Want to let go of stress? Try Lion's Breath!

I call them the usual suspects.

Those places in my body that get very tight when I'm thinking too hard, worried, working long hours, or just letting my brain spin.  

For me it's the chest, neck, and jaw.

This area of our body is ultra complex.  The shoulder and neck joints are incredibly mobile and play ball with the upper back and the chest. It is easy to understand why we cramp up in our face, jaw, and chest especially if we are locked into a very cerebral experiences.
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In this personal practice we do very, very simple shoulder motions, neck stretches, and breathwork to zap tension in the shoulders, chest, neck, and face. What's great about these complex and integrated parts of the body is that one or two simple moves can positively impact the whole system. After light movement we head into intentional pranyama practice drawing from Lion's breath.

Lion's breath is a pranayama practice in which we breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.

During the exhale the mouth is stretched out and the tongue sticks all the way out.  It can also be helpful to focus attention to the third eye. 

Let is big BIG! Let it feel any way that it feels: awkward, powerful, intense, celebratory, relieving!
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Once the Lion's breath has soothed your system, and discharged stress we head into a meditation practice that is all about peace. Bringing softness, comfort, and a steady rhythm back into the system.

Replace stress, worry, and tension, with peace, softness, and clarity

Want to take this practice further?
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This breath is also used in a Kriya practice inspired by the Goddess Kali the goddess of destruction, and thank goodness for her. How can we ever rebuild if we are still clinging to what's broken and no longer working? In that Kriya practice you take Goddess pose and make either the shape of a sword with arms overhead, or goal post with chest open wide. Then, engage with lion's breath, or I suppose we could consider it lioness breath too. 
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I hope you enjoy this practice as much as I enjoyed recording it for you.

​XO,
Julia