Day Two: Breath

READING - Ch. 6


The first thing that caught my eye in this reading was an imagery on breath: "Life-giving fluid enters the system, rich in nourishment, swirling, laden with life energy..." I thought it was interesting that she made it sound as if breathing included, not gas, but a liquid. That makes more sense to me, as fluid seems more real and full. It feels more like it passes through the whole body, instead of being contained to only the lungs. I love that breath is such a personal connection. It's almost selfish, one could say, but in such a necessary way. We use breath to "pour out what is not needed, ready to release the waste, to open a space to make room to expand for new food." It's such a stimulating principle.


Every once in a while when someone asks me what classes I'm taking this semester, it will lead to the question: "What is Somatics?" I do my best to explain the complex concepts, and I always mention the 6 Connections. I've had a few people say something along the lines of, "Why would you study breath? That's something you already do automatically." It's at times like these that I think of when in the book it mentions: "We breathe automatically, but breath can be influenced by and is reflective of changes in consciousness, feelings, and thoughts." It's so important to be aware of our breath and how it is affecting us. For me personally, I've been having a really hard time breathing for the past year and a half. I've been in to see doctors about it a number of times, and they still haven't been able to figure it out. After my last appointment, I read this chapter on Breath, and I decided that there may be a chance that it has nothing to do with my physical health, but perhaps my emotional health. Since then, I've been paying more attention to this struggle, and it seems to be more evident during moments of stress or anxiety.

At one point in the reading, it was talking about how you can use breath "When you want to connect and communicate with another person", and she said "The connective power of breath is so strong that even when consciously attended to, the connection feels magical! Its mystery remains." I think that it is so cool that while breath is indeed an automatic function of our body, the connections that we find through breath will remain incredible throughout our entire existence. We may get used to the connections we make, but we will never get over them. There is always something to be discovered through breath.

CLASS


First we did a couple of exercises concerning breath. We laid on our backs, and just noticed our breathing, without changing anything. I noticed that I tend to breath mainly in my chest. Then we sat up and did more breathing, and I felt that I held some tension in my hips...I don't know if that's just because I was sitting with nothing to support my back, or if that's simply a residual place of tension, but it was definitely there.

Something I thought was interesting that we talked about in class is how empathy can be better understood through breath and touch. There is something about that physical human connection that allows us to feel what is happening within another person, and to share those emotions with them. That's why hugging someone can be so comforting.

We also talked about how when a priesthood leader (or leaders) is about to give a blessing by the laying on of hands, they always pause for a moment before beginning. They do this to tune in to the Spirit, which they do by tuning in to their breath. If you pay attention, you can notice that their breathing does change.

Something someone had pointed out from the book was when it said, "It is sufficient to BE, simple and whole, connected within, in unity with the universe." We talked about how it's unnecessary to have to try to fit in to whatever situation you find yourself. It's way more work than it was ever intended to be. If we can just stay attuned to our breath, we will be with ourselves, and we will remain connected with the universe. Breath is just incredible!