Exercise 39: Before you can be filled, you must be emptied.

Background:  This exercise was initially part of the December, 2018 Advent Campaign.

It is built on the idea that in order to fill ourselves up with the things we wish to have, we must first empty ourselves of the things we don’t want.

Visualizing God’s breath in us is an important prerequisite to this practice.  You can find an exercise more specifically focusing on this practice here.

 

 

The Exercise:

1.  Sit up, straight and comfortable.
2.  For the duration of your practice today, release yourself from your commitments.  Give yourself permission to engage this practice fully.  
3.  Take a deep, cleansing inhale.  Place your hand on your belly and do your best to feel it move; fill your lungs from the bottom, up.
4.  Exhale fully, from the bottom of the lungs through the top.
4.  With your next inhale, see that this in-breath is God breathing into you.  
5.  Exhale, fully.
6.  With your next inhale, remind yourself of God’s presence, breathing into you.
7.  Exhale, again.
8.  Inhale God’s breath into you.
9.  For these next few breaths, we will focus on the exhales.  With each breath we will be exhaling tension from our body.  Continue to breathe slowly and fully.
10.   remember that each inhale comes straight from God as we engage this.
11.  Inhale, God’s breath.
12.  Now, exhale.  But with your breath, exhale the tension from your feet and calves.  Blow it out through your mouth.
13.  As you inhale God’s breath, feel it filling your all the way down to your feet.
14.  As you exhale, breathe out the stress from your knees and thighs.
15.  Inhale a breath straight from God.   This breath is what makes you human.
16.  Exhale the tension from your lap and buttocks. 
17.  Inhale God’s breath into the space you have made.  Feel it travel downward from the lungs to the whole lower half of your body.
18.  Exhale the tension from your abdomen and lower back.
19.  Feel God breath out, and into you.
20.  Exhale the tension from your chest and upper back.
21.  Inhale a breath from God.  Feel the breath first fill your lungs.  Let that divine breath fill up the empty space you have made.
22.  Exhale the tension from your next and shoulders.
23.  Inhale and feel God’s breath fill you from toes to neck.
24.  Exhale the tension from your head.  Feel it leave your brow, jaw, and the base of your skull.  Exhale this stress with your breath.
25.  Now, as we begin to draw this exercise to a close, continue to draw God’s breath into the empty space you have created.  With this next inhale, feel that this oxygen that is spreading to every inch of you is carrying God’s love.
26.  Exhale stress and tension.
27.  Inhale, and see that God’s breath is filling up the empty space within you with the deepest Peace.
28.  Exhale your worries and concern.
29.  With this next inhale, bring God’s breath into the tips of your fingers and toes.  Draw it up to the top of your skull.  Feel it in all the places in between.  And know that this breath is peace.

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