The breathing part of my Breath and Water practice is usually my Hug Your Heart breath.
But I’ve added something, and it makes a difference. Quite a difference, actually.
As I inhale and experience my lungs embracing my heart, I say hello. I greet my heart. I don’t say it aloud, and it’s not really a thought. It’s an experience. And over time, it’s become more than just my heart. All of my body, every nano particle of it, broadcasts appreciation and gratitude to all the rest of my body. And every nano particle of my body receives that appreciation and gratitude. And I feel all that giving and receiving going on. It’s awesome!
And then the same again with the next breath, and the next. Then my timer chimes, and I open my eyes and smile, having experienced 15 minutes of profound intimacy with and within myself.
Wait! There’s a bonus gift! During the day I often find myself missing the intimate connection with my body, and reaching out with that same sense of gratitude and appreciation. Missing and reaching — it’s not something I do intentionally, it’s my body reaching for itself of its own accord. Appreciation and gratitude, given and received — and felt — all in less time than one inhale takes.
I think it’s keeping me sane.
Try it. I suspect you’ll like it.