Breath of Fire

According to the filter of Chinese medicine, my constitutional element is fire. So when it is up and online, I have a great deal of passion and energy, and when it is down and off-line, there is a corresponding flatness and emptiness. My passion goes out and there is very little available engagement energy.

Since my five element acupuncturist closed down her business, I have been trying to find something else that can help me with this dynamic.

What helps with fire

Certain foods are very helpful (brussel sprouts, spice teas, brown miso, some meats), avoiding other foods is helpful (dairy, sugar, cold foods temperature wise), general health maintenance is an important aspect of it (getting enough sleep, going for walks/hikes, getting fresh air and daylight), taking time to be with whatever I am experiencing without trying to push it away or hold onto it (even while I am engaged in various activities), Breema is helpful, and much more.

Breath of fire

Among the more recent things I have tried is the Breath of Fire, from Indian yoga. I am going to a yogic chiropractor and she has been suggesting a few very helpful techniques, all from Kundalini Yoga. Last Thursday she showed me the Breath of Fire.

I have done if a few times a day since then, for a few minutes at a time.

The first couple of days, the most obvious result was a sense of spaciousness and clarity. And I also saw how it was helpful in the more peripheral energy but it did not seem to touch the core. The last couple of days, this core reservoir of energy seems to gradually fill up again.

When I do it now, there is a tangible sense of heat and increasing (energetic) fullness in my belly and this supports and nourishes the rest of the body and system. This continues throughout the day, and is very similar to the effect of the five element acupuncture. And there is still the sense of spaciousness and clarity that comes with it.

It is also interesting to explore how to do it in a gradually more relaxed and comfortable way. How can I do it in a way that is so comfortable that I would want to do it indefinitely?

It also reminds me of my time at the Zen center where for a time I did yoga and meditation daily, and the powerful effects of this combination.

And it brings up a great deal of appreciation and gratitude for the innumerable generations of folks in Asia who had the passion and opportunity to explore all this, finetune and develop the techinques and understandings, and pass it on to the next generation.