I offer a bi-weekly breath practice held at my Jiu Jitsu studio at Gracie Barra in Encinitas, California to a mix of martial artists and civilians who want community practice.
T-minus 4 hours from today’s practice and I have the following four objectives.
Replant the fact that everyone of us is an absolute BADASS.
Under the pressure of our human systems that capitalize on the formula of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (aka FUD), we often forget this important fact.
Thin for a few seconds of the all the stardust that magically danced to create this existence, all your ancestors and all the strife they overcame, bring it forward to your grandparents who met to create your parents who also met to have you. Let’s make it personal and think about all the shit you have had to endure, solve, and work through to get to this now.
You are a complete BADASS and each cell in our skin suits knows nothing else but to keep producing electrical energy. To LIVE.
In breath practice, we align and agree with our genome and aim to harmonize towards homeostasis. The journey of homeostasis is always reaching, never reached as we are always balancing and never perfectly balanced, until we’re dead I suppose.Breath is our key to The Source (capital T, capital S), the Divine, Universe, Soul, whatever you want to label it. While we are alive, the breath portal, as I like to call it is accessible at all times, anytime, all the time, including during breath holds (retention). Without Exhale, Inhale cannot be and vise versa. In this fashion, Breath becomes Breath Source.
Anyone who tries to get between us and Breath Source is full of shit, including me. The guru who promises that the only path to Breath Source is through him/her has an agenda.
The right true Breath Source guide aims to get out of the way and serves as a clock to keep count, to help reground, to provide loving guidance, and optimize the trajectory of liftoff and connection.
The power is within you, not your guide, and you are the driver, not the passenger.Community coherence is a real gift and while we practice individually, we also synchronize with every single person in the room. The work of Joe Dispenza and others like him have shown electromagnetic energy shifts in the presence of others. By the end of each breath practice, everyone in the room will be energetically synchronized with one another.
It is important to acknowledge this and take time to look around the room, make eye contact, and give a silent gentle Thank You to your community.Review of standard physical, mental, and emotional probable effects during practice.
Physical symptoms can include and are not limited to sensations of tingling, cramping, shaking, sweating or getting cold, feeling of electricity running through the body, farting!, desire to fidget or move around to divert attention, tuning to any areas of injury or tightness, and perhaps most importantly passing out, which is why this practice should never be done while driving, in the bathtub or any body of water including under the shower. Be sensible and don’t practice in any environment in which if you pass out bad things can happen.
Mental: I find periods of retention to be great opportunity to give thanks and reaffirm my personal BADASSNESS. My monkey mind often runs free to think about food, shopping list, work, conversations that I should have had, math problems, etc. The periods of breath hold and inhale retention are great opportunities to occupy the mind with affirmations, prayers, and scenery of you on top of a huge mountain with arms stretched as a conqueror in order to keep the monkey mind in check.
Emotional: Often when we shelf our consciousness with the profound effects of breath work, the empty space gets filled with emotions. I was reminded of this last night when I finally hugged my mother after months of isolation. When emotions arise, invite them in and give them space to do their thing. Please try and not feel embarrassed if you need to laugh, cry, or anything in between. I have seen tattooed and battle scared warriors lose their shit during breath practice. Let it free if it needs to be.
Your breath is a strong key to the doorway of your time in this space. To your gift of this one, precious life. Use it wisely.
The boiled down key to optimal breath is the balance between CO2, the exhaust, and O2, one of the key ingredients of reproductive life energy where nuclear reaction on the surface of the sun pulsate fused energy into the solar system, when it reaches earth it hits a surface and transforms into electromagnetic and thermal energy, it is digested and converted into and by plants into what we call food, we digest food (solar energy) and convert into electromagnetic, physical, and emotional energy.
To put simply, breathe less to optimize the absorption and utilization of O2 using the following simple hacks:
Use medical tape to gently tape your mouth shut at night during sleep. This isn’t restricting your mouth, rather a signal to your body to use your nose. Medical tape is soft and comes undone easily incase there is a strong desire to breathe through the mouth. In other words you will not suffocate.
Workout (train) by keeping your mouth shut & breathe through your nose. You’ll have to reduce your intensity at first, but your body will adapt over time and you will reach and probably surpass your mouth breathing performance levels.
Hydrate: we are collectively dehydrated. Mouth breathing cause 47% more dehydration in general.
Hummm 5min a day to increase Nitric Oxide, same vasodialating ingredients in Viagra!
Practice mini breath holds throughout the day. Try three deep breaths into your diaphragm then hold your breath at the bottom of the final exhale, when desire to breathe comes take a huge inhale and hold for 15 seconds or so. Repeat this often.
Soften your inhales, extend your exhales and humm if possible. Also soften the interval between your inhales and exhales.
Breathe from your diaphragm often, most of the time, all the time.
Today’s protocol:
Awareness of diaphragm: one hand on belly, the other on chest and train building up the breath from the diaphragm, then up a few inches to the lower ribs, then up into the chest and reverse this order like a wave. Smooth out this flow as much as possible then make each inhale and exhale full.
5x full inhale through the nose and hold at the top. Connect to your heart beating. This can take a bit of doing for some people and if this is you, concentrate and fish for it. Feel your heart pulsating in your stomach, chest, head, other body parts. Your heart rate is your internal clock. Connecting to it and using it is beneficial.
Isolated Nostril breathing. Use your left index finger to close your left nostril and breathe into your right nostril only for 10 breaths. Fully into the diaphragm, then lower ribs then chest. Hold your breath at top of the inhale for 10 counts and exhale slowly. Repeat this 10 times. Our right nostril is connected to the left analytical side of our brain that processes problem and is attuned to energy and logic.
Switch hands and nostrils. Use your right index finger to close your right nostril and breathe into your left nostril using the same process as above. 10 breaths. Fully in, hold for 10 counts, soft exhale and repeat. Our left nostril effects our emotional right brain that effects emotions and creativity.Four times modified Wim Hof Method Fundamentals (Summo) breathing. After the standard inhale squeeze reset breath, perform a slow second exhale for 10 counts and a hold for another 10 counts at the bottom of the second exhale retention (you can extend these second retentions by 5 counts each during pursuant rounds such as 10 count hold the first round, then 15 counts, then 20 counts, and so on). A second inhale squeeze reset breath during which you give thanks to anyone or anything, envision yourself on top of a majestic mountain with arms wide and empowered, pray for yourself, loved ones, the universe. This is a powerful time, and a special one, so please use it wisely and intently.
4-8-7-8 breath to begin calming the central nervous system back down: 4 count smooth inhale, 8 count hold, 7 could smooth exhale, 8 count hold and repeat for 5min or so
2 full inhales through the nose and hold at the top. Think about one thing you like about yourself during the first hold. On the second hold think about one thing you’re grateful for in your life.
Exhale and enjoy a few minutes of rest.
Breath is our superpower.