The Practice of the Breath

In my opinion, breathing is the most important practice in living well.  I was actually quite a cynic about "breathwork" back in the day when I first began my conscious living apprenticeship.  I thought, "We are all breathing or we wouldn't be alive.  What's the big deal about breathwork?" What I did not appreciate at that time is that while we are breathing, most of us are not breathing fully and as a result we are not living fully either.

I remember my teacher, Gay Hendricks, sharing with us trainees that if we took only one teaching away from the training, the power of the breath, it would change our lives forever.  I most certainly agree.  Breathing fully allows living fully and most of us are not aware of how limited our breathing capacity is.  When in a fear state, where many of us live without realizing it, our breath is shallow and our minds match that experience with negative and even catastrophic thinking. 

To begin your practice, I recommend taking a four-to-six-second inhale followed by a four-to-six second exhale. No worries if your breath is glitchy or you begin coughing or sneezing or have some other reaction to your first full breath.  Do this again and again, as often as you remember.  Notice what happens.  Notice how you feel.  Notice what results you create in your life with the practice of elongated, full breaths.  Enjoy your deepened capacity for breathing and your opening to living fully, living well.  Stay tuned for more on the breath and other organic practices which I have come to know make a big difference in how we live.