" Breathe ... "

“ ... A blue-black shade of love.

Sent from above.

My hands are tied, two worlds alone,

And this I know.

Your breath's like wine,

And just like clouds, my skin crawls.

It's so divine, the sky it glows with fields of light.

Did you know that I love you?

Come and lay with me.

I love you.

And on this day, I love you.

You make me feel alive,

And I'll love you

Until the end of time ... “

~ Angels & Airwaves ~ Breathe ~

***

The beauty of unifying breath and movement is truly majestic ... with the breathing techniques of Ujjayi pranayama, we can open a gateway, melt snow or ride the waves like a surfer.  What a wonderful visualization regarding prana (energy).  

Our familiarity with meditation and yoga, provides us a better insight on how the body, mind and breath connect.  Ujjayi Pranayama, or ocean breathing, links the physical and energetic universe.  This type of breathing technique, when applied correctly, can open you to unlimited energy.  Superficial breathe will carry you, but the depth you are looking for comes from the deep audible breathes.  The rhythm set by your inner waves.  

Breathing through the nose humidifies the inhaled air, tempers it and removes dust particles ... cleansing as you inhale.  Like a surfer who rides the waves of a real ocean, your inner surf carries from asana to asana.  And the quality of your breath is your guide.  

“ ... The murmuring Ujjayi sound causes the bronchi to vibrate subtly, activating the ciliated epithelium. Dust particles will also be removed from the lungs in this way. During normal breathing, the pressure on the bronchi during exhalation is quite modest. Ujjayi pranayama maintains steady pressure inside the bronchi, even during exhalation. This counteracts the collapsing of the smaller bronchi, allowing the exhalation to be expanded and the amount of residual air in the lungs to be reduced. This breathing technique is especially useful for people who suffer from chronic obstructive lung conditions or asthma ... “

practicing Ujjayi Pranayama (beginners)

• Sit down with your spine upright and close your eyes. 

• Inhale slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

• When exhaling, produce the sound ‘HHHHHAAAA’.

• From now on, keep your mouth closed while exhaling. 

• Generate the same sound as before but this time with your mouth closed. 

• The position of your throat is unchanged and natural. 

• Make sure the sound originates from your throat and not from your nose.

• Now maintain the same throat position while inhaling, producing the same murmuring sound.

• Begin to balance your inhalation with your exhalation. 

• Balance the sound, quality and length of your breath. 

• You’ll probably notice that your exhalation is longer and stronger. 

• Therefore, expand and emphasize your inhalation. 

• This is the first way to expand your breath.

• Feel your heartbeat. 

• Inhale over approximately three to five heartbeats and exhale over the same amount. 

• This is the second way to expand your breath during inhalation as well as exhalation.

• Lift your arms while inhaling, and lower them while exhaling. 

• The way your breath adjusts to the movement (Vinyasa) is the third way to expand your breath. 

• Now let your hands rest in your lap while you let your breath flow. 

• Experience the effect of your breathing. 

• By expanding your breath, you absorb Prana (energy). 

• You might even feel a delicate tingling in the back of your throat. 

• As your practice becomes more refined and advanced, the quality of your breath will become more subtle and you will become more in touch with the Prana.

• Concentrate on the turning point between inhalation and exhalation. 

• Make sure you keep your breath flowing and your throat open. 

• This is the basis for an ongoing flow of energy.

• Now slowly open your breath and return to normal breathing.

“ life is a moving, breathing thing ...we have to be willing to constantly evolve ... perfection is constant transformation ... “

www.walkstrong.ca

" Habit … "

Seen it happen to a couple of friends

Seen it happen and the message it sends

Taken up for what's an obvious fault

Just to see what all the fuss is about

It's not your way...not your way

It's not your way ...

Another habit says it's long overdue

Another habit like an unwanted friend

I'm so happy with my righteous self

It's not your way...not your way

It's not your way

Never thought you'd... habit

Never thought you'd... habit

Never thought you'd... habit

I never thought you, never thought you...

~ Pearl Jam ~ Habit ~

***

I love the new year with fresh starts and new beginnings.  It is a chance to be more intentional with life.  And it is also an opportunity to cultivate good habits.  

Some may call it a “routine”, other’s a behaviour, but what makes a habit is consistency.  For a habit to be a habit, we would subconsciously repeat the same actions or activity.  You don’t have to think about it, it is just what you do.  Plus a habit won’t cultivate or fade on it’s own ... and when you establish a habit, the mind doesn’thave to work so hard, allowing you to create new ones easily.  

It takes an act of will to create a new habit ...

And we can begin by finding the habits that achieve your desired goal.  Start by finding people whose circumstances are similar to yours but who've achieved the success you desire. They are your pattern, they are your lesson plans.  

Once these habits or behaviours have been determined, then it is time to assess the time needed for them.  Resistance, procrastination and excuses will play their role, but it is about managing the dark with light & the negative with the positive.  Replace old habits that no longer serve you with new ones and calendar your new routines.

“We form our habits, and then our habits form us." ...

Take on one step at a time, one habit at a time.  Personally, I form the habit in my mind first which helps me perform it outwardly.  By seeing yourself performing the action in the places and circumstances you expect to perform in, you cultivate the expectations you want, not what you fear.  A process athletes utilize all the time.  

And watch the company you keep.  By spending more time with people who have the habits you want, you’lll see the possibility of forming those habits and be encouraged to create them.  This directly honours you and those around you by becoming the better human you may be longing to be.

"Soul Meets Body ... "

" I want to live where soul meets body,
And let the sun wrap its arms around me,
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing,
And feel, feel what it's like to be new, 
... Where soul meets body"
~ Death Cab For Cutie ~ Soul Meets Body ~ 
***


This week I have been practicing my visualizations I learned from ADAM, whom I wrote about in my last blog.  In the past I have used these visualizations, but not on a daily basis and not with the same focus and intention.  It is common knowledge that what you think can affect your body.  Some refer to this as the mind body soul body connection.  Science has proven this over and over again, studies focusing on the placebo effect.  We have the capacity to control physical reactions.  


So it is all in your mind?  With intention, if you can bring in wellness, can you bring in illness as well?  Something to ponder, which is exactly what I have been doing.  I recently read about The Wellness Formula of Life.  Intrigued, I thought I would explore exactly what this was.  


The Wellness Formula of Life ~ Mind Body Soul Connection, is described as a chain of command, starting with your soul, your spirit, your higher self or your guide, whatever you choose to identify with. Your guide will tell you ... if you listen to your intuition and meditation.  But if you are not paying attention or acting on the messages, you may need some assistance in listening.  This message then goes thru your mind and heart depending on the situation.  You may have random thoughts, lose focus or just can't get conversations out of your head.  These are the signs and coincidences trying to raise a flag, get noticed and give you a heads up to pay attention by pointing you in the right direction.  Next you get feelings or a sense of what is not real, when something is not right, anxiety ... this is your heart getting involved, and leads to stress.  And if you are not paying attention still, the message gets louder and louder and build up ... similar to a whisper, to a loud talk, to tap on your shoulder, to a hit in the arm, to finally knocking you down ... the universe is really trying to get your attention!


You can decide where in the process you want to pay attention ... your guide uses the mind body soul connection and gets more and more physical with each step described above. Physical can not only mean your body, but also material world ~ property, money, relationships, traffic, losing keys, computers crashing ~ losing "something" in your material world tends to get your attention quickly!


When it comes to dis-ease or loss, there are many aspects that affect your life, not just missed messages, this is just one of them.  In the case of illness, your actual physical body is the connection to consider ~ energetic messages so as the messages get stronger, more energy moves thru your mind and heart ... energy can start showing up as pain, discomfort, damage, infection, etc ... We often are "too busy", obsessed with other things until we are forced to take time rather than taking it when you first realize you need a break ... S-L-O-W-D-O-W-N.



So with all these messages and signs how can we keep track?  Well maybe write down each day what you did or didn't do instead of just marking it off which energetically is not as effective.  

• Track Body ~ write notes on what you did and where you are improving
• Track Heart ~ affirm how well you are doing and/or what emotions are coming up and restate your intentions
• Track Soul ~ give thanks for the assistance and give appreciation for having another day to continue your development.

Trust yourself, you know more than you give yourself credit for ....You may need to build up that trust by following through on everything you promise - this means not promising what you feel you shouldn't do!  And making sure that what you are committing to is in alignment with your higher self/guide/spirit.  


So, before you start anything - be very clear on your intention = the what and why you are committing to your self.  Then, honor your promise.