Activation Breathwork

This activation breathwork practice has been designed to support you to energize your body,

To awaken,

To engage.

It's an uplifting practice but it also can be quite intense and it might not be the right practice for all bodies all the time.

So please check the contraindications that are listed and tune in with yourself and your body as to what you need and what's right for you in each moment.

Listen to yourself always.

Through this practice you'll be invited to breathe in a dynamic way.

This breath is a conscious connected breath so there's no pause between the top of the in-breath and the bottom of the out-breath.

The most dynamic way to practice this is through the mouth.

So your mouth will be open,

Jaw relaxed and soft,

Deep in-breath and then a soft letting go with the out-breath.

You can always practice this with the nose.

This can be more soothing for the body and could be better for you particularly if it's later in the evening or you need a practice that is more soothing,

More relaxing.

In this practice you might feel a little spacey at times,

A little light-headed.

If you are breathing through your mouth then you may get a dry mouth.

That will pass quite quickly.

In extreme cases you might feel tingles or cramping in your extremities and including in your jaw.

You might feel different sensations throughout your whole body.

You can feel emotional during these types of breathing practices.

It can bring up stuff for people.

You might experience quite altered states or have ideas drop in,

Feel quite creative.

A whole range of things can happen when we breathe in this way.

So just be open.

You might feel bored or uncomfortable or distracted.

Allow your experience to be what it is without judgment.

We'll be breathing for three minutes in whatever way you choose to breathe and for three rounds.

At the end of each round of the conscious connected breath you'll be invited to take a full deep breath in and a gentle exhale out and to pause at the bottom of the out breath.

Now this breath hold will start at 45 seconds for the first one and slightly increase in the second and third rounds respectively.

You can breathe at any time,

You don't need to do the breath hold and the reason you're able to hold your breath for longer than you might normally be able to is because you've changed the carbon dioxide and oxygen ratios in your blood.

So there's a physiological reason that you can hold your breath for a bit longer but as always tune in,

Breathe whenever you feel to.

At the end of this hold you'll do a small out breath and then you'll be invited to breathe in deeply through your nose and engage your body.

Squeeze in drawing in activating bundles so the pelvic floor,

Core and around the neck,

The throat area and to hold softly but firmly at the top of this in breath for about 15 seconds.

It's not a long hold and then you'll soften,

Relax,

Out breath then you'll come back to a relaxed and natural breath for a little integration time before you move into the next round.

You can take any position to do this breathing practice,

It can be really lovely to lie down and get comfortable making sure that you're warm enough.

If you are sitting up then have something behind your back,

Some kind of support.

Please don't do this breathing technique in water while you're driving the car or operating heavy machinery and don't get up during or directly after this breathing pattern.

You might find that there's a little bit of dizziness or your blood pressure has changed so just be very mindful in how you practice.

It is a quite high level breathing technique and you want to take good care of yourself.

Allowing all of those words to fall away,

Let's come into the breathing practice now,

Making your body really comfortable.

If you are lying down perhaps placing something underneath your knees and only having a small pillow,

Blanket underneath your head or even no pillow.

If you're sitting up make sure you're propped up with something under your seat bones and that you feel comfortable and stable in your position,

Your spine is long and there's a relative ease.

You can close your eyes or keep them lightly opened,

It doesn't matter.

Tuning in,

Notice how you're feeling in this moment,

What's going on for you.

What do you notice about the physical body?

How are you feeling emotionally?

How is your mental state?

Begin to smoothly lengthen and deepen your breath now.

Feeling connected with yourself,

You're invited to set an intention for your practice.

Why are you breathing today?

Is there something you'd like to let go of or to call in?

Something you'd like to become more aware of?

What is your intention for this practice?

Allowing your intention to fall away now and we'll start to commence the breathing pattern but let's begin through the nose.

So breathing in fully,

Deep open,

Active in breath.

Letting the out breath come,

Simply fall away.

Deep full breaths,

Expanding as you breathe in belly,

Chest as you breathe out like a wave letting go,

Letting go.

Remember no pause at the top of the in breath or the bottom of the out breath,

There is a continual cycle with your breathing.

Finding your own rhythm and then if you'd like to you can start breathing through your mouth,

Opening your mouth wide,

Softening through your jaw.

Starting off nice and slow,

Letting your body be breathed by the breath,

Letting the breath come through your body.

Not pushing or forcing your breath,

Simply opening to the breath.

Open to the magic of your breath,

The miracle of breathing.

Expanding into the lower lobes and the upper lobes of your lungs,

Breathing into your side ribs and front and back body.

Really exploring and stretching into space within your body as you breathe in this conscious connected way.

You can always come back to a natural aware breath or a really deep and slow breath.

If anything feels too much,

If it gets overwhelming,

Just coming back to gentle rhythm.

We are half way through our first round now.

Welcome to gently increase the tempo now feels good too,

Maybe 5% or 10%.

Stay focused on your breath,

Staying connected to your process.

Being with yourself every moment.

30 seconds to go now.

Deep full breath,

Mouth or nose,

Conscious connected breath.

After your next exhalation,

Take a full deep breath in and a slow breath out,

About 80% and then pause here.

Coming into your breath hole.

You are finding stillness,

Softening here.

Being with yourself in this moment,

Nearly there 15 seconds to go.

You can breathe at any time.

Stay till the end.

Take a little breath out and then breathing in through your nose,

Squeezing your body,

Squeezing through the bunders,

The pelvic floor,

The belly,

Your throat and whole body just gently squeezing,

Holding here.

Holding the breath,

Containing the energy in your body for 5,

4,

3,

2,

1 and release.

Coming back to a slow and gentle rhythm of breath,

Allowing your body to settle,

To assimilate,

To just be.

When you are ready now,

Let's go into round 2.

Fully breathing in,

Opening in to yourself into your breath,

Letting go completely with the out breath.

Mouth or nose,

Your choice.

Refined your rhythm,

Your cadence,

Your pace.

Breathing here,

Open expanded in breath and a soft letting go out breath.

Notice what you notice,

Feel what you feel.

Be with yourself in each moment,

Hold yourself closely,

You are safe here.

We are just breathing.

No pause between the top of the in breath and the bottom of the out breath.

They blur,

They blend into each other.

They are not holding anywhere,

There is a continual flow of breath,

One dissolving into the other.

We are half way there now.

How does your breath need to be in this moment?

Do you feel to dial it up or dial it down?

To activate and engage more,

More to soften,

Nourish and quiet yourself.

Breath moves in and out,

Like waves on the shore,

Gently lapping in and out,

In and out,

Forcing,

Pushing,

Straining.

There is an ease even where there is activation and activity.

30 seconds to go.

Coming to the end now.

Finding your next full deep in breath and a soft out breath,

About 80% and pausing here.

Holding at the bottom of your out breath,

Being suspended in space,

Fully with yourself in the void.

A sense of nothingness.

Feel the urge to breath,

You can breath or you can wait a few moments and see if it passes.

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Little out breath and then deep breath in through the nose,

Squeezing and engaging and drawing in and out with your body,

Energy rising all the way up to the top of your head,

Holding and holding.

Stay with this gentle contraction and then slowly releasing through your nose.

Coming into a soft and gentle and relaxed breath,

Just being here with yourself,

Nowhere to go,

Nothing to be done.

And when you are ready,

Let's begin round three.

Deep breath in,

Letting the out breath float out,

Finding your breath,

Finding your rhythm.

Perhaps you tune into your intention for breathing,

Open the flames of your intention with your breath,

Spice it up,

Bring energy to it.

And last round you might want to increase the pace a little,

The cadence,

The depth of your breath.

You are safe,

You fully got this,

You are so held.

Or you might want to soften and dial it down,

Come back to nose breathing,

A natural breath.

Wherever you are,

Wherever you are at is so perfect.

We are opening through the magic of breath,

The power of breath.

Soft full in breaths,

Soft flowing out breaths,

Consciously connecting the breath.

Stay present with yourself,

Stay grounded and connected.

Thirty seconds to go.

What is needed here?

Good,

Finding your next exhalation and then taking a full deep breath in and a slow breath out,

Round 80% and then hold at the bottom.

Can you really relax into the stillness,

Relax into the space?

Being here,

Expanding,

Connecting,

Opening.

Suspended in space.

Preparing to breathe out now if you haven't already in 5,

4,

3,

2,

1.

Little out breath and then a deep breath in through the nose,

Squeeze everything in and up.

The top of your inhalation and pause here,

Stay here.

Drawing in,

Softening at the same time.

Then slowly letting go,

Letting the breath go,

Letting the practices go.

Coming into a gentle,

Natural breath,

Allowing the focus on your breath to soften away.

When you're invited now to hold a vision for yourself,

Who it is that you want to become in your life,

In truth you already are that.

Holding a vision of how you want your life to be,

How it feels,

How it looks,

In truth it is that.

Hold this vision now,

Feel it,

Sense it,

Know it.

And now know it as true for you in this moment.

Your future is here now,

Your future now.

Allowing your vision,

Your felt sense of your future now to soften away,

To integrate.

And if you're ready,

So slowly,

So mindfully begin to feel your body and the support beneath your body.

Get a sense of the space that you're in,

The environment.

Opening your eyes when you're ready and looking around and noticing what you can see,

The colours,

The textures.

Perhaps turning your head gently to the right and to the left.

Coming right back into this moment,

This space.

Let's take a deep breath in,

A soft breath out as we complete the practice.

Let's take a deep breath in.

Let's take a deep breath out.