This is a helpful tool and it’s called breathing with sounds, a “basic level 101 live a better life please try this out” petition.
Take a big breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth. On the exhale, stick out your tongue and let whatever funny sounds fall out that have been locked up inside you waiting for this golden moment of awkward freedom.
Breath in → Tongue out → Exhale → Make sounds.
Sometimes (as you can see in the little video above) I like to wiggle it out in my body while I make sounds. Something similar to this practice is taught in the pranayama branch of yoga practice as Lion’s Breath.
When is breathing with sounds helpful?
Well, I’m happy to let you know that breathing with sounds can be a magic wand tool for when you’re feeling:
Overheated, overwhelmed, frustrated, excited, turned on, angry af, you need a minute, you can. not. believe. what someone just said or did, everything is going great! / everything is going the worst, you’re remembering your break up from last year AGAIN and are blerghkhkhkaaahkg (that’s a noisy breathing sound typed out), you don’t know how you’re gonna pay a big bill, you just got a FAT check in the mail, ya need some bloodwork, you’re finally starting to do that thing you’ve been saying you want to do for ages (for me that’s drawing sexy / spiritual / emotional / gay / magical comics).
Those are just a few high stakes / low stakes examples of when breathing with sounds can help you feel more embodied, chilled out, silly, present, alive, and better friends with yourself.
And yeah! You’re probably gonna feel awkward doing this at first.
Almost all of us have been socialized to not do very simple human things that help us to be functional people who we actually enjoy being with.
When we were babes, most of us were told to stop emoting: laughing, crying, expressing anger, and expressing pleasure. We hit a certain age and the grownups around us let us know that external manifestations of sensation were no longer ok.
As little ones, our first tool to try and control our “inappropriate” bodies and beings was through breath.
The thing is, now you’re a grown up and it might be safe to feel and express laughter, tears, anger, and pleasure, or whatever else is coming up for you in a moment where breathing with sounds could be your friend.
I invite you to notice when you’re holding your breath. This could be when things are going really well or really badly.
Increasing your oxygen intake — instead of non consensually (i.e. subconsciously) choking yourself — will allow you to be present with whatever’s going on more.
authorHolding your breath is like turning off a faucet when you’re parched for water.
Making sounds while breathing is a super simple and effective strategy to get more intentional and deep breaths in the mix.
And, if you do a really good job on the breathing with sounds tip, you might make yourself and anyone else around you have a little giggle, and then you’ll have even more oxygen in the party of your life, which leads to more of YOU actually being here with whatever’s going on.
Breathing with sounds: It’s free!
You can do this.
It makes my life better and I bet it will make your life better.
Also, what makes my life better? These personal emails that I send out weekly. You can have them if you want them. They’re also free.
XOXO,
Leah Moon
Leah Moon
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