"Take a deep breathe"...I always began my deep breaths with an inhale. They never were that satisfying. I didn't understand what all the refreshment was about, so I'd take another one, but it wasn't until that deep breathe included the exhale that any improvement was felt. When I did my first pranayama (breathwork) practice and realized the breath began with the exhale, I was startled. It was against every grain in my system to let my precious air out first. Why did I need to do that? It was uncomfortable, but doable.
Wow, was that first inhale sweet, two lungs full of oxygenated air. Quite the contrast from just breathing at the top of my lungs, keeping stale air in the bottom "just in case", never going to the edge or depths of my capacity.
What else was stale in my life? What was I afraid to purge so I could take a breath full of useful air into my container? Clothes I never wear hanging around until I could get something else, routines that served me one day not fitting in the opportunities of the next, fears dictating I inhale FIRST rather than cleanse and then be awake to observe the true effects of the breathe. Each phase of the breath important, each phase in its turn. Why does thinking about starting with one phase rather than another go against my grain? New awareness to the most fundamentally nourshing aspect of my life is gained by noting this uncomfort. I can let go before I gather. I can make space before the filling arrives. I can develop faith before the proof. I can let go of fears so there is a place for trust.
"Take a deep exhale"...a deep rib squeezing exhale.
Namaste.
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