Tag: abundant breath

THE ART OF AWAKENING POSSIBILITY

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Henry David Thoreau, from Walden

 

 

 

In every breath we awaken.  At least we have the opportunity to awaken.  What do I mean by awaken?  In this case what I am drawing your attention to is the possibility that is nested within each breath.

There is a potential for saying yes to your life, or the choice to stay safe and cling to ways of being that are “comfortable”, or in other words deeply engrained in your every day way of being.

What if you started feeling into the whole of the breath, the entirety of the journey here?  As in beautiful classical music, each listener is taken on a journey and each musician is on one as well.  Will they chose to linger over every note to “get it right”?  Or, will they feel into the whole of the journey and go where the music takes them, even when that means unfamiliar territory in the depth of expression.

Will life and breath play through you, or will you attempt to control life and contract your breath?  This is an important question to pose and live within.  I am learning that there is no control in a life lived freely and openly – there is only trust and being mindfully present to ones path.  Paying attention to your life as if it really mattered….knowing that each breath absolutely matters!

Benjamin Zander, conductor, teacher and speaker – among other things – talks to us about “classical music with shining eyes” on a TED talk which is below.  This is a brilliant expression of paying attention to your life as if it really mattered, and while doing so awakening possibility in other people.

Pay attention to the possibility in each breath….

TED talk with Benjamin Zander

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.WildlyFreeWoman.com Most Recent Post: Salsa Dancing at 75? You Betcha!

www.DivineWealthJournal.com The evolving conversation between The Brit and The American

DANCING BREATH RAP – DO IT NOW!

Exhale/Inhale

Here you will find the symbols of Inhale and Exhale.  There is an ancient practice called Qi Gong, or Chi Kung, which relies on the breath as an integral piece of the practice.  Qi Gong is described as: “the philosophy and practice of aligning breath, physical activity and awareness for mental, spiritual and corporeal health, as well as the development of human potential. It includes certain forms of martial arts and the spiritual awakening to one’s true nature.”

Like Dan Brule of BreathMastery (who’s website offers 5 core breath practices) you might see in these symbols the following:

“I see in the symbol for the exhale a bold vertical stroke that reminds me of the spine. It has what appears to be a serpent rising and coiling upward around the spine. (depicting what in Yogic literature is called the “Kundalini Serpent”).  That same vertical stoke appears on the inhale too. But on the inhale, I see a downward diagonal stroke shooting thru what looks like a rounded belly. This reminds me to send the breath deep into the abdomen. Directing the breath energy into the “dan tien” is a basic practice in Chi Kung.”

It is within this movement of inhale and exhale that we live and thrive.  In the rising like a serpent up the spine, and the softening of the rounded belly, we move the life energy/chi that is necessary for our vital health and aliveness.

In our often sedentary lifestyles in the Western culture that natural breath is squelched and contracted into a shallow chest effort that often never, ever gets down to our bellies, let alone front, back and sides.  Stagnation and dis-ease converge on our already stimulus overloaded bodies and we lose our zest for life – or perhaps life itself.

This on the other hand is what we aim for:  “For the most part, when the breathing mechanism is uninhibited, it will reflect and express your moment to moment natural state. A healthy breathing mechanism will automatically adjust itself to your energy. It will respond naturally to chemical or metabolic changes, to the intensity of your emotional experience or physical activity. And, it should respond easily effortlessly to your conscious will.” Dan Brule

Continually seeking practices that enhance the practice of breathing consciously, shake us lose from our inhibited and habitual breath patterns, and that increase life energy there appeared on my Facebook page today a very fun video with Dr. George Love (http://www.freewebs.com/4doorstohealth/) of Baton Roca, Florida.  Dr. Love is an acupuncturist, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and a Master of Blue Dragon Qigong. I don’t think that he will be able to make his living doing rap….but what he does have to offer here is a way to move that chi around and BREATHE!  Have fun!!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

JUST LAUNCHED!  www.DivineWeathJournal.com Recent Post:   “What Is Divine Wealth?” with The Brit & American

www.WildlyFreeWoman.com Recent Post: Woman to Woman/Sister to Sistah

CREATIVE LISTENING – A GIFT OF LOVE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

It takes only one breath to commit to stilling that single moment into a creative listening space.  A space that brings the depth of what it is to live and love NOW.  What better gift can we give to ourselves, each other,  and our planet in a time when there is so much stimulation to distract us from the importance of simply listening…being present.

Creative Listening by Wilferd A. Peterson.
One of the most important habits of a creative thinker is to be a good listener.  Stand guard at the ear-gateway to your mind, heart, and spirit.
Listen to the good.  Tune your ears to love, hope, and courage.  Tune out gossip and resentment.
Listen to the beautiful.  Listen to the music of the masters.  Listen to the symphony of nature–the hum of the wind in the treetops, bird songs, thundering surf. . .
Listen critically. Mentally challenge assertions, ideas, and philosophies.  Seek the truth with an open mind.
Listen with patience.  Do not hurry the other person.  Show them the courtesy of listening to what they have to say, no matter how much you may disagree.  You may learn something.
Listen with your heart. Practice empathy when you listen.  Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Listen for growth.  Be an inquisitive listener.  Ask questions.  Everyone has something to say which will help you to grow.
Listen creatively.  Listen for ideas or the germs of ideas.  Listen for hints or clues that may spark creative projects.
Listen to yourself. Listen to your deepest yearnings, your highest aspirations, your noblest impulses.  Listen to the better person within you.
Listen with depth. Be still and listen.  Listen with the ear of intuition to the inspiration of the Infinite.

************************

As you still the breath a gateway to Creative Listening unfolds.  Watch for the many forms that this practice can take.  It can be the self listening that these men did….

TC Bank – Dream Rangers

…or simply receiving the Words of Love from your local community…and Saying It Forward

BREATHE AND LISTEN....

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Most Recent Post: Fall In Love With Yourself – A Prelude to Valentine’s Day

Trees Are The Lungs Of The Earth

“Don’t cut your trees, because the trees are the lungs of the earth. ”
-Milda Sebris , a resident at Ellen Memorial Health Care Center, turned 100 on 1/26/11.

To breathe is to live embodied.  Without this exquisite process going on day after day, year after year, moment after moment we would not be functional – we would not be alive!  Trees help the planet breathe by turning carbon dioxide into clean, pure oxygen. Plants are considered the lungs of the earth because plants produce oxygen, which is necessary for all life, so in essence, since our lungs keep us alive and trees keep our lungs alive we can consider trees to be a part of our lungs existence.  This is all part of the deep interconnectedness of all life.

Our lungs are quite amazing actually.  Did you know that there are about 300 million alveoli in the adult lung. The alveolar sacs consist of many alveoli and are composed of a single layer of epithelial tissue.  If these alveoli were pressed flat and spread out they would take up the space of a football field.  That is, a football field (including the two end zones) is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide for a total of 57,600 square feet!

Alveoli in the Lungs

The alveoli are considered the functional or foundational unit of the lung. In the spaces between the alveoli of the lungs is elastic connective tissue which is important for exhalation.  It is here, surrounded by pulmonary capillaries, that gases are exchanged and we are enlivened with every inhale and exhale that we take.

“Each alveolus is lined with a thin layer of tissue fluid, which is essential for the diffusion of gases, because a gas must dissolve in a liquid in order to enter or leave a cell.  This is called the “earthworm principle”.  An earthworm will breathe through it’s moist skin and suffocate if it’s skin dries out.

The inner walls of the alveoli are covered with a lipid material known as surfactant. This surfactant helps to stabilize the alveoli preventing their collapse.  Absence of surfactant would be similar to a plastic bag that is wet on the inside.  It’s walls would stick together and not allow for complete expansion.”

This biological process goes on moment after moment for the entirety of our lives, yet in order to breathe fully we need the support of the natural world around us.  As this world is tampered with by humans, the planet lets us know we are off balance with global climate change and other dramatic signs of imbalance.  Just as if we tampered with the alveoli of our lungs by unhealthy practices that caused disease and imbalance in our systems.

Our Earth is like the alveoli of the lungs – if she dries out she will suffocate.  Without the stabilization of the natural order of things there will be no expansion, no breath, no life – no Breathing Spaces.

Could it be that we need to pay closer attention to the smallest and most foundational parts of our Earth’s processes, and our own,  before we tackle the larger things?  Take yourself out into Nature this week and breathe.

Sergey Melnikoff – Breathing Nature – Selective Shots
Music by Zaza Marjanishvili, Produced by MediaGrail

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com
Most Recent Post:  Falling In Love With The Journey – Being Utterly Alive!

Breathing Room – Our Homes As Sanctuaries

“The soul moves in circles” -Plotinus.

Have you ever thought about your living space and how much of a difference it makes on how you breathe and express in your life?

Rachel Ross of Mandala Custom Homes states that if what Plotinus said is true then –   “Hence, our lives do not proceed in straight lines, but reverberate and reflect around and around like a beautifully patterned mandala. Perhaps this is why it feels so good to be in a round space.”

It also feels right and good to be in connection with nature within our homes from the materials that we build our homes with, to the way that they interface with nature.  Having just spent a couple of weeks in my friends home at Dreaming Forest Farm housesitting with the sound of a stream nearby, and the presence of trees all around, calmed my being and allowed breathing spaces inside of me to expand and be nurtured.

Whether you are in the city, the country, on the coast, in the desert,  or in the mountains the opportunity to create breathing room for all that live within is at your fingertips.  Clear, clean, and sustainable spaces contribute to your well being and the environments.

EcoNest co-creator Paula Baker-Laporte says:

EcoNest Home

“Our dwelling is our interface with nature. The average person spends 90-95% of their time indoors. In order to enjoy optimum health and well being, we depend on this envelope not just to moderate our climate but also to embrace nature in its majesty and vitality.  ….living in harmony with nature is essential to our physical, mental, and spiritual well being.” –

Sustainable homes that support the ecology of the environment that they are in, as well as our own inner ecology – and the creation of beauty and sanctuary in our home – makes certain that the environment one spends a great deal of time in is a true “breathing space”.

Our living spaces are vitally important for our vibrancy, well being and relationships to each other and the earth.   I invite you to go to both Mandala Custom Homes page through Facebook, and EcoNest (links above) to start dreaming into expanding your breathing room and that of our planets!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  WildlyFreeWoman

Most Recent Post:  Contribution vs Making A Difference!