Air is expansiveness, balance, harmony, detachment, and limitlessness. These are the lessons we can take from air. We can connect to this element by using breathwork and mindfulness.
Why would we want to integrate with air? Because we breathe air every moment of every second. We are fueled by this element - and without it, we would literally not be alive. This all means that you and the air are no different from each other. We are of air. We are air.
There's a book called, When Breath Becomes Air, and to be honest, I haven't read it yet, but it basically demanded itself into my life (more on this another time) and I absolutely love the title. Can you believe we have a tool that connects us to nature (air), alters our mood and keeps us alive? It's the breath. Incredible. Don't forget it.
Themes/Focuses:
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Detachment
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Expansiveness
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Gratitude
Meditation to Connect with Air
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Use the breath to slow down and anchor in: inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth three times.
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Begin Nadi Shodhana/Alternate-Nostril Breathing to balance the brain and body and bring ourselves into equanimity: inhale through left nostril for 6 seconds, hold at top for 12 seconds, exhale right nostril for 6 seconds, inhale right nostril for 6 seconds, and so on... Try this for about 12 full rounds.
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Complete Nadi Shodhana by inhaling and exhaling through both nostrils (normally) and notice how expansive it feels to breathe - connecting presently and deeply with the essence of air for a few moments.
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Begin Sitali pranayama: inhale through lips in small "o" shape OR through taco-shaped tongue and exhale with Lion's Breath: exhale through open mouth, tongue sticking out, eyes gazing up at third-eye center to cool, release and let the heck go.
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Complete your practice by returning to the natural breath cycle and landing on some gratitude. Let it flow abundantly, boundlessly, limitlessly - like air.
Tip for Today: Breathe consciously + practice gratitude for one thing today. Use the thing you're grateful for (ie: your breath) to be a pattern-interrupt whenever you spiral into negative thought - come back to air, your breath and the simple, expansive beauty of it all.
