Up: [[Embodiment - Ground Curriculum]] Created: 2024-11-12 Updated: 2026-01-10 There are many different kinds of breathing that can be used for different purposes. If interested in physiology and how breathing affects your heart rate and chemical responses in your body, see [[Breathing from Diaphragm Helps the Heart]] and, for a variety of techniques, [[Breathwork for Internal Functions]] My interest is in breathwork as it supports success in other areas of the curriculum. So I don’t see myself coming to this part of the curriculum and focusing just on breath very often. But in addition to some general breathing techniques, I’ve compiled the specific ones from other sections of the curriculum and, if really tight on time, can just come here to do something for a few minutes. _____________ You can do intentional pausing between activities with [[Statio]], which is five full deep breaths. _________ #### Breath-Mind Check Our breath reflects our state of mind. Quick, shallow breaths are associated with mental activity and doing, while slow, deep and full breaths are related to calmness and being. Check in with your breath to see how your mind is doing. Remember to just notice, not judge. Also in [[Mind Awareness]] ________ #### Dance with the Breath From *The Wisdom of the Body* by Christine Valters Paintner Flute music is the music of the breath. Find a piece of flute music. As you listen, start with [[Statio]], taking five slow, deep breaths. When you feel the impulse to move, follow it slowly and mindfully so that you are staying present to your experience. When your attention drifts, bring it back to this moment. Notice places of tension in your body and take your breath there. Also in [[Relaxation]] ____________ #### Balloon Breath from Mary O’Malley in *The Gift of Our Compulsions* , chapter 9 - Take a few deep breaths - Then bring attention to your breath, feeling how the in-breath opens your body, and how the out-breath has a sense of letting go. - Find a tight spot in your body. Imagine that your breath is a balloon you are blowing up inside you, right at the point of tightness. - On every in-breath, pull air into the balloon, allowing it to gently push against the tightness. - On the out-breath, let go, saying out loud a long and slow “ahh.” - Do for a number of breaths, each time expanding a little bit more the area of tension. Also in [[Relaxation]] __________ #### Box Breathing to Stay Calm and Focused in Tense Times from James Nestor in *Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art* - Inhale to count of 4; hold 4; exhale 4; hold 4. Repeat. Also in [[Difficult Times]] _______ #### Box Breathing for Deeper Relaxation Before Sleeping from James Nestor in *Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art* - Inhale 4; hold 4; exhale 6; hold 2. Repeat. Also in [[Relaxation]] __________ #### 4-7-8 Breathing for Deep Relaxation from Andrew Weil - Take a breath in, exhale through your mouth with a whoosh sound - Close your mouth, inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4. - Hold for a count of 7. - Exhale completely through your mouth, with a whoosh, to a count of 8. - Repeat this cycle at least four times. Also in [[Relaxation]] ________ #### Cleansing Breaths Before Meditation This is intended to clear stuck energy before you meditate. I don’t remember where I got it from. - Inhale slowly and deeply - Then exhale slowly, deeply and fully from both mouth and nose. To extend the exhale, pull back on the root of your tongue. This will make your breath sounds like an ocean surf off in the distance. - Near the end of the exhale, engage lower abdominal muscles so that every bit of breath leaves your lungs. - Repeat twice more. Also in [[Concentration]]