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.
WU Sound
Yesterday I watched a video by trauma expert Peter Levine on sexual healing. In the video he recommended and demonstrated the vocal exercise of sounding „WU“. Originally this sound comes from the Tibetan chanting tradition.
The WU sound is healing because it vibrates in the area of the belly, the pelvis and the pelvic floor which sends a message of relaxation in the viscera to the brain. This connection between the organs of the viscera and the brain is mediated by the vagus nerve.
Due to emotional trauma and especially sexual trauma, the visceral organs, the belly and the genital area are contracted and the tension, in turn, perpetuates the trauma. Since the vagus nerve fibres are 80-90 % afferent -which means they send signals from the viscera to the brain – tension is thus continually signalled to the brain. The brain then signals to the rest of the body that there is a tense situation going on, creating anxiety and stress in the whole body system. In this way the trauma response not only repeats but sustains itself.
Sounding the „W“ involves a strong articulation, using many muscles of the mouth and lips. We can sense it reverberating in the dome of the upper palate. The „U“ vowel sound connects us with the lower body, especially the pelvis and the pelvic floor. And combined, WU creates a lot of vibration which eases tension.
So let‘s try this out, sitting comfortably, letting ourselves be supported by the chair, letting the shoulders and the jaw drop. And then making the WU sound, „wwwwuuuuuuuuuu“ with the exhale. Let‘s make the sound as long as the exhale lasts, rather than pushing the air out, and then wait for the next inhale to come before we sound WU again. As we sound the WU, we can imagine it resonating in the lower belly and the pelvic floor.
As Peter Levine says, „there is no right way or wrong way, there‘s only your way to do this.“
Let’s do this for as long as it feels comfortable and make sure that we rest afterwards and give ourselves time to notice the effect of the exploration, sensations, emotions and thoughts..
Benefits I experienced
– Connection to the pelvis and pelvic floor
– Warmth in the genital area
– Good tone in the whole torso
– Easy breathing through relaxation in the belly
There are surely other benefits for you to discover. If you have any questions or feedback please contact me.
Here‘s the video: