1:2 COUPLES COUNSELING
PRIVATE RETREAT IBIZA
1-DAY NETHERLANDSEXCERCISE
Breathe in, Breathe out
Breathe. For most people this is extremely obvious. Logical, because it happens unconsciously, without thinking about it.
During the busy day, in our routine, busy busy we forget to REALLY breathe. Consciously and with attention. By forgetting this, we miss a great opportunity. The opportunity to (literally) create more space with your breathing. In addition, your breathing can tell you a lot, how do you feel, how does your body feel, how are you really doing?
Focusing on breathing brings you into the here and now. The more you practice, even when you don’t think you need it, the more adept you become.
A breathing exercise that I often do with clients when starting a session is focused on breathing. It goes something like this;
- Take a moment for yourself, as you sit here now
- Close your eyes
- Check for yourself how your breathing is doing?
- Is it a little higher in your chest, or perhaps a little lower in your stomach?
- Is he fast and shallow?
- Or a bit calmer and deeper?
- You don’t have to change anything
- Then you can say hello to your body
- Your body that is there for you every day, that you can rely on
- Is there a specific place in your body that requires attention?
- Again you don’t have to change anything
- Take a little more time to sit like this with your eyes closed
- At the moment you can quietly open your eyes and feel what this simple exercise has done for you
People almost always say after this exercise that I feel calmer, more connected to my body and myself, calmer and more relaxed.
Practice makes perfect, your mind is probably the first to try to get away with creating thoughts. Or do you find it difficult to let go? You may even feel irritation, this vague stuff is not for me… Also good, your breathing is there for you, day in and day out, and when you get that far you are also there for your breathing.
Finally; ‘You can see breathing as a metaphor for how we approach life…
Breathing in is about making space, about freedom, taking life literally.
Exhaling is about relaxing and letting go of control.
‘You breathe as you live and you live as you breathe. The freer you breathe, the freer you live’
