Grounding Breath

Monday mornings are a great day to begin the work week with the grounding breath. Monday mornings can bring the phenomena of “listing” as an early morning practice that may not serve you in the best way and detract you from BEing present with your mind, body and spirit. Imagine waking up and beginning your week connected completely to yourself and to nature. You may not have the opportunity to begin your day with a hike or a walk down at the beach or lake, but you can take a few minutes to look at the sky, observe the weather, notice the trees or grasses swaying in the breeze, or stand outside and listen to the birds and smell the fresh air…just 5-minutes. Then you can begin a mindful grounding breathwork Practice that takes just minutes to calm your “listing mind” and bring clarity and peace and a greater connection to mother Earth (Pachimama). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Practice:

1. After taking 5-minutes of your morning to observe your environmental surroundings, sit in a comfortable position in a chair with your back straight and your feet firmly planted into the ground. If you are outside in a warm climate, dig your feet into the cool grass or into fresh earth from your garden.

2. Close your eyes and just take a moment to BE and listen to your surroundings.

3. Set your intention for the week…maybe it will be to remain mindful of routines that may or may not be serving you well or for more clarity or to even begin your week with a grounding breath technique to see if it shifts the energy for your days ahead!

4. Inhale and exhale softly and lovingly through your nose for 5 cycles. Take your time and don’t rush it and time your exhales to be twice as long as your inhales (2:4 or 4:8).

5. Bring your attention to the soles of your feet and imagine a white light of energy flowing from your feet and up the outer part of your legs into your outer hips and then flowing toward the inside of the hip descending down the inside of your legs to your feet in a circular fashion and match the movement of the energy to your breath (2:4 or 4:8).

6. Continue to sync this energy flow with your breath for five-minutes.

7. At the end of the five-minutes, relaxed your mind and your breath as you go back to normal breathing and sit for 2-minutes as you become fully connected to your body, mind, spirit and environment.

8. When you open your eyes bring your hands to your heart and thank yourself for showing up for YOU and to Pachimama for the beauty that surrounds you each day!

9. Reflect and journal how you were feeling before the Practice and how you felt at the end of the Practice.

This Practice can be done anywhere…my favorite places are out in my kayak, on a beach facing the water and in the forest with the sun beaming in through the gaps in the trees and hitting my face! I love to have my background sounds as birds, rolling waves or leaves swaying gently in the breeze…especially poplar leaves, they make the most incredible sound!

Weekly Breath Challenge:
I invite you to incorporate this technique at least once each day this week. Try it in the morning before starting your busy day or if you are out in nature on a hike or just relaxing in your yard or a park. Notice any changes in your energy state and clarity and calmness of mind!

With love and gratitude …just breathe and let peace be your guide!