"The more you listen to your breath, the more you can hear the voice of your soul."
~ Ma Jaya Bhagavati, First Breath, Last Breath
Breathwork and Movement Arts
...Making Breath an Invitation -- effortless, integrating, liberating...
Take a moment, right now, as you read this, to consciously focus on your Breath.
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As you draw in your next breath, see if you can track where it moves through you with ease.
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Now become aware of whether your breath may bump up against any areas of tension, constriction, rigidity or holding.
Perhaps you feel a clenching in your neck and throat, or elsewhere. Do you feel any restricted emotions lodged in these areas?
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Does your breath travel down into your abdomen? Into your pelvic bowl? Or is it shunted up into your chest, shallow and tight?
Can you invite it to saturate, nourish and flood all of your organs? ...inviting them to float and suspend freely within the universe of space inside you....
Consider that we are composed of about 70% water. Thus, when we breathe, we create a tidal ebb and flow throughout our body. This innate, undulatory movement can be accessed more deliberately through the use of various breath and movement practices, to help free up old holding patterns -- whether they are emotional, structural, energetic or spiritual in nature.
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The breathwork techniques I utilize in my practice are simple, effective, venerable, and profound. Depending upon your preferences and concerns, I calibrate which tools we'll bring into the session to support your experience of release, relief and freedom. Using the breath, and associated movement practices can help us to deepen our appreciation for our tremendous capacity for improved well-being:
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calms and balances the Nervous System;
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reduces pain, while increasing range of motion and overall fluency of movement;
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can facilitate the healthful, safe release of pent up emotions that hold us back from living joyfully;
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can improve recovery from illness, surgery, injury & emotional trauma by opening the body to its natural reharmonizing capacity, and oxygenating the body more fully;
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helps to build focus, improve mental clarity and foster inner balance....
Some influences include:
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Motherwave Breatherapy (aka, "Wavework"), founded by Katie Masters Darling, Marin County, California
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Continuum Movement Arts, Yogic principles of body awareness, Alexander Technique...many movement philosophies
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Chi Kung breath and movement meditations and other Taoist healing/balancing principles; these include the work of Mantak Chia and colleagues.
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ecstatic/trance dance practices and authentic movement arts
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principles of "emotional anatomy", energetic studies, &
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emotional process techniques exploring belief systems, identifying/releasing/reframing core negative beliefs...
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... all of which serve to Return us to our Essence: Whole, at Peace, Free to Thrive!