While working with clients, or leading my groups activities or developing my articles, I always underline the importance of breathing.
I would like to attract again your attention on this topic, because our mind tends – and it is very good at that – to ignore the importance of this basic function and to move quickly to something more “exciting”… But “outside” the body!
How to blame it? It is true that breathing is, basically, “only” breathing 🙂 To start to find some interest on it, you need to pay more attention to the way you are holding yourself… Starting from now, while reading this article!
Ask yourself: how do I feel? How am I breathing? How is my posture?
By asking these questions, you give yourself the space to feel more of your state. When your attention is attracted to external inputs, little space is left for assessing how you are in the present moment.
On the other hand, by starting to perceive more your physicality, you can enter more – and easily – in contact with the emotional part.
Isn’t it interesting and exciting?
I need to remind you that tensions, automatic postures, rigidities and restrictions that you may perceive in the body, are indeed unpleasant, but they provide us with precious information. They may indicate insecurities, stresses, dissatisfactions, frustrations and anger. Even if these experiences may be related with past events, if they are not digested and released, they will continue to play a role in the present life.
Breathing is so important not only to enter in contact with your body and how you feel yourself, but also to digest and release tensions.
Very often, releasing tensions brings up the emotions connected with these tensions. When the person is not used to welcome what is associated with “negative” emotions – emotional pain, frustration, disappointment, anger – then the letting go of tensions and reestablishing the inner connection through breathing can not happen.
This is why practicing is so important to build up the skills that will help and support you in this process: reconnecting with yourself through the body’s sensations and releasing the stuck emotions/experiences.
And the self-perception practice is so interesting, believe me!
This will be our focus on A day to Breathe on the first of July in English and on the 26th of August in Italian (English translation on demand) in Alpe Arami.
But for now, you can train your attention to come back into the body through some simple questions associated with conscious breathing. Breath in and out slow – for 4 to 6 seconds while inhaling and for 4 to 6 seconds while exhaling. Try to keep the same number of seconds for both parts of the respiration. Then ask yourself:
- How do I feel?
- How can I breathe?
- Do I feel the movements of the breathing in and out?
- Am I relaxed and confident?
And if you feel at ease with this, you can add this question: how do I feel emotionally?
As always, I will be happy and honoured to support you in your own process to become more aware and embodied. Also on the first of July and the 26th of August in Alpe Arami for A day to Breathe.