Savoring Summer: An Energizing Breath Practice to Do Right Now
Right now, at this time of year in the northern hemisphere we are in the summer - the period of time in which there is the most daylight, the days are the longest, some regions are getting much hotter, and the plants are soaking up the sunshine to grow and expand. Time may feel like it is slowing down, and at the same time you may feel like you want to savor the moment before the summer slips by.
This evening, June 21st, is the summer solstice. It is the longest day & shortest night. From tomorrow onward we will lose a little sunlight every day as the days shorten and we approach fall.
Tonight is a perfect time to pause, to fully receive all the goodness in your life, and acknowledge all that you have and that is serving you, and to take a moment to set an intention for what you wish to energize, grow, expand, and receive more fully in your life.
I invite you to really connect in with this in your body through a simple breathing practice. You can do it here in this moment.
As you continue to read, connect in with where you are in space, and become more aware of your body & breath.
Feel your feet and legs, your hips and pelvis. As you exhale feel the release of your breath. As you inhale experience how your body gently expands, and see if you can feel the very top of your inhale.
Continue to breathe, drawing the breath in through your nose, feeling the air move in through your nostrils, and then exhale out through your mouth, feeling the air move out through your lips.
Bring your attention to the peak of your inhale and allow yourself to pause, holding the inhalation. Feel the sensation inside, the energy in your body, and experience the full capacity in the pause of the top of the inhalation.
Then feel the moment you choose to exhale - allowing yourself to ride the release of the breath.
Continue to breath like this for 5 more breaths. Experience the depth of the pause of the inhalation, the comfort or discomfort that you feel in holding the inhale. And experience the moment that you choose to release your breath, feeling the ease, the speed of the exhale, surrendering & softening your body, and if your depth of your breath increases or decreases.
The cycle of your breath happens automatically throughout your days and nights, most of the time without you noticing.
In the cycle of your breath, the inhale - the top of the inhalation as your body fully expands bringing in new life & assimilating fresh oxygen - relates to the summer solstice the moment in the year in which there is the longest day & the most amount of light and life.
And then your exhale letting out the breath, letting go of anything that is no longer serving you, and the moment of choosing the exhale - relates to the days following the summer solstice - the beginning of letting go of a little more daylight with each day. The savoring of what we have and the remembering that this warmth and energy is so precious, as we know the cycle of life and of the year means we will be returning to cooler days, time of harvest, darkness and rest.
As you bring your attention to your breath, ask yourself: What are you expanding into and what are you going to integrate to savor & enjoy more fully?
Be awake to something you desire to energize in order to strengthen, grow and amplify. Be awake to what it is you’re ready to focus on that will bring greater joy, energy, balance, and more connection to your core desires in your life.
Be aware of what is coming through in your intuition of what you want to receive more fully, what you want to integrate, what new intention do you want to set that will allow you to live from your core as you move forward.
As you inhale you can state in your mind I am energizing X, Y, and Z (those things that you want to grow & strengthen).
As you exhale you can state in your mind I am receiving XX, YY, and ZZ (those things that you want to assimilate to take forward with you).
May this simple breathing practice help you to connect with your body, where we are in the year, and to inspire you to deepen your awareness to what you want to be bringing into your life, into this next season, and what new intentions you have for yourself.
