Observing The Breath as a Simple Practice
What are you noticing?
In our last Ritual Club of the year, we discussed our lack of structured ritual toward the end of the gregorian calendar year. As we are being called back to simplicity, we are reminded of the frequent opportunities to practice in our busy day, even just for a moment, even just to notice.
Observing our breath can be a powerful tool for every day regulating and resilience. When we spend a simple moment to *notice*, we cultivate mindfulness and become more aware of our present moment experience.
The breath has so much to teach us…
🫁 Your breath has the power to ground you and become your anchor. A deep breath can bring focus and awareness to the present moment, grounding ourselves in the here and now. It’s in this grounded place where we can better sit with any emotions that may come up as a part of our experience.
🫁 Your breath signals a sense of calm to your nervous system. Your deep inhales and slow exhales activate your parasympathetic nervous system. As your heart rate (and blood pressure) decreases, a sense of calm and an opportunity for relaxation approaches the body like a wave.
🫁 Your breath is an open door to emotional awareness and acceptance by providing us a non-judgemental lense in which to experience our emotions. As we pay attention to the rise and fall of our breath, we become more attuned to the sensations and physical manifestations of our emotions in the body. This awareness helps us to recognize and accept our emotions as they arise, without getting carried away by them. By acknowledging and accepting our emotions, we can respond to them with greater clarity and compassion.
Even if it’s 3 deep breaths a day, can we turn back toward the simple practice of observing the rise and fall. In that observance, we can and see what lessons reside there.
What are you noticing inside the experience of your own breath?
🗓 Save The Date: January’s Ritual Club community gathering is Jan 21 at 3pm (central). Reminder: if you are a paying subscriber here on substack, you will receive entry automatically via email link and post. If you are interested in attending otherwise, reserve your space here!