Lessons From The Breath
After the contraction, comes the expansion.
I recently confessed to my therapist that I kept feeling stuck. Plugging right along in the life that I love, I felt constricted as if I was playing a part in a performance of life. And then I heard myself say aloud to her, “It feels like I am holding my breath”. To which she replied…
Why don’t you just exhale?
The pure simplicity of her statement threw me for a loop. I mean, why didn’t I think of that. Of course, sometimes this is easier said than done.
Our bodies are miraculous. It holds us together. Breathes us. Protects us. It is our vehicle for movement. It allows us to experience life. As a deeply brilliant system our bodies adapt to patterns, surroundings, and stimuli, and therefore it remembers.
The body remembers.
You see, sometimes stress builds up slowly. So slowly that it is barely noticeable until that stuck feeling sets in. It can feel like tightness in the muscles and joints, a sense of uneasiness in the belly, a disruption in sleep, or like you are holding your breath.
I have always been fascinated by the gentle power of the breath. On one hand, it is something that just happens. You don’t have to control or force yourself to breathe. The breath breathes you.
And yet, it can be directed. With conscious awareness, you can place an intention on the breath infusing it with the potent power to change any given situation, at any given moment.
Think of a time when you felt out of control, on the verge of losing it, or just completely lost in the moment. You likely felt a tightness take over, increased heat across your skin, elevated heart rate, and short, shallow breaths. And then you made a decision to harness the power of your breath. Taking a slow sip of air in through the nose. Noticing the cool quality as it passed into your nostrils and up into your sinuses. You feel an immediate shift, and a settling of your nervous system. Then comes the inevitable exhale. The release and expulsion of that which no longer serves you. The body responds immediately.
Oh that sweet release. Just as you cannot hold your breath indefinitely, you cannot remain in a state of constriction. Your brilliant body will not allow it. Whether you release gently and with intention, or overload and burst, the body will exhale.
Notice how you feel and how you respond to the following collection of opposites:
Hard/ Soft
Constricted/ Spacious
Grasping/ Allowing
Reacting/ Responding
Control/ Release
Can you continue this list? Write or speak out whatever comes into your mind.
And so, I invite you to remember (really hold it into your being) that the inhale is always followed by the exhale.
We are being called to do our individual work, but we don’t have to do it alone. It can be done in community. If you are looking for support in this area, I invite you to explore Body Language, my signature digital course program that I created to help you translate the messages of your body. You can find out more HERE.
