If you want to learn more about extending your life force through breath, follow along with Body IQ for the month of March. Each week of March I will offer a little breath practice rooted in tradition and backed by science. You will learn and get to practice how to influence the various aspects of your own physiology and how connecting to your own breath may be a personal super power.
Let’s raise our Body IQ through exploring breath and respiration. Together we can learn how each of our own bodies respond to taking a purposeful breath.
Out of the Head and Onto the Mat
Breath Exercise 1 – Observation
Just Breathe.
Lie on your back, place your hands on your upper belly below your ribs.
Let your breath be natural, allow the inhale and exhale to happen as it does for you.
That’s it – Pay attention to your breath.
Where does it originate; where does it travel; where does it terminate? Can you follow it; without judging it or trying to change it?
Try to keep your focus on your breath for as long as it feels comfortable to do so.
Off the Mat and Into Life
Take a breath break.
Set a timer for 3-5 minutes and practice the above breath observation exercise. Choose any time of the day, wherever you are. Sitting, standing, lying. Aim to do this practice at least one time per day. And maybe set an additional challenge of simply noting your breath at any moment in your day, especially during potentially stressful moments. For example: driving, participating in a difficult conversation, walking into your place of work, etc.
We first learn through observation, so that is all we are doing here: learning to observe our breath both at rest with intention and randomly during our daily lives.
Consider reaching out to share your experience with these exercises. I love hearing from you and I always learn from those I teach.
