A breath of fresh air: A Spring Meditation
/“Listen. Are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?”
Yogic breathing, pranayama, is used to clear the body and mind. It helps clear out toxins and release stagnant energy while bringing in fresh energy and nutrients. This meditative practice can help you harness the renewing energy of spring, right on your breath.
Try it for 5 minutes:
Sit comfortably (in a chair if you need) with a relaxed but tall posture. You can also do this laying down if you prefer (and can stay awake). Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest center.
Breathe in fully through your nose and feel your belly expand. Imagine this in-breath filling you up with light and fresh energy. Exhale through your mouth, making the sound of “ha”. Imagine breathing out darkness, toxins, or anything no longer nourishing to your body or mind. Keep your attention on the movement of your chest and belly as your imagine expelling your darkness and expanding your light. Feel the breath moving under your hands.
Consider, as you feel the breath under your hands, that it is of service to you. That it is not only offering you ‘life energy’ (all the juice that keeps you alive), but also it is washing through you, cleansing you. The grace of your breath is completely rejuvenating you.
Add Some Breathing Mantras into Your Meditation
This is a Thich Nhat Hanh Meditation. Recite each line with your breath.
Inhaling, I breathe in this moment,
Exhaling, I breathe out everything that is not of the moment.
Inhaling, I am here, in my body, in the present,
Exhaling, I let go of anything that is not of this moment.
Inhaling, I breathe in spaciousness,
Exhaling, I breathe out solidity, rigidity.
Inhaling, I breathe in possibility,
Exhaling, I breathe out expectation.
Inhaling, I breathe in the beginners mind, the unknown,
Exhaling, I breathe out limitations; what I think I know.
