As the tide is rising and the waves are getting more intense, I've noticed there is a distinct pattern that lets you know how big the wave will be. There is a moment where you feel everything pulling out to sea, even your feet if you don't anchor yourself. Then there is a moment of stillness. Finally the wave rises behind you, a gentle arc, then rolls over itself into shore, crashing and rushing yet still maintaining its calming essence and energy.
If I try to breathe like a wave, I find myself with a steady inhale til I am completely full, a pause at the top, then I let the exhale come rushing gently out. That gentle quality is important. The wave maintains all the way to shore, it just gets smaller; it doesn't become anything else, its still a wave. Less about change, more about the cycle.
Combining this breathwork with my asana practice gave a lovely vinyasa. Ebbing and flowing from posture to posture, using the wave to inspire my movement led to undulating, spine releasing postures that move the whole body and balanced my energy, carrying me into a state of bliss. My favorite flows? There were three... Inhale to child's pose --> pause --> exhale to cobra. Inhale to downward facing dog --> pause --> exhale to upward facing dog. Inhale to bridge --> pause --> full puvana muktasana/apanasana.
The movement changes, but the breath, the breath keeps its cycle - taking you deeper into each expression, inside and out.
Blissed out at the beach...
