Do you long for silence or peace? Or are you looking for ways to connect with the energy of winter? Then try this simple breathing exercise:
Lengthen your exhalations so that they last two to three times as long as your inhalations. After that, pause before inhaling. This pause may last as long as it naturally does. Give space for the inhalation when it comes naturally. Breathe this way for as long as is comfortable and repeat the exercise several times a day.
When you lengthen the exhalation, it helps you let go and relax. It is, as it were, the autumn of a breathing cycle and matches the element Metal from the Eastern Five Elements doctrine. The pause for breathing after exhalation is like winter: it is a moment of silence, in which there is hardly any movement. These moments help to connect with the silence within, which is always present behind the thoughts and feelings. Breathing pauses belong to the Earth element, as a period of transition between two opposing movements - in this case the inhalation and exhalation. Besides, the breathing pause after exhalation also fits with the element of Water: the silence and rest after a cycle, as well as the silence before a new cycle starts.
Would you like to learn more about working with elements and meridians through movement, meditation, acupressure and nutrition? This is possible at Do-In Academy
