Wonderbreath Parachute (Day 162)

We're looking at the body and taking three weeks to build our @attention posture. We'll do every practice in a deliberate version of this posture, and eventually we live our lives informally @attention.

This week we're going to look at the top of the torso – sitting on top of the pelvic foundation (last week) and the mid-section float (the first week). These lower two are like a parachute – the diaphragm/middle is the sail that fills with air, and the lower torso/bandhas is the payload/person.

This area at the base of your neck plays a critical role in keeping your awareness decoupled from what's going on in your body.

There is another, smaller parachute structure here at the top of the torso. Today we'll focus on the open sail part of it via the Wonderbreath (the first inhale you naturally take when something wonderful and surprising happens). Notice what happens when you take this breath – your eyes light up and the back of your throat opens up – this is your parachute opening. You'll feel something similar at the beginning of a yawn, or when you smell something deeply.

PRACTICE

Keep your Wonderbreath space open as you practice and as you go about your day. Make sure that it's being supported from below with the rest of your torso.