Intentionally Breathing - A Healing Journey

My breathwork journey started I think when I first did Hatha Yoga.

At the time, I was in secondary school in Egypt, moving onto university.

Cairo, I found put a lot of investment in foreign investments, and therefore it meant lot of foreigners coming from overseas (including me), international schools and universities as well as cultural centres. 

They had an Indian cultural centre there, but that wasn't the one I went to, & the one that I did go to, I'm afraid that I cannot recall.

There are different types of yoga, I'm sure that you are aware. Some say that it originates from India, others from Africa.

I actually have a vague memory of having a nervous breakdown when I was little right before a school play, and my mum trying to get me to snap out of it and just breathe.

Was that my first encounter with intentional breathing? I do not know. What I know is...

many years later, I got reminded again via a subscription called, at the time, 'The Homecoming Collective' with LayinKa Sani a transformational coach and change facilitator. Yep, deep belly breaths was a thing, and then yet again with another coach Naima Mohamed who is also a therapist.

Then it happened again... in a heart warming interview I did on my podcast ''Black'' Woman Speaks Arabic with yogi Christa Daboiko whom I'd crossed paths with and who had happened to be doing a research on yoga for mental health, at the time. I had to grab her to share her with you sisters.

You can listen to us talking about Yoga, ''Black'' Women and Anxiety here.

....And then again when I had attended and eventually facilitated in the Black Muslim Women Healing collective.

So it seemed that I was having a consistent reminder to take in deep breaths, every single time I left it for too long.

Recently, as I navigate through chronic fatigue, depression and over-exhaustion whilst on my healing journey, I'm forced to start reminding myself of being more intentional with little things that I can do to flush out negative energy from present and past traumas.

So... I started to journal about it....and WoW! Like subhaanAllah! What a deep diving experience it has been!

I really underestimated the power of such a 60 sec process!...and it wasn't just the mere taking-in and the expelling out of air, but catching the moments of when something comes up, be it resistance, memories, discomfort and then journaling about them. This opened a whole new level of self-discovery and relief.

Yes a relief and a sense of refreshment too, thank God.

Just 60 sec, sis!

At one point or another, 10 sec for me has shown to be a bit of a challenge.

So, take note of and be mindful that some feelings that have been tucked away may start to re-surface. Do make sure to support yourself with self-care should you feel overwhelmed.

You do not need to aim to complete 60 sec. It's OK and perfectly fine. Be kind to yourself.

Just the mere setting aside some time away from the world to say ''hello me, how are you doing, really?'' is a breakthrough.

The intention is to breathe in deep breaths of positivity and flush out the negative. Feel free to stop if it gets too overwhelming, and take some time to support yourself with self-care ( talk to a friend/ a specialist/ do something rejuvenating or creative/ relaxing e.t.c)

As a Muslim woman, I chose to breathe-in whilst remembering Allah (God) and saying alhamdulillah (thank God), and on breathing out, I chose one of His attributes that aligned with the hurt I was going through. You can choose a positive mantra of your choice.

Here is how I approached it as a Muslim woman, but you can choose a mantra that works for you...So say for example someone has hurt you ...perhaps saying Allah's attribute 'Al-Ghaffar'/ 'Al-Ghafoor' (The Forgiver/ Oft Forgiving) and so reaching out to Him to help release that and take it away, and let Him deal with those who have oppressed you.

I'm curious, what positive thing, word or phrase would you breathe in and what would you want to say on exhaling?

And above all, what came up for you in that experience that you may want to jot down in your journal?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

While you are here, why not check out my handcrafted Afro-centric journals and African-beaded pens?

Peaceful Healing!