The Core Breath

This "Core Breathing" practice is largely derived from Tai Chi pranayama and Tantra Kriya. The following instructions are intended as a reference for my clients, who have had hands on guidance in this practice. As simple as it is, it's pretty hard to really "get it" without hands on instruction over time.

The goals of this practice are:

• to free the breath from unnecessary soft tissue restrictions.
• to allow free fluid motion of the spine during breathing
• to ensure proper cellular nutrition
• to gain deeper self awareness
• to begin to understand dynamic stillness

In the beginning, practice the Core Breath by lying supine on a firm surface with the soles of the feet flat, and the knees up. Note: a too soft bed is not appropriate. You need to rest on a firm surface in order to really feel the spine moving.

Start by practicing the breath twice a day. Once in the morning as you wake, and once at night as you prepare to sleep.

Each daily interval of practice should only take approximately 2 minutes. But, you should treat this short practice as a serious meditation with complete presence and attention on the breath.

Simply do the "core breath" 10 times in succession, with complete presence and attention. You may be surprised at how difficult it is to stay focused for two minutes and take 10 breaths without finding your self lost in mental chatter.

Instruction

As you breath in, imagine the air/chi coming into the body at a point about 2 inches above the belly button.

Feel the air/chi expanding into the body, both toward the head and toward the feet simultaneously. The coordination between the upper and lower flow is important.

The two primary areas of movement to feel for are the lumbar and cervical sections of the spine.

On the IN breath feel your tail bone tuck under a bit as the lumbars settle down to the surface on which you are resting.

At the same time, during the IN breath, feel your chin tuck very slightly as the cervical curve flattens down toward the surface upon which you are resting.

Many people find that their default (wrong) pattern during inspiration is to extend the cervical spine (by arching the head back), sometimes even to the point of closing the throat a bit. The aim here is to lengthen the cervical spine and if you arch your head back on the in breath, that is not what you will do.

Once you get the coordinated sense of the lengthening in the spine, add some attention to the ribcage. On each in breath the ribcage should expand in four directions simultaneously. To the front, to the back and to each side. On each out breath the ribs should return to a resting state in an even and coordinated manner.

If the ribs are expanding freely (in all directions around the longitudinal axis) and the diaphragm is working properly, the "core breath" will be an effortless procedure. Ultimately, with practice, it will be both effortless and your healthy default breath.

Carefully observe places in the body that resist the free movements described. You may find tension inhibiting the breath pretty much anywhere in your body, but the most likely places are the scalene muscles (and other muscles around the neck, and down into the arms), around the clavicle, the lower abs, the spinal muscles of the mid back, and even the muscle around the anus. Just be aware, feel and observe.

The key point to remember is that the spine should get longer on the In breath and shorter on the Out breath.

As you discover places in your body that are resisting the breath by not moving freely with it, simply give yourself permission to let it go, and maintain a relaxed presence with the breath. just Observe. It may take a few minutes, but attention and the felt sense of "permission to let" go will work.

It's OK to exaggerate the movements of the lumbar and cervical spine a bit at first to wake up your awareness of what is going on during a breath. The aim though, is to find the "effortless" breath flowing in and lengthening the spine.

On the Out breath, the cervical and lumbar sections will resume their natural relaxed curvature. Pay attention to the coordinated movement of the lumbar and cervical motion. As on the In breath, the two spinal sections should move together, not one after another.

Once you master the breath in this position (at least 3 months), take it into standing and then walking.

Again, Simply do the core breath 10 times in succession, 2 times a day, with complete awareness. Plan to commit to this practice for two years. You may be surprised at how difficult it is to follow such a simple practice, or to even take 10 breaths without finding your attention lost in mental chatter. Keep at it!

When you have really achieved a feeling of coordinated moving ease in the spine you can take it to the next level. (I imagine most people need a good three months of practice with the basic instructions before they are ready for this level)

Bring your awareness to your heart center.

Begin to think of your body as a sponge like creature floating in an infinite sea.

Feel your whole body swell and expand on the in breath like a dry sponge soaking in clean fresh water. On the out breath feel the whole body draw back into it's center like a sponge gently squeezing out all water.

Image clean fresh water flowing into your spongy body on each in breath and on the out breath feel how the expelled water is rinsing away all impurities. Stay focused in your midline while doing this.

Observe any place where flow is not completely free and give it permission to join the easy flowing motion of whole body breathing. The fluctuations from inspiration to expiration should be fluid and luscious like that of a translucent jelly fish slowly undulating in the ocean.

And yes, your spine should still be expanding and lengthening on each inspiation, but you should no longer need to focus on it. It should be automatic in the breath.