Ebb + Flow

(downloadable guide) Move with your breath

Take a deep breath in…
a slow breath out…
Continue to deepen your breathing.

In any given moment your breath will tell you everything you need to know about your internal state. It mirrors the rise and fall of your energy levels as your mind, body, and nervous system continually communicate and respond to your happenings.

Have you noticed?

Inhaling — I stretch my arms overhead to greet myself.
Exhaling — I sit quietly and look out the window for a few moments.

What motions of your day feel like an inhale?
What actions feel like an exhale?

It’s our most innate ebb and flow, and also our most powerful and accessible tool to be well, where we are. Inhaling supports the uplift and extension of energy required for certain events and activities, while exhaling accompanies the slowing and release that comes when we are on the other side of those outputs. Our remembrance of this cyclical, wavelike nature is a comfort especially during turbulence and we really needn’t look any further than our own in and out breaths to calm and center ourselves regardless of what comes up.

Sometimes the breath flows free and easy, and other times you might find yourself holding your breath (and yourself) more tightly.

I’m taking a midday walk — breathing deep and steady.
I’ve just finished a challenging conversation — my breath feels shallow and stuck.

Pay attention and you can find more fluidity and ease between extremes, regardless of what comes up.

Feel your rhythm

Illustrations: Rebekah MacKay for Move, Rest, Recover

Slow down,
breathe deeply,
pay attention…

Your breath is your most steadfast companion and guide, ever present to remind you that it’s less about moving forward or keeping up and more about staying with it — yourself — through your high and low tides. Use your breath to connect to your natural rhythm of resting and rising with all its ups and downs, breath by breath and moment by moment.

Use your breath

Today I’m sharing an exclusive tool from my new book Move, Rest, Recover with our member community — Ebb + Flow (sample page above). This interactive, downloadable pdf guides you to tune into your breath to move more fluidly between output and input. It includes practical prompts to become more aware of how your energy rises and recedes as you move through your days, to understand how your breathing mirrors this natural flow, and to consider what you might move with your breath to support yourself.

The best thing about this practice is that you can use it anytime, anywhere.

Just breathe baby.

(Upgrade and scroll down below the paywall to download Ebb + Flow and to connect with additional tools and resources for breathing well.)