The Latin word, Inspiritus, means “breathe” and also contains the word for “Spirit”: to breathe in and be filled with Spirit; to be alive. It is also the root word for “inspiration” and in the creative sense, to be filled with the Muses, gods or God.
When we have experienced ongoing overwhelm, trauma, developmental or emotional dysregulation, our “inspiration” can disappear into the background, as well as the natural coordination of the breath, and our nervous system regulation. This can often look like physically controlling the breath in some way, e.g. shallow breathing due to the charge of our underlying survival physiology. When old traumatic memories surface in the body, and we just start taking deep breaths to control the experience, so that it can move through as quickly as possible, we miss the opportunity to integrate these underlying somatic responses.
Instead, we can choose to stay connected to our body and let ourselves feel what the breath wants to do, the emotion, pain, sensations, and maybe even complete some thwarted fight/flight/freeze responses through movements in our arms or legs.
When we let ourselves stay with and move through the discomfort, there will often be a spontaneous release of breath, possibly a more chaotic one, as well as emotion, and/or impulses, which invite the body into a deeper reset post-release.
If we allow and invite it, the breath can help us to sync with our own internal rhythms and help others to sync with theirs. Each breath brings modulation of the heart rate, vascular rhythm, respiratory rate and muscle tone. When the body is at rest, there is unison between these, except when severe trauma continues to disrupt these systems and remains unintegrated. When coherence comes to the forefront, we feel whole and the physiology does what it’s supposed to do by self-organizing and self-regulating.
Sense into your breathing rhythm now and how it is carried throughout the body. How each area of the body can offer a subtle sensation of being “breathed”.
- Notice how it can convey both our presence and vulnerability, and how they can lead us into embodying greater strength and power. Ask yourself if the way that you breathe inspires you to take in life around you? How does the quality of your breath reflect your relationship to Spirit, and how much you invite yourself to be filled with the muses, gods or God?
Click here for a 30 second video with 2 ways to Calm your Nervous System using the breath!
