go as your rhythm comes into synchronization with theirs.  Surrender is the name of the game.

* Imagine yourself safely in a water environment floating and being completely held and supported.

*  Bring attention to your second chakra (right below the naval) and place your hands there with great love as you consciously breathe for a few minutes.  Watch your abdomen soften with the attention.

dolphins20wallpaper2

*Commune with the Earth and frequent Nature often!

* Go swim with dolphins!

There is a way of breathing
That is a shame and a suffocation.
And there is another kind of breath,
A love breath,
Which opens you infinitely.
—Rumi

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Magical Breathing Space

fireflies

Having just returned home from an early evening walk…that magical time when light is fading, birds outlined in the sky heading for their evening resting places, and the sounds of insects everywhere.  A few years ago I spent some time in Vermont and remember with great delight the first time – YES, the very first time – that I saw a firefly.  Seems that they don’t have those magical creatures in California where I lived for most of my life.

It was with absolute awe and delight that I watched these insects of light create a sort of fairyland in the surrounding fields and gardens.  I remember feeling like a small child who was somehow transported to a magical land where the path was lit by very small creatures especially for me.

Tonight, in the periphery of my vision, I caught a flash of light.  I could hardly believe that it might have been a firefly for this is my 3rd summer in Austin and I don’t remember seeing any the previous 2 summers.  But true to their magical character they proved to me that indeed they were out this evening as I spotted flashes of light along the path I was walking.

I watched my breath deepen and open and realized that it was not just the fireflies that were magical.  It was my inhale and exhale that stopped me in my tracks.  Some huge number leapt out at me from my brains store of facts taken from the many workshops on breathing that I have done over the years.

The average respiration rate for a person at rest is about 16 breaths per minute.
This means on average, we breathe about 960 breaths an hour
23040 breaths a day
8409600 a year
If a person lives to 80, then that means on average they will take 672,768,000 breaths in a lifetime!

(Note:  this does not include that our breath rate is faster as a child, and that breathing rate does increase when we exercise!)

For each breath we take there is potential.  Like the fireflies that I did not notice the two summers prior to this one, many breaths have passed in my lifetime without gratitude for this magical process that gives us life.  Although science can answer our questions about why the firefly lights up at the end of its body,  and how our breath physiologically occurs – what cannot be answered completely is the source and creation of light and breath.

May we always remember that there is mystery and magic to life.  Each breath treasured and celebrated!

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Barefoot Breathing

“Many of us are blind to the ways that the earth supports us. We seldom even feel our feet on the ground. Take your shoes and socks off, massage your feet, pull your toes apart, play with them. Then simply stand with bare feet on the earth. Sense the earth’s energy rising up through your feet. Let the earth help energize you. And let it breathe you.”—Dennis Lewis

Over a week ago now I took a mid-week journey to a place in nature outside of Austin that I had never been to before.  Pedernales State Park turned out to be an amazing sanctuary for me and reminded me of the sacredness of our connection with the Earth and the natural elements.  Dennis Lewis in his quote above is right on when he says that we seldom even feel our feet on the ground….essentially our connection with the earth.

Stepping barefoot from rock to rock in the shallow part of the river the destination of a large flat rock was reached.  For over an hour, lying face up to the sun with feet dangling onto smooth rocks beneath the running rivers surface, I breathed in the sound of running river water overlaying the deep quiet of nature without man made sounds.  My feet, heart and soul found peace….found home.

Having grown up in San Diego with it’s wonderful beaches I naturally was a barefoot girl and morphed into a barefoot woman that actually hates for her feet to be confined in closed shoes.  Thank goodness for the warm weather of Austin where I can wear the simplest of footwear most of the time!  What has the seldom felt barefoot against the earth done to our natural connection with nature and even the way in which we breathe?

Our senses diminish, we forget how to breathe from our very toes, and our feet forget how joyful it is to be fancy free to explore what we are walking upon or touching.

The many acupuncture and pressure points in the feet are a key to our health.  If they are hardly ever stimulated by remembering the feel of earth, rock, sand, meadow or even the bark of a tree then we forget….we forget how intimately connected we are.  Without this connection and stimulation we forget who we are, and we forget how to breathe from the roots of our being.

This week try the practice that Dennis speaks of above in the quote.  Pay attention to your feet with love and patient attention.  Stand barefoot upon the earth surface of your choice, close your eyes, and allow the earth to breathe you!

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The Feminine Breath

NOTE:  THIS POST IS FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN!!!

This past week I have watched 2 movies that have moved me greatly and have served as a reminder of what I have often left carefully hidden away from the world – the very roots of my being.  This post is entitled “The Feminine Breath” as it is a way of breathing for all of us that has been lost, decimated, and yes hidden from our awareness for way too long.  A resurgence is riding on the back of our planet that is daily reminding us of the havoc and imbalance we have created.

Jane’s Journey is about the astounding life and actions of Jane Goodall transitioning from a young girl with no college degree boldly following her childhood dreams into an internationally recognized woman living her passion and truth through daily actions and deep dedication to bring peace, compassion, and ecological health to all life.

The film Desert Flower, is a National Geographic stunningly filmed movie about Waris Dirie from Somalia who faces life challenges that are way beyond what any of us could imagine.  Yet she chooses to step into her strength and truth exposing a mutilation practice that, due to her efforts, is finally being eradicated.

Both women demonstrate what it is to bring back the feminine way of breathing and to embody that breath in each moment of life.

Clare Daikin of Tree Sisters says:

When we say ‘feminine’ most people think, Woman, but Feminine is one side of the whole that is all of us. We all have the receptive and expressive sides, the passive and active, the intuitive and logical, the flow and the structure. The feminine is like the in breath or the roots where we connect, receive and resource. She is the source of our deeper knowing and the deep lake of our pleasure. The masculine is like the out breath or the branches, where we make manifest, build, create, grow and structure. He is informed by the feminine and takes action to serve the whole system into optimal form to function effectively. He is replenished by her, so is served by her as he also serves her.
For more of this excellent blog post click here: http://www.treesisters.org/news/86/81/Reinstating-the-Queen
It is this very “feminine breath” way of being that is crucial to our vital health – that of self, relationships, community, countries….and the planet which sustains our life.  Without connecting, receiving and resourcing from our roots we cannot manifest, build, create and grow new ways of being that live in harmony with the earth.
We are the new life form on the block!  Let’s deeply learn from that which not only has come before us but is our greatest teacher.
Find your favorite tree this week, sit down beneath it, listen, and receive the wisdom as you breathe from the roots of your being…
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Breathe Into This Moment of Beauty

When faced with the depth of natural beauty that this picture of Alberta, Canada clearly evokes one’s breath is almost “taken away”.  Right in this moment in fact my attention is taken by a stunning bird with bright blue wings standing on my fence outside of the window.  As I watch the bird my breath is embodied and the moment is captured on my lifeline.

How is it that we are faced with unquestionable beauty every single day of our lives and yet we allow it to pass by?  A girlfriend and I were having a discussion about money the other day as we walked around a beautiful Austin lake.  Like the breath and the flow of the water in the lake, money is meant to circulate.  The inhale of receiving and creating….the exhale of letting go and giving out.

This natural cycle of breath, nature and wealth happens in each moment making us increasingly aware of flow and the very experiences that make up our ground of being…and that of everyone and everything around us.  All pulsing with life and begging us to immerse in the beauty of the moment being breathed into and out of.

Not all of our life moments seem beautiful. We often contract around them as if there won’t be another moment or another dollar…or another smile or sunset.  Is it our ultimate demise that has us forgetful and rushing to grasp the next experience? Yet what if we saw each moment as an opportunity to breathe more fully…to actually pay attention to our life now.

Like another friend of mine who is taking a mindful photography class.  She is taking on the practice of waking up to life flowing through the gift of the senses.  As you view the exquisite video below – meant as a promotional video for Alberta, Canada – remember to breathe into the moments of beauty, movement and awe…this is your life!

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WEBSITE:
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http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/