Dear Common Awakening Community,

Our inner world can look a lot like the corner thrift store. Piles of leftover bits and pieces crowd the floor space of our life. We shift things around and reorganize our piles, but without cleaning out the space or selling off the goods, nothing much changes. Sometimes, it may even feel like we get rid of something and find it in its familiar place the next day.

It reminds me of the song from The Little Mermaid, “I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty! But who cares? No big deal; I want more.”

It’s the more we aren’t sure how to get. More peace. More purpose. More spaciousness. More perspective. More vibrancy. More of life.

All of our collected bits and pieces (some treasured, some not) stick around for various reasons. If you are like me, you have familiar ways of clearing your clutter, but it is often the surprise inspiration that gets the task done once and for all.

That’s where breathwork comes in. You may be wondering how in the world breathwork relates to cleaning out your inner clutter, but it does in some surprisingly effective ways.

First, learning key breathwork practices to calm physiologically is a direct way to make some inner space. Have you heard about the Physiological Sigh and the surprising findings out of Stanford (Stanford Study)? We are going to practice these calming methods at our retreat so that you walk away with some tools to find quiet to begin to create change.

Second, breathwork is a gentle way to enter a different inner (and outer) state. A bit like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, she only knows water and wants to feel feet on dry land. Breathwork, when done using some intentional breath patterns, gives us access to a new landscape—like moving from water to land. Breathwork naturally quiets our mind (the Default Mode Network) and opens us into a new space where our wise inner source can start rearranging those boxes, creating new neural networks, and getting rid of what we no longer need. We expand beyond our circumstances into a wiser space.

Third, we create a safe container to practice these new methods. You can go at your own pace and practice in a way that feels comfortable to you. Our goal is for you to walk away with tools you can continue to use and an experience of your “water to land,” shift, a state you can enter, that will support you in making space in your life in a new way.

What is your 1 Thing that if you brought it to breathwork might create the space you need for the more that is awaiting you?

With love, Annmarie

P.S. Still not sure what breathwork is and whether you are interested in trying it? Annie led a 20-minute breath practice session; you can view the recording and try it on your own. See how your inner space feels after a few minutes of intentional breathwork. You may be ready to bring your 1 Thing to our upcoming Breathwork Retreat.