On your very next breath, slow down the exhale, and soften into the pause at the base of the breath cycle before breathing in again. You’ll probably feel an immediate shift in both physical energy and the quality of your attention. Though we often practice the mindfulness instructions to observe the breath without altering it, working intentionally with the breath is absolutely part of our practice lineage. Through the breath we have a direct connection to the nervous system, and often much more ability to diminish a hindrance or process a difficult emotion than through bare awareness alone.
Sean Oakes
Guest Teacher/Movement Teacher
Sean Oakes, PhD, teaches Buddhism and Yoga focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary meditative states. His current research explores identity, ancestry, and rebirth, and working with the body in contemplative inquiry.