November 2023: Exhale

Breathing, in some form, comes up in almost every session and workshop I teach. Breath, and breathing, affects every thing we do, it enlivens our embodiments, it is the dance of aliveness.

All lifeforms breath. We take in molecules, create life through transformative processes, and send molecules out. Our breath cycle is a microcosm (or macrocosm depending on where you started – cells or stars!) of the natural rhythm of life, pulsating between expansion and contraction. This cycle can be seen throughout our known universe, and it follows a sacred geometry and mathematical equation – much like pi or the Fibonacci spiral. Expansion and contraction is represented in the equation of lemniscate.

Our breath is in constant movement, expansion and contraction. Every single breath, every single moment, our bodies are practicing transformation. 

In humans, our heart rates can be seen to go up slightly as we inhale and down slightly as we exhale (a pattern known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia) – which explains why panic attacks are marked by more inhale than exhale and why relaxing practices often focus on the exhale.

The branches inside our lungs resemble the branches of trees. Plant life takes in and sends out the opposite molecules of humans – but the process is still the same; first in, pause for transformation, then out.

Autumn is the seasonal cycle’s exhale – the moment when fullness begins to contract, when full networks of life creation begin to release, pulling energy back towards center.

Expand and contract. Inspiration and expiration. Fill and release.

Place your hands on your chest, or on the sides of your ribs. Tune in, sense in. What is happening below there?