The Fall is quickly approaching. It is the season related to Letting things Go that dont serve, and Welcoming in New Beginnings. This season in Chinese Medicine is governed by the Lung. When you think about the lungs, they do this constantly, through inhaling and exhaling. Bringing in nourishment with each new moment, and releasing waste without even a thought as to whether: “wait.. Should I release this?! Is it really time? Maybe I will hold on a little longer ?! 🙂 ……….Do any of these phrases resonate with you!? 🙂 This is just naturally the rhythm and movement of what happens to maintain life. Take in the new and release the old.
This picture was taken last week at my daughter’s first day of pre-school . She is one of my very best teachers in so many ways but particularly she (being a child) is always so present. There is no worry, fear of what the day may bring etc — she is just right in the moment and enjoying it (or not enjoying it) completely and whole heartedly. And when the moment has passed, so has her emotion towards it. As most children do, she has mastered the art of living in the moment– it is just as we grow older and get attached to expectation we loose this beautiful gift.
Our breath is our greatest and most simple tool to bring us back into the present moment. It mimicks our mental state. When our thoughts are agitated, so is our breath. When we are anxious, our breath tends to be shallower than if we were in a state of calmness. By noticing our breath in this moment, we can learn to self correct the pattern, thus altering our mental state.
By breathing deep into our belly, specifically right below our belly button, we invigorate our life force — the deepest part of ourselves which lies right here. If you ever see a sleeping baby or an animal — they all breathe this deep into their bellies. Innately, this is how we are meant to breathe, to send the nourishment of our breathe through into our depths and to nourish ourselves on a primal level. This feeds into our root chakra which regulates our feelings about security and safety. By breathing here we can literally bring safety and security to the moment.I have included a simple exercise below which stimulates various acupuncture points as well as our root chakra. It can disrupt your current thought pattern and calm your mind. I encourage you to try it for five minutes at a time while walking.
Let me know what your experience is with this exercise!
Happy breathing and happy new beginnings!!