And you thought we were just relaxing...

Often in clinic I will guide you into a meditation, where we focus on the breath, helping the body find relaxation during the acupuncture session.

There's a powerful medicine in this act, and it's all to do with how the Heart and Lungs connect.

The Heart houses our deepest wisdom. This potent wisdom is directly sourced from our Shen, our creational power. It is where we feel and connect to the world. Live is best lived through the Heart.

The Heart is well guarded by the energetic Pericardium, the Heart's shield. If the Heart still holds wounds it hasn't yet healed, the Pericardium holds a strong protective defence. But when it is too guarded, we feel disconnected from our Heart's wisdom, and build an impenetrable wall around our Heart. We lose the ability to connect with life in the same way, and we default to the analytical Brain.  

Observing the breath gives us powerful insight into how connected we are to our Hearts in the moment. Notice how you hold your breath when you are stressed, something simple as opening an email or the phone ringing, the body bracing, wondering what danger awaits...notice how you 'come back' by taking an inhale. Notice how the body can start moving again when we bring attention to the breath.

The Breath is a Bridge to our inner wisdom. The Lungs help spread the wisdom of the Heart's energy so we can reconnect with it. When we take time to reconnect to the breath, we can start to feel again, from the through our bodies, from and through our Heart. Reconnecting to the Heart's powerful wisdom, we get new insights, new understandings...the Heart gets to expand out once again, and the defences soften.

That's why it relaxes you...your body feels you coming home 🌷

Daily Practice: Take a few minutes every day to connect with your breath - noticing the active power of the inhale, bringing fresh new energy into the body, expanding the rib cage, opening the body...and notice the soft, effortless release of the exhale, allowing the body to soften and let go. See if you can extend the exhale to allow the body to relax even more. Imagine the body filling with fresh new energy with the inhale, connecting with the heart-space, and spreading all the loving energy throughout the whole body with the exhale, like a soft, warm embrace. Every day, help your Heart connection grow.