A breath token is a breathing exploration that I develop for friends & clients and send out as a gift.
In 2020 the breath tokens are about connecting breath and sound.
Sounding „I” (“ee”)
Let‘s begin with sensing where we have contact: on the chair, or on the floor, for example. We sense the weight of our body, letting it sink towards the ground. Let‘s stroke along the body walls to fully arrive in our body and its boundaries. We can accompany the stroking with gentle humming, moving the mouth.
Let’s now explore imagining, shaping, speaking and sounding an “I”. We repeat the exploration three times or as often as we like.
Tip: When we rest after the exploration, I find it helpful to always lay the hands in the same position, for example, both hands on the belly, or one hand on the belly and one hand on the back to notice the changes in the breath movement.
If there is little or no sensation, that‘s perfectly alright. We can focus on our hands resting on the torso or whatever it is that we’re experiencing.
When we‘re present and grounded, let‘s imagine sounding an „I“. The mouth is closed. We‘re just imagining sounding an „I“.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on the state of mind.
Let‘s now form the shape of an „I“ with our mouth.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on my state of mind.
Then we bend the arms and push them straight upwards above us as we shape an „I“ with our mouth. The arm movement mirrors the vertical movement of the upper lips in shaping an „I“.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on my state of mind.
Then we push the arms straight upwards above us as we speak an „I“. The exhale becomes the spoken vowel “I”.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on my state of mind.
Finally we push the arms straight upwards above us as we sound the “I”.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on my state of mind.
We can continue the exploration of sounding an „I“ in any way we like, continuing with the arm movement or finding our own body movement and varying pitch and frequency.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on my state of mind.
Has sounding an „I“ in these different ways created any space for breathing? And if so, where or how?
Benefits I experienced were:
– Energizing
– Resonance in head space
– Connection of the chest and head
– Sensation of the chest space, including muscle tension
– Awareness of postural habits
There are surely other benefits for you to discover. If you have any questions or feedback please contact me.