Tag: breath enhancement

The Sacred Geometry of Life

P.C. Turczyn - Malestrom

All around and within us lies the beauty and sacred patterns of life.  As visionary artist Pamela Turczyn states in her artist statement “Ancient teachings and quantum theory teach us that the universe is comprised of vibrations consisting of light, sound and information. I believe that everything carries a unique identifying vibration, somewhat like a genetic code. “

The strands of our DNA, the cornea of our eye, snow flakes, pine cones, flower petals, diamond crystals, the branching of trees, water crystals, a nautilus shell, the star we spin around, the galaxy we spiral within, the air we breathe, and all life forms as we know them emerge out of timeless geometric codes or geometrical archetypes.
Spending an entire afternoon exploring sacred geometry I was lead in what seemed like spirals of understanding as I delved deeper into the patterns of life.  It makes sense that even our breath is moving in patterns that support sacred design and breathing space to thrive in.  If this is so, then I wonder if we place ourselves in architecture built upon the patterns of sacred geometry; immerse ourselves in visionary art; create gardens that reflect back to us the fabric of our being; and seek out practices that open and align us with our deepest knowing and understanding of these geometric archetypes  – that the mystery of life will reveal more to us, and we will come to a greater understanding and functioning of the fullness and resonance of who we are.

Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury

As Bruce Rawles (www.geometrycode.com) states, “It is this principle of oneness underlying all geometry that permeates the architecture of all form in its myriad diversity. This principle of interconnectedness, inseparability and union provides us with a continuous reminder of our relationship to the whole, a blueprint for the mind to the sacred foundation of all things created.”
There are many sites dedicated to Sacred Geometry – some of which will give you theory and mathematics, and others that will take you into the heart of creation.  I invite you to take a peak at Charles Gilchrist in the video and P.C. Turczyn at the blog link below.  Here are two amazing artists that are reminding us of the interconnectedness of life by “using sacred geometry as expressed in nature, light, color, rhythm, sound, and intention.”


Sacred Geometry: The Golden Mean with Charles Gilchrist

Lillian Sizemore, mosaic artist, educator and independent scholar, has written a comprehensive article for her blog/newsletter about the work and unique studio practices of Pamela C. Turczyn. Follow this link for the article on her blog and then visit Pamela’s website from there: http://sfmosaic.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/pcturcyzn/

Other Blogs by Gaye:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Life Flower


Songs Are Thoughts Sung With The Breath

“Songs are thoughts sung with the breath when people are moved by great forces and ordinary speech no longer suffices”.

“There are so many occasions in one’s life when a joy or a sorrow is felt in such a way that the desire comes to sing. All my being is songs, and I sing as I draw breath.”

— Orpingalik  (Inuit poet and shaman)

From the beginning of time humans sang their stories.  Sacred, playful, joyous, sensual, blues, gospel, or wild – song has woven our history on this planet.  It was at a “Song Weavers” event last weekend that I realized that it is rare that I break out in song myself, and certainly don’t sing with my friends or my community.  It was also at this event that I discovered how tight my singing voice actually was.  Yet, within the space of a couple of hours I also realized how easily, within the company of others, that voice can be released and played with.

The video below instructs us on how to breathe for singing.  Watch and listen carefully and notice that this breath strengthens and expands our diaphragm muscles and relaxes the upper chest, neck and facial muscles –  secondary breathing muscles that are often used in tight, contracted, chest breathing and stressful situations.   The emphasis on lengthening the exhale with the hissss sound allows us to find our ground of being, relaxed voice, and our full expression.  This also builds and expands our capacity for breath and thus for LIFE.  Practice this and then let loose with a song, a sound, a tone!

P.S.  For those of you that are Carol King/James Taylor lovers here is a treat – they are back together and are touring.  Not only do they love to sing the “hits” –  we love to sing along with them!

Breathing Space of the Heart

Writing “morning pages”, a practice taught by Julia Cameron, I was lead to reflect this morning on the power of coming from our hearts.  This leads us to the awareness practice of remembering who we are in each moment and is perhaps why we are placed here in this lifetime. The next steps from here are then to take conscious action from that place.

What an adventure to move through all the feelings and experiences of our lives to keep coming back to “remembering who we are”.  Such a simple concept – but one which takes a lifetime (or many) to practice.  The last few days everything that has come in to me speaks to this practice and beckons me to share with you.

Singing last night with a community of “song weavers” I remembered that it is through story, movement, and song shared that we connect and find not only joy, but answers to the challenges that light up our lives.  It brings us back to tribal/community connection, centers us in the miracle of our bodies,  expands our breath and vitality, and brings us back to “ourselves”.

The breathing space of the heart is a space rich with possibilities, ripe with adventure, and resplendent with a wealth of opportunities to “remember who you are”.  I leave you with a Rumi poem that touched me this week.

Lovers and men of intellect cannot mix.
How can you mix the broken with the unbroken?
Cautious men of intellect shrink back from a dead ant.
Lovers, completely carefree, trample down the dragons.
The intellect says, “The six directions are limits. There is no way out.”
Love says, “There is a way.  I have traveled it thousands of times”.
The intellect saw a market and started to haggle.
Love saw thousands of markets beyond this market.

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE: www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

 

Breath of Joy!

What if the breath was a pathway to choose joy?  There is a very old Chinese saying that says, “One who half breathes, half lives.”   When you are feeling fatigue, lethargy, slight depression, or inability to focus have you ever just done a Breath Check?  You may find that your breathing has some restrictions. The good news is that you can chose to change that in any moment!

Shallow, upper chest, or restricted breathing represents so many things.  It is a pattern in alignment with restriction, limitation, and shutting down on life – YOUR LIFE!

Have you ever held your nose and tried to taste something?  Or maybe you did that when you were young and your parents wanted you to eat something that you didn’t want to eat…so you held your nose and ate it….because you couldn’t taste it right?!

Shutting down on the breath shuts down more than just the breath.  It obviously impacts your health and aliveness, but it also shuts down your joy and pleasure of living,  being in the moment, your creativity, and your ability to “taste life”.

Here is a simple video that gives you a tool to shift what I call “low life breathing” into “breathing in creative joy”.  Use it often!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com