THE DROP

As before, you’ll stretch your awareness up through the Narrows and hold your full inhalation, without locking, at the Fontanel.  But then you’ll anchor your awareness at the Fontanel and allow it to drop straight down through the Narrows to the Perineum before you exhale.  (See blue arrows below.)  Feeling your awareness drop and stretch straight down through the Narrows and on down to your Perineum prevents forward projection.  You’ll hold your inhalation just long enough to allow your awareness to drop.  But the hold is not nearly as long as your slower inhalation and exhalation.

WHAT YOU WILL PRACTICE

First, you’ll anchor your awareness at your Perineum before beginning a Belly Breath.  Then, you’ll inhale and stretch your awareness up the tube through the Narrows and Soft Palate sensations, and up behind your eyes to the Fontanel.  Without locking your muscles, you’ll briefly hold your inhalation at the Fontanel’s sensation.  Then, you’ll anchor your awareness at the Fontanel and stretch it straight down through the Narrows sensation and on down to the Perineum.  Finally, you’ll exhale.  Read this paragraph until the entire sequence is clear.  Then practice with the concise audio below.

STEP 3:  THE EXHALATION

You’ll practice as before.  But as you exhale, you’ll totally release the tube image.  As the tube disappears, you’ll feel your awareness expand in all directions to fill the entire inner space within your head and torso, including where the imagined tube used to be.  To prevent forward projection, make sure to allow your awareness to also expand to the back of your body.  This is the “payoff” when you’ll learn to feel your energetic spaciousness.  But don’t allow the mind to color or shape what you feel.  Simply surrender, without mental interpretation, to the actual sensation within your inner space.

WHAT YOU WILL PRACTICE

First, you’ll anchor your awareness at your Perineum before beginning a Belly Breath.  Then, you’ll inhale and stretch your awareness through the Narrows and Soft Palate sensations to the Fontanel. Without locking, you’ll hold your inhalation and anchor at the Fontanel.  Then, you’ll stretch your awareness down through the Narrows sensation to the Perineum.  You’ll feel the whole tube filled with awareness.  Then, you’ll exhale as the tube disappears and your awareness expands to fill your head and torso.  Read this paragraph until the entire sequence is clear.  Then practice with the audio.

THE INTENTIONAL BREATH

The prior lessons were somewhat detailed and repetitive in order to address the tendency to project awareness forward.  Now, the technique becomes very simple.  However, occasionally review the prior lessons to make sure that you: 1) anchor at the Perineum before stretching awareness up the tube, and anchor at the Fontanel before stretching awareness down the tube; 2) always feel your awareness move through the Narrows sensation; and 3) always hold a full inhalation without locking your belly muscles.  An Intentional Breath is now four easy steps:

WHAT YOU WILL PRACTICE

You’ll remember to feel as awareness moves through the Narrows and Soft Palate.  First, you’ll anchor your awareness at the Perineum.  Then, you’ll inhale and stretch your awareness up to the Fontanel.  You’ll hold your inhalation and anchor. Then, you’ll stretch your awareness down to the Perineum.  You’ll feel the tube filled with awareness.  Finally, you’ll exhale as the tube disappears.  As your awareness expands, you’ll feel your entire inner space without coloring or shaping the sensations.  Read this paragraph until the sequence is clear.  Then practice with the audio below.

USING THE TECHNIQUE

Practice until it’s easy to take an intentional breath without referring to the instructions.  Then, you’re ready to begin to use the technique as a tool that can adapt to several areas of your life.  The next sections offer suggestions for integrating the technique in three phases.  In the first phase you’ll master the technique in solitary using a sequence of intentional breaths.  In the next phase you’ll use a single intentional breath to reduce real time stress by pulling awareness back from the world “out there.”  In the last phase you’ll use the technique to be present and anchored in social situations.