The Breath Letter #29
Dear Breather,
Awareness
Understanding
Intervention
One of those annoyingly simple frameworks that I keep coming back to, for myself but also for a lot of clients.
Often we skip straight to step three “Intervention”, in a rush, a sign of the times perhaps.
Discomfort → immediate action.
Without taking a moment to bring proper, nuanced, awareness to what actually is.
Without inquiring, “what is this? What does it mean? What does it want?”
The irony? Most of the time we don’t need the intervention anymore once we correctly identified and spent some time with it.
Little update from my side:
As I’m now fully setup in Lisbon I’m also taking on more online clients, for both functional breathwork as well as breathwork & somatic therapy.
Feel free to reach out if you need support.
The Breath
Moving Breath.
In your inhale move one part of the body; on the exhale
Move it back.
Pick a different part for every breath.
Inhale: head turns to the left.
Exhale: head turns back.
Inhale: Shoulder blades move towards each other.
Exhale: Shoulder blades relax and drop.
Inhale: Right upper leg squeezes.
Exhale: Let the tension go.
See if you can start following your intuition rather than deciding ahead every time.
The Insights
Falling
What does falling mean? Have you ever noticed the anxiety that kicks in when you almost or even fully fall? How hard we fight not to fall?
What does falling mean to you? Failing? Surrender?
But what about falling asleep… Can you truly rest if you don’t dare to fully fall?
What about falling in love…Can you truly love if you don’t there to let go?
And what about rising?
Is it possible to fully rise if you’ve never learned that falling is safe?
Bhavatanha
A buddhist term I recently read about which refers to a desire to exist, leading to a continuous taking of a rebirth.
Or in simple language:
That restless energy, that drive, that arises; always focused on the future.
A fantastic thing! I see it in the plants on my terrace. Whatever happens, they always try to keep going, keep growing.
But it can also spiral into “right now I am not enough”. If only you are….achieve…do..then…
Who would you be without this?
Where are you on your “Bhavatanha” spectrum?
The Content
The Offline Club
I was recently introduced to these 3 fellas from Amsterdam who started a club.
The idea is simple: Phones and screens are getting in the way from real contact. Let’s organise events where we hangout without phones or screens.
After a recent blackout in Portugal I saw what no screens does for people! Chilling in the park, reading, playing and talking. So check them out for upcoming events!
Bioenergetics - Alexander Lowen
Book. A fascinating read from one of the OGs of somatic therapy. Grounding, Breathing, and Vibration are the three basic Bioenergetic principles which helps
“A person who doesn’t breathe deeply reduces the life of her/his body. If one doesn’t move freely, the life of the body is restricted. If one doesn’t feel fully, it narrows the life of one’s body. And if self-expression is constricted, the life of the body is limited. A person does not “have” a body, a person is a body.”
Red Flags For Breathwork Facilitators
A useful post, putting into words what I’m seeing around me as well.
Pick your facilitator wisely!
The Experiences
10th of June @ Soma Home- Breathwork & Somatics Session - Stoke Newington
Facilitated by: Jenny
Perfect for those who have some more experience or want to dive a little deeper.
We’ll have 2.5hrs for this session giving us time for more somatic practices and interaction.
At the heart of this session will be exploration, experimentation and the tension between the known and unknown; safety and resistance.
Tickets here
EntryPoints - Breathwork & Somatics Retreat
16th - 21st of September @the Shanti Space, Portugal
A 6-day immersive experience - a unique opportunity to reconnect to your full experiential spectrum.
Through daily breathwork sessions, a vast array of somatic exercises and simply being in contact together, we’ll reconnect to ourselves, others and our environment.
An exploration of alternative routes to insights, beyond just talking.
Every day we’ll work with different EntryPoints on a macro and micro level; the breath, the nervous system, movement, the voice, silence, play, bodywork.
All happening in a safe and intimate setting.
15% Discount for you and your friend if you sign up together!
More info: here
The Micropractice
Pretend to yawn. See if the body kicks in and how it makes you feel.
