What Dragons Understand

The Need to Exhale

Public Dreams Society Lantern Festival, Vancouver, 2007, c. harmon

I had a revelation on Tuesday in my Feldenkreis class.

I’ve practiced conscious breathing exercises in many classes: drama speech classes, sufi breathing, yogic breathing, continuum movement breathing. I’ve understood the importance of exhaling, of emptying the body of air and toxins in order to allow the inbreathe to occur naturally. I’ve practiced this without seeing clearly what was implied.

I don’t want to go into a complex description of the diaphragm and how it works. Instead, here’s a breathing exercise I was given in hospital following surgery to help the body recover quickly from anaesthetic. It’s pretty much the same as the exercise in Silke Billig’s Feldenkreis class about the diaphragm.

combustion, c. harmon

Lie on the floor or your bed and empty your lungs. Keep breathing out until you feel there is no more air to be expelled. Hold your breath out until your body naturally begins to inhale (not as a gasp, but as a slow and natural replenishment).

There was more to the class—practice in relaxing various parts of the body while continuing with this breath pattern.

THE REASON I wanted to write about this today is that part of the epiphany for me was realizing that the entire world is holding its breath IN as wars, natural disasters, and mis-directed politics unscroll a scenario of doom before us, with our tense bodies in flight fight or freeze.

Exhale those toxins and allow your body to naturally inhale a new perspective. Relax your muscles as healing oxygen flows throughout your body. I can’t guarantee it will change your worldview but I promise your body will thank you.

View from Point No Point at full moon, c. harmon

I conclude with this photograph because I so love the name of this section of beautiful coastline on the south shore of Vancouver Island.