“I wish you mouthfuls of laughter and warm hands and bowls of nourishing soup and starry glittering at the periphery of your eyes as if someone is tapping you gently on the shoulder, whispering a song from your childhood that makes you smile and weep at the same time, in a good way, like when you know who you are.
I wish you a loving letter from an old friend when you least expect it, with words that warm you like small sticks of kindling that catch and smoke and smell of ancient sandalwood forests and the tiny blue birds that sing at night, and a low slung moon, lying on her back, like a bowl of light. “ – Meredith Heller
I came across these words today, and they made me smile. I hope they do the same for you
Welcome to day 23 of our 30 days of yoga support during a challenging time. It is an honor to be welcomed into your day, one I don’t take lightly. Thank you.
I hope you’re doing okay, and that you’re carving out some time to reconnect with nature in the midst of all of this. Such a powerful way for us to fill our reserves, by simply walking through the woods, or sitting by a tree or the water. It always amazes me how relaxed I feel when I take that time.
Today we’ll be exploring a powerful breath practice for your immune system, and your inner vitality. This breath is called the breath of ten, and it helps to move stagnation through the body, increase your lung capacity, stimulate and support the lymph nodes in your arm pits helping to cleanse and detoxify your breast tissue, your lungs, your thoracic cavity, and it assists in pulling the lymph up from your lower extremities (just to name a few benefits). This is a potent practice which helps us to be able to better overcome pathogens, bacteria and viruses we encounter.
To view the practice click here
The basic practice: Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine (ensure your body is comfortable). Your elbows are bent and the forearms and hands are relaxed in a clapping position about a foot apart. Your hands move in and out like you are clapping – inviting a flapping movement at the armpits (pumping fluid through the axillary lymph nodes), your hands do not make contact. This will make more sense once you watch the video. Concentrate on the energy between your hands. Your breath is timed with the movement of your hands, inhaling with 5 powerful strokes of breath in through your nose, exhale in five powerful strokes out through the mouth. Try to maintain the rhythm and the movement with the breath. Start with 3 minutes, and slowly you can increase your time. Your eyes are closed down and once you settle into the practice allow your internal gaze to fall at the point between your eyes.
Make sure you take some time once you are finished to sit in stillness, sense what is happening inside of you and allow yourself to integrate the practice. This is an important step every time we come to our mats.
I am so grateful you joined me today, and I can’t wait to check in with you again tomorrow.
“The source of a true smile is an awakened mind. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding” – Thich Nhat Hanh
My love travels with you
Big giant love filled hugs, Amber
