Breathing-Being With,
11/23

"Listen-- are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?" 
~ Mary Oliver

Overview:  
Arrive & Settle
Gather & Begin

Breathing With, I -- guided somatic breath exploration*
Invitation to explore each of these long enough to feel pathways of breath-sensations building into something unique for that shape. In our group time, we spent approx 3 min with each.
Fountain & Pool: Standing, inner channel from ground through crown, hands follow up and spill open, allow breath to drip off fingertips and pool at feet, repeat. Finish with noticing what has awakened in your experience.
Gather & Pour: Wide stance (can begin with knees bent for extra depth & effect), turn palms upwards and gather as much of the air-space around you as straighten legs and reach upwards, downturn hands and pour breath into and through central channel of body (perhaps returning to bent knees/deep squat); begin again. Finish with noticing what has awakened in your experience.
Breathing With: In any comfortable position, bring intention or heart into hands -- feel shape/weight/etc > breathe here as hands move with the breath of your heart/intention, noting that pace of hands/arms opening/closing may have a different breath flow than that of your actual breath. Allow your heart/intention to breathe you. Finish with noticing what has awakened in your experience.
Wind Breath: In any comfortable position, play the sounds of wind through the inner landscape of your body; opening channels, carving pathways, circulating in caverns, rustling-sweeping-whipping-easing, and more. Let this be an audible play; experience your inner winds moving you! Finish with noticing what has awakened in your experience.
Being-Rest: Find a resting place. Let your attention wander, pause, dissipate. Notice what you notice, and then let it go.
*VIMEO VIDEO NOTES HERE! Password: EIFbreath

Poem, I: "To Be Read in the Interrogative" by Julio Cortázar (see below)

Breathing With, II -- Intention/Symbol
If your Intention/Symbol had a [shape, weight, color, texture, rhythm, sound, taste, ____], what would it be?
Draw/journal/move/breathe/imagine/rest with your intention and/or symbol.

Breathing With, III -- guided somatic breath exploration
Emptying (Exhaling): Exhale until your breath rests in a pause of no breath; wait here until you experience the gathering of your breath into an inhale.
Filling (Inhaling): Inhale and follow your breath until it yet again it rests into a pause of no breath; wait here until you experience the gathering and pouring of your breath into an exhale.
Keep repeating this, taking note of the details and nuances of:
Empty/Exhale -
Pause/No-Thing -
Fill/Inhale -
Pause/No-Thing, etc.
Option to also take note of the moment and sensations of when Exhale becomes Pause, when Inhale turns towards Exhale, etc.

Breathing With, IV -- Tenderness; continuing from the above
Continue with the flow of breath as above. This time, however, turn your attention to the space between the "bottom of exhale" and "top of inhale." As you traverse this inner space between, pause whenever you experience moments/places of tenderness. Breathe with tenderness; notice whatever arises here.

Sharing Experiences of Body & Breath -- Thank you!

Closing & Moving into the Week -- excerpt from Mary Oliver's poem, "Sometimes.". For the full poem, click her name below. Enjoy your Outer Landscape, Inner Landscape, & Daily Life Invitations (OLs, ILs, & DLs)!