So what, might you ask, does Istanbul, Sydney, Caracas, Moscow, Barcelona or Nairobi have in common with Nelson? On Saturday, people in these communities, plus hundreds more around the globe, will be participating in the Global Day of the Breath, a day dedicated to the art of conscious breathing. In this rural community you may notice many people pausing at noon on that day to pay attention to their breath.
“It’s simple really,” says Nelson organizer Jo Ann Lowell. “Pause your activities, sit, close your eyes and focus your attention on your inhale and your exhale. Try this for 15 minutes, longer if you wish.”
Lowell is the Canadian national co-ordinator for the International Breathwork Foundation.
“This most common ordinary aspect of life figures prominently in some of life’s greatest moments,” she says. “When a mother births a baby, in moments of great sorrow or joy, when hitting the highest notes onstage, training for that gold medal, or simply holding that yoga pose for just a moment longer.”
The International Breathwork Foundation is a non-profit organization in over 30 countries and it has been at the forefront of organizing the Global Day of the Breath worldwide. Through its volunteers there are hundreds of events celebrating the power of the breath on every continent at noon on this day each year.
“It’s been great fun spreading the word around town. Each time I put up a poster or copy some handbills, folks ask me what it’s about and pretty soon everybody in the store wants to try it. As of this moment people are planning to share the breath on Saturday in their classrooms, in their workplaces, at the top of the mountain... while others have taken handbills to share in Calgary, Australia, Mexico and around the Kootenays.”
If you want to find out more about the art of conscious breathing, Lowell will be offering an afternoon of breath awareness practices, Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. at The Studio, 182 Baker Street in Nelson, together with Czech Elder Ananda Prokopova and didgeridoo artist Martin Couch.
“Everyone is welcome!” says Lowell. “Wherever you are in the world, on January 22 take this moment to notice your breath. Nothing to do, or think, or say, nothing to change… just pay gentle kind attention to your breath.”
Ahhh.....
To learn more please contact the International Breathwork Association www.ibfnetwork.com.