This last bit of breathwork is a super simple exercise … so easy to do, it’s also easy to take for granted.
It’s a simple standing forward fold that can be modified and adapted as needed followed by rising up into a heart opening stance, timed with our flowing breath. The process of folding seems to slow time and while we are folded, we get a chance to look back and reflect, just a wee bit.
Years ago, when I first tried yoga, my teacher was super cool and held a few classes each month at the beach. The beach sessions focused more on slow, gentle moves coupled with her yogic philosophies.
It was the early 2000s and it seemed most people I knew were starting to get on a plane for business travel every week. LA’s tempo was picking up. So once a week, it was a welcome reminder from my super chill yogi guide to slow down and reacquaint myself with my body. Standing forward folds were, for her, specifically designed to create space for reflection. And we would really hang out there, folded over our legs, breathing, occasionally nodding our heads forward and back and side to side, and breathing. What a welcomed break from the forward, forward, forward momentum we were feeling around the city and in our workplaces.
The physical act of folding forward seems to put some temporary breaks on our forward motion and our vision looks behind us, making time to see where we’ve been. No judgment needed; the past is the past. And, maybe your reflecting point is just for a moment, maybe for longer (sometimes your back just isn’t into it and that’s OK, too).
Now again I feel the rumbles of “let’s goooo!” as the world opens up. Do you feel that sense of “let’s get back to it?” If so, today I offer you a gentle way to create some space to slow it down … and reflect.
I’m in Austin for my Mom’s birthday and we’ve already spent a lot of time laughing and remembering, enjoying each other and telling stories.
Today we’re off to make some new memories at a women-owned, local winery. We’ll toast you and your breathwork today. The exercise step-by-step is below. Cheers!
The Bloom Breath aka A Very Slow Forward Fold & Heart Opening Rise
- Stand with feet hip’s width apart
- Spend some time here getting loose. Shake it off, maaaaaan. Like really shake out your limbs … and, what is that, are you dancing? Awesome!
- When you’re ready, settle back to your stance.
- As you BREATHE OUT, bend your knees as needed and slowly roll gently forward, bringing your hands toward your shins or the ground (or the seat of a chair you’ve placed in front of you).
- When you’re ready to BREATHE IN, slooooowly roll up and bring arms over head.
- Breathe out and slowly roll forward and pause at the bottom.
- Breathe in, slowly rolling up and as your arms come up, bring your shoulder blades together so your heart shines through. Pause.
- Breathe out and roll forward. Pause. Let your head hang heavy and take a few deep breaths in and out through your nose.
- Breathe in and rise, bringing your arms up into a Y, shoulder blades together, heart open and lengthen your neck to look up. Spend some time opening your chest forward; and enjoy some deep breaths in and out through your nose.
- Breathe out and roll forward. Pause. Let your head hang heavy and take a few deep breaths in and out through your nose.
- OK, big finish: Breath in and rise, with arms coming up and wide (maybe into cactus arms), chest wide as heart shines through, neck long and maybe we look gently up.
- Come back to standing, allow your breath to come and go naturally and give your limbs a gentle, thorough shake out.
- Have a fabulous day … see you back at the studio!
