Inhale - Exhale
One of the methods of meditation and breathwork I've been practising for a long time is the simple technique of counting my exhales for 36 counts. If I feel I have little time in my day for a full practice, I make sure I allow time to sit and be still and to connect with my breath in this way. It allows me to tune in and check in, especially in the morning after I have woken up, to see what is present, what energy is with me, how my state of being is, physically, mentally and emotionally. And as I tune in this way to myself, I am able to navigate my day knowing how to conserve my energy, how much I have to give or not give, how physical I can be and how to allow my emotions to surface and be with them and let them pass.
Sometimes I do this lying down even before I have left the bed. Most of the time I do it sitting in a chair or sitting on the floor in a cross legged position with either a bolster or cushion for support to elevate my hips above my knees and to allow for elongation of my spine. When we sit like this it allows for the energy to be able to freely travel upwards from the base of the spine to the head. For me it brings about a groundedness within. A feeling of lightness. A feeling of letting go. A feeling of complete stillness and peace. A readyness to take on the day.
‘Let each breath you take bring you deeper into that centre. Just into the quiet place, the timeless place, the spaceless space. ‘
Ram Das