Seasonal Breathing

Seasonal breathing is a breathing practice where each part of the breathing process relates to a season. Breathing in represents Spring, the pause after the breath represents Summer, Breathing out represents Fall, with the pause between breaths representing winter. Breathing in continues the seasonal cycle of Spring. This is a nice breathing practice to connect with the natural environment and also with yourself. The following describes one of my experiences practicing Seasonal Breathing. 

It rained hard the night before and most of the morning. When I finally saw a break in the weather I decided to go to the Latta Nature Preserve just North of Charlotte, NC. I practiced Seasonal Breathing at two different locations at the Preserve. 

The first location was in a forest of hardwoods with their beautiful green canopies overhead. I found my mind was still back at the car, did I lock the car, did I bring my rain jacket, should I check the weather radar again. I let those thoughts go. I closed my eyes and allowed a moment for my body to arrive and settle in the new environment. I began by just simply breathing and taking a few deep breathes. After a moment I began to introduce the practice of seasonal breathing. I noticed right away that the air felt heavy and was hard to breath. The air was stale and I couldn't smell the Petrichor as I typically did after a rain. Had too much rain affected this? I continued to practice with each season, what each season meant to me, how it felt in my body, and what were my experiences. I focused on Spring and Fall first and then introduced Summer and Winter. If my thoughts wondered I just brought my awareness back to the current breath. After playing with each season I experienced the following; Spring: Breathing in life, taking in the smells and the sounds. Hearing the birds first chirp. Summer: Pausing to sense the natural energy around me, the life around me, the movement, the sounds. The bug now in my ear. Fall: Release and let it all go, let the energy go, to fall away. Winter: Time to pause and rest in the moment, to feel the calm around you before breathing in new life again. And the cycle of Seasonal Breathing continues. 

After taking a moment to reflect I moved on to another nearby location along a lake. Next to the water the air felt lighter and easier to breath. There were more pines around me now and I could sense a slight fragrance in the air when the wind blew across my face. After the practice in both locations I found myself more relaxed than when I started and much more aware of the environment around me. I encourage you to give this breathing practice a try the next time you're out in nature. Let me know about your experience in the comments.