Fierce

Have you heard of Breath of Fire?

Breath of Fire is a breathing technique, often practiced in Kundalini yoga, that will help you:

• Face your fears
• Gain courage
• Rise above your doubt
• Access your inner power

How to do it:

1. First, channel your inner dog. This breath is a pant.
2. Sit up straight, on the floor, or in a chair, or in your car.
3. Inhale and let your belly expand.
4. Forcefully exhale from your nose and pull your belly in. This is the active part of the breath.
5. Let your stomach expand and air will come back into your lungs passively.
6. Pant rhythmically. Stomach in on the exhale. Stomach out on the inhale.
7. Continue for one minute.

Experiment:

1. Think of something troubling you and rate its disturbance level on a scale of 1-10.
2. Set your timer for 1 minute.
3. Press start and do breath of fire. Choose whatever pace works for you. If you need to pause, pause.Try not to judge whether you are doing it right or wrong.
4. When the timer ends, hold your breath in and squeeze your root lock as if you are trying not to urinate. Close your eyes and look to the space between your eyebrows. Hold your breath as long as feels comfortable.
5. Exhale completely and rest your hands on your thighs.
6. Notice any change in your energy.
7. Think of the subject that was troubling you, and rate it again. Any change? If not, maybe try again. Or just know you have altered your brain waves in a positive way, even if you can’t tell—YET.

For thought: Brett Larkin says energizing our core “magnetizes disparate energy.” I love to visualize a bright light in my stomach gathering all my fear. Jon Gabriel is another person who has powerful visualizations. He talks about a bright vortex in your core that sucks in any excess fat your body doesn’t need. When you combine these two ideas, all weight and thoughts that do not serve you transform into power. Awesome!

Shortcut: Not feeling Breath of Fire? Try Lion’s Breath.

1. Inhale deeply.
2. Stick your tongue out and roll your eyes up to the space between your eyebrows.
3. Exhale forcefully. Growl if you can.

Works well in traffic.

It’s Friday—BE FIERCE!

Be inspired. Go forth. Create your day.

Helpful links:

• Breath of Fire explanation and tutorial
• 20-Min beginning kundalini yoga class by Brett Larkin