Listen to Alan read the article and guide you through the “Breathing into Your Bones” exercise.
Many of us have been conditioned to look outside of ourselves to find safety and security, to help us be more grounded, and to help us find the strength to carry on. Certainly, sources from outside can give us short-term support, yet in the longer term, we ultimately must find our own authentic power and strength. Authentic personal presence can only be sourced from within. The stronger our own sense of who we are and why we’re here, the more we are able to stand in our own authentic power and make the difference we are here to make.
In this post, I share an exercise I created seven or eight years ago when I was feeling overwhelmed with challenges. I discovered that when I felt afraid or threatened, my energy rushed up and forward out of my body. My breathing became shallow. It was as if my energy body was standing out in front of me instead of in my physical body. My body felt hollow and as if there was no life in it. Body and spirit were split from one another. And my thoughts were filled with fears and doubts and all the wrong kinds of “what ifs.” Simply put, I wasn’t in my body, and therefore not grounded and centered. Which only exacerbated my fears.
Realizing what was happening, I had the intuitive sense to breathe into the bottom of my body and into the bones of my pelvis and my spine. And then I started breathing into my whole skeleton—breathing into my bones. Right away, I could feel my energy back in my body again. My breathing got easier, my thoughts got quieter, and I felt more grounded and more in command of myself. Body and spirit were one again. Soul and ego were coming back into partnership. Fear was no longer in control.
It was out of this experience that I created this exercise, “Breathing into Your Bones.” As I introduced it to clients and workshop participants, its impact was immediate. It has become the fastest and single most powerful way I know to get centered and focused when the unexpected happens or when I feel overwhelmed.
Rather than talking more about it, let’s just do it. You can then have your own experience and draw your own conclusions about whether practice can serve you. Although it will take us about 20 minutes to do the exercise together, once you have done it two or three times and learned the process, you will be able to do the entire exercise quickly on your own in just a couple of minutes.
If you are reading, you might want to switch to the audio version of this article (see the link at the top of the post) and allow me to guide you through the exercise to get the full experience. In that way, you don’t have to try to read and do the exercise at the same time. The exercise begins 4:15 into the recording.
And so, let’s begin.
Choose a place where you can be alone without interruption for 15 minutes. Then stand with your feet under your shoulders and pointing straight ahead. If you need to sit, choose a firm chair, and sit with your feet flat on the floor and pointing straight ahead. Feel your feet making full contact with the floor and imagine that you are breathing down into the floor. … Then imagine that you are breathing even deeper down to the center of the earth. Let the ground beneath you support you. You might even imagine that your feet can sink down into the ground so that you are even more firmly rooted. Feel the earth support you.
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As you keep breathing deeper into the center of the earth, imagine there is a column of energy that is rooted in the center of the earth and travels up through your body and out through the top of your head to the center of the universe. … Then feel the energy travel from the center of the universe back down through your body to the center of the earth. … Breathe into that column, and let it bring your whole being into alignment—first within yourself, and then with All That Is.
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Notice what is happening in your body, in your posture, and in your breath as you come into this alignment. Let your spine stretch as if there is a gentle, beautiful pull between the earth and the universe that stretches you into your full presence as part of a greater whole.
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Breathe into the bottom of your body to a spot between the genitals and the anus. This is the root chakra—the root of your being—your connection to the life-force energy of the earth and all of creation. Breathe into your root chakra. If you have trouble getting your breath all the way to the bottom of your body, bend over as if you are going to touch your toes. Then breathe deeply and slowly, and you’ll feel your breath drop all the way down. After a couple of deep breaths, slowly return to an upright position while continuing to breathe into the bottom of your body.
The root chakra is the first point of an inverted energetic triangle within you. We’ll call it your Inner Triangle. Take one more breath into your root chakra to establish your awareness of this first point in your Inner Triangle.
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Now while remaining anchored in your root chakra, feel the whole length of your spine from your pelvis all the way up to the base of your skull. Your spinal column is the life-giving channel of your system—the physical structure through which your life force energy flows. The whole electrical system of your body and spirit flows through this column, and all the rest of your skeleton hangs off of it. Breathe into your root chakra and your spine.
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Now become aware of your ribs. As you breathe, feel your rib cage open and expand.
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Then feel the bones in your shoulders, and the bones in your arms and hands and fingers. Feel your pelvis, and the bones in your legs, and in your feet and toes. Breathe into your whole skeletal frame—feel the physicality of your being—the physical structure of your body.
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Now staying aware of your root chakra and the full length of your spine, bring your focus to the middle of your back between your shoulder blades. If you know the chakra system, this is the back side of the heart chakra—the second point of your Inner Triangle. Breathe into the back side of the heart—this second Triangle point in the middle of your upper back between your shoulder blades.
The back side of the heart chakra is where we hold our beliefs about how Life works and whether Life will carry us and support us. It invites us to lean back into Life and trust that we will be held and carried no matter what is happening. We all have different life experiences, and especially in these uncertain times, trust may not come easily. It’s ok. Be gentle with yourself, breathe into the back of your heart and let it open. Take another breath and gently pull your shoulder blades wide. As you exhale, keep your back open. Then as you inhale again, keep your back open and, at the same time, open your chest and rib cage. Imagine that your rib cage is a jacket or a vest that you are wearing outside of your body. Feel the expansiveness in your chest and your upper back. Breathe into this second point of your Inner Triangle, and tap back into the first point of your Triangle in the root chakra as well. Feel a line connecting these two points, forming one side of your Inner Triangle.
Even if only for a moment, let yourself lean back into Life. Breathe into the possibility that Life really could carry you. If that’s a little scary, it’s ok. Just keep breathing gently into the center of your back and allow yourself, at whatever level you can right now, to lean in to Life. Let yourself be carried and supported by something bigger than you.
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We have one more point to establish in your Inner Triangle. Staying aware of the root chakra (the first point), the full length of your spine, and the middle of your back side of your heart chakra (the second point), imagine a line passing through your body from the back of your heart chakra to the front, right in the middle of your breastbone or sternum. This is the third point of your Inner Triangle. The line connecting the back to the front becomes the second side of your Triangle.
Imagine that there is a gentle, beautiful hook embedded in the front of your heart chakra—the third Triangle point—and that it’s from this hook that you are guided by a Greater Wisdom. Imagine that Greater Wisdom pulling you forward, guiding and steering you as you navigate your journey of Life.
Breathe into this guiding heart energy—the third point of your Inner Triangle. And know that when you meet life from the Greater Wisdom of your heart, trusting that Life will carry and support you, you open a door to greater understanding of whatever may be happening. And the Greater Wisdom will guide you forward.
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Finally, imagine a line from this third point of your Inner Triangle extending down to the root chakra, completing the third side of your Inner Triangle. Breathe into the full triangle. Let it become a powerful, strong, secure energetic structure that can support your daily life.
The first point of the Triangle at the root chakra can serve as a fulcrum on which the whole Triangle can tilt back and forth. You can lean back into Life as well as tilt forward as a Greater Wisdom pulls you onward. Just as trees are deeply rooted in the earth yet have flexibility to move with the wind, so can we be with life. We can be grounded in the physicality of our being, while at the same time bend with the winds of Life, remaining strong, safe, and resilient.
If your eyes are closed, open your eyes now and look around your space. Stay anchored in your Inner Triangle. Keep breathing into your bones. What is different now than before this exercise? Staying grounded in this awareness, take a few steps or move around your space. Stay with your Inner Triangle. Keep breathing into your bones. And continue to notice what is shifting in your presence—in how you are showing up to Life now.
In the coming days, do this exercise a few more times. With a bit of practice, you can learn to quickly ground yourself and bring your energy into alignment simply by breathing into your bones, tapping into your Inner Triangle, and anchoring yourself in the physicality of your being. Your body is the physical home of your soul. And your bones and your Inner Triangle can form a physical and energetic structure that provides grounding, emotional safety, and resilience every day.
Note: If you choose to use this script to lead others through this exercise, be sure to read slowly, giving time for your participants to be with each instruction. Where you see … in the script, that indicates a pause in your instructions. Listen to the recording to get a sense of the timing. Of course, you can also use this recording to lead others through the process. And finally, please acknowledge the source of the exercise—Alan Seale, founder of the Center for Transformational Presence. Thank you!
