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 „A“
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 “A”. Repeat the exploration three times or as often as you 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 „A“. The mouth is closed. We‘re just imagining sounding an „A“.
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 „A“ with our mouth.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on the state of mind.
Then we raise the arms up in front of us and move them downwards in a half circle as we shape an „A“ with our mouth. The arm movement mirrors the initial upward movement of the upper jaw in shaping an „A“.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on the state of mind.
Then we raise the arms up in front of us and and move them downwards in a half circle to the sides as we speak an „A“. The exhale becomes the spoken vowel “A”.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on the state of mind.
Finally we sound the “A”. We raise the arms up in front of us and move them downwards in a half circle to the sides as we sound an „A“.
Then we rest, laying our hands on our torso and sense the effect on the body, on the breathing, on the state of mind.
We can continue the exploration of sounding an „A“ 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 the state of mind.
Has sounding an „A“ in these different ways created any space for breathing? And if so, where or how?
Benefits I experienced were:
– Opening of the back of the neck
– Awareness of the chest and shoulders
– Space in the torso
– Breath Flow throughout the torso
– Awareness of posture
– Vitality & Presence
– Stability and openness at the same time
– Connection within myself and with the space I’m in
There are surely other benefits for you to discover. If you have any questions or feedback please contact me.