From our birth until our last moment of life, the breath is with us, a rhythmic connection between the inner and outer. While there is a basic function of the breath to provide oxygen to our cells and carry away carbon dioxide, the importance of “respiration” for our health and vitality goes way beyond simply gas exchange, so that spiritual traditions the world over are almost unanimous in emphasising the importance of the breath.
The recording below consist of a guided introduction to rediscovering the full volume of the body’s natural, diaphragmatic breath. Inspired in part by the work of Donna Farhit, these are simple and safe preliminary practices common in the Buddhist and Yoga traditions as precursors to more elaborate pranayama or breath-work, but should nonetheless be approached carefully and gently, taking responsibility for our own well-being, and listening to the body.
For these practices you only need some comfortable clothing, a comfortable place to lie full length on the floor, and a bolster for under the knees, a pillow or folded blanket under the head, and perhaps warm clothing or a blanket over the body.
Audio: Guided inquiries – Finding the Full Body Breath -35 minutes
“When you were born your whole body breathed. Every cell quivered with the vitality of the breath. Every bone, muscle, and organ moved with every breath. Every nerve was energized by it, every blood cell carried it, and every moment took as its meter the phrasing of your breath”.
-Donna Farhi
Other Resources:
The Breathing Book, by Donna Farhi
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