Body Current® Intelligence Practice Series by Shanti Medina, RYT CPT CNSF
This is part of the Neurosculpting Institute blog series of simple and highly effective practices to attune the innate mind/body intelligence.
Practice #1: Wave Awareness Breath
This simple breathing practice attunes the innate mind/body wisdom, self-regulates the nervous system, down-regulates the limbic system and stimulates the higher executive functioning of the prefrontal cortex.
1) Find a comfortable seated position
2) Notice your safe connection to the stable ground beneath you, your connection to your body being breathed, your connection to the current moment.
3) Begin to expand your awareness around the rhythm of your natural breath. Notice how your body effortlessly rises and falls like a wave entraining with the rhythm of your breath. Allow any thoughts to simply rise and fall through your awareness. Expand your Awareness, Acceptance and Allowing of all that you are experiencing. Your body is being breathed and you are safe on stable ground.
4) Deepening the awareness of your breath, begin to affect the rhythm of your breath simply by slowing the current or wave of your breath. Noticing that with simple heightened awareness and intention, you just self-regulated your breathing. I wonder where else you may choose to focus your heightened awareness as you continue to communicate and relate with your abiding mind/body intelligence, your Body Current wisdom.
5) Resting your awareness at the base of your spine, allow your next inhale to ignite in the bowl of your pelvis. Following your breath, feel it rise up your front body filling every cell. Noticing as the wave rises, it lifts your heart as you fully receive the breath allowing the wave to crest at the crown of your head. Exhaling, follow the release of your breath noticing the wave wash down the back body softening tension along the way as the breath resolves at the base of the spine, in the bowl of the pelvis where the next inhale will begin.
6) Continue this Wave Awareness breathing for 30 seconds to 20 minutes. Perhaps you follow the wave of sensation rising and falling linking your awareness with the rhythm of your breath and syncing with the current moment. Or maybe you choose to further embody the breath by undulating your spine with slow and smooth movements riding the wave of your breath, as it rises and falls.
When you feel complete, take a few moments to notice the shifts you have already experienced from this simple practice. Perhaps you notice a bit more ease in your mind or maybe you are aware of a deeper sense of relaxation or stimulation in your body. Can you sense the current of energy, your innate intelligence, now that you have down-regulated your limbic system and heightened your awareness centers? I wonder how you will choose to navigate your day from this heightened awareness and expanded breath.
