Exercise: Tai Chi Bubble Breathing

Once you're comfortable with the Tai Chi Baton Breathing you can move on to this exercise. It takes a bit more thought so can be too much on some days especially when getting used to it, but eventually you'll find it quite calming.

This exercise will focus your mind and require split attention, which is great for training your brain to get back to multi-tasking and flexibility of attention. 

Sitting or standing for this meditation is fine. 

1. Close your eyes and take 5 slow, calm breaths. 

2. Imagine the Baton between your naval and pituitary, it is gently moving with your breaths in and out. Do this for another 5 breaths. 

3. Now imagine a balloon around your body - maybe 2 or 6 inches outside your body. It protects and shields you. It can glow a colour if you feel this helps - I always found iridescent purple very soothing. 

4. As you inhale the balloon gets closer to your body (like a balloon deflating slightly) and as you exhale, the ballon is bigger and stronger. Keep imagining the balloon as you breath in & out. Do this for at least 5 minutes but 10 minutes will really help calm your mind. 

5. If you can, combine the Baton with the Balloon as you breathe.  If it becomes too stressful, just focus on the Balloon for now until you get used to it. Add the Baton in for a couple of breaths, and keep increasing it until you can combine them.

Tip: I quite like to do it standing on public transport or busy places when you often feel your space being invaded, which can make you feel stressed. This exercise makes you feel that you have regained that personal space, even if only internally. 

Exercise: Tai Chi Baton Breathing

I do not study Tai Chi with a teacher, but to help my meditation and improve balance after my accident I studied Ramel Rones's "Tai Chi Energy Patterns" DVD.  I found it really helped when I wasn't well enough to even go for a walk. These breathing patterns were the beginning of how I learnt to manage pain with meditation. They take focus and control. 

This exercise 'Baton Breathing" is a good starting point to focus your breathing and meditation. 

Do it sitting or standing, then apply it when you're moving mindfully e.g. walking.

1. Sit or stand with a neutral spine, imagining your head reaching to the sky and feet growing like tree roots into the ground. Slightly tuck the pelvis under to encourage a long lumbar spine. 

2. Picture an energy ball behind your naval. As you inhale the energy becomes more focused within you and centralises at the energy centre. As you exhale the energy expands and grows inside your body, giving it strength. Keep doing this for 5 minutes.

3. Picture the energy ball in your pituitary centre (in between your eyes in your forehead) and inhale and exhale, imagining the energy ball becoming larger as you exhale & smaller as you inhale. Keep doing this for 5 minutes.

4. Connect the naval and pituitary energy balls drawing a line between them - creating a baton. Reside in the baton as you breathe. Sense the difference between the naval and pituitary, how does this feel in the baton?  Stay here for at least 5 minutes. 

It is important to feel the length in the spine whilst relaxing to encourage correct posture and the optimum flow of energy in your body. 

Exercise: Mindfulness (1) The Relaxation Journey

It is important to have a safe, protected, personal place in your mind where you go when things are hard, especially during your rehabilitation.  It should have at least one daily visit from you. 

You can tailor this exercise if you don't like the sea, but it must have a downward sensation to replicate the deep level relaxation that you want to achieve, e.g. you can travel to the earth's core. If you want me to make a recording of this as my experience is that reading is difficult, then please let me know. 

Lie down comfortably without any body parts crossing, face your palms to the sky and gently close your eyes. 

Relaxation journey 

Imagine you're lying on a soft, warm sandy beach that supports your body; gently caressing your shape & moulding to your muscles.  Feel the warm sun gently penetrating your skin as you can smell your warm skin.  Hear the sounds of people playing and talking on the beach, but they are too far to hear any words; it is just a muffle. You are secluded enough not to be disturbed by anyone, but there is life around you.  There is a slight breeze and you can hear the wind gently moving some bushes nearby.  

Draw your attention closer so that you can hear the waves lapping near to your feet, slow and gently, in and out.  Your breathing is in time with the waves and as each breath draws in you can feel the waves coming closer, bringing cleansing salt water to your feet and minerals to feed your soles.  As the waves come in your body soaks up those minerals and as the waves recede they wash any impurities away. 

Slowly each wave travels up your body, it cleanses each part of your body & washing away impurities.  First the feet, hen the ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, pelvis, abdomen, lungs, heart, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, neck and finally your head.  Now you are totally cleansed, your body is lighter than the sea water, it is purified. 

The next wave carries you out to sea so that you float on the top of the sea waves.  Each wave gently rocks your body which is so relaxed that is gently rocks with each wave. 

You drift away on the water until you are far away from land and people.  You are alone and all there is around you is clear blue sky & clear blue sea. Enjoy being alone with no one to disturb you & look gently at the clear blue around you.  You are your own bubble, as though you are in a plastic inflated bag; protected and safe. 

Gently you begin to sink down between the water creating a cavern as you sink but your bubble stops water from covering where you have come from.  You can see the sky above the water as you sink deeper, all the time feeling safe in your bubble.  You keep sinking and sinking deep into the ocean.  It is still warm in your bubble so the depth is comfortable and the colours gently become darker hues of blue. 

Eventually you sink so low that it is no longer blue, but black.  You cannot see the sky at the end of the tunnel you created from sinking down, but you know that it is there if you want to return to the world.  You are safe, warm, away from distractions & the world.  Look around you (in your mind don't actually open your eyes) - it is black. There is nothing but you here, this is your space - you are alone, safe and protected.  Nothing can come here, nothing can find you, no one knows this place except for you. 

Keep using your eyes to see the black, the nothing is there to never disturb you.  This is your place to enjoy, relax & hang out, so just be there.  Stay as long as you need to in this place. 

When you're ready to come out, slowly float up to the surface of the sea.  Bob on the waves for a while before floating back to the beach.  Let the water wash away and come back to the sound of the people at the beach. 

Then gently wiggle your fingers & toes before you open your eyes and rejoin the world.