
	David Allen \| 443.844.7489 \| david@breathworkworks.com \| breathworkworks.com

What’s this?

This is “In the Next Breath”, a place to share additional thoughts and information with you.

Who & How

What’s this?

Baking a Breath

The idea of surrender comes up frequently when working with breath. Each person has his/her own images and thoughts around the word. The decision to surrender may be new and challenging. I invite clients to think of surrender as the allowing of what might be. New potentials, new probabilities, new thoughts and beliefs.

But how to use this word without conjuring images of battle, of winning and losing?

As my clients can tell you, I often illustrate points during the session with air drawings, analogies and metaphors. I had the thought that as a process, baking and breathing are pretty closely related, especially in regard to the notion of surrender.

Baking	Breathing
Get the ingredients	What is going on / coming up / feeling?
Mix them together according to recipe	Reflection / intention setting
Put it all in the oven for set amount of time	Determine how long you will breathe
Wait	Breathe
Bring it out	Return
Taste	Review
Decide what to keep... what to do differently	Decide what to keep … what to do differently

After baking, even if the final product doesn’t taste the way it was imagined or described, usually there is still something to eat. After a breath session, even if the session or the experience wasn't what was "planned" or "expected", there is still something to work with afterwards.

In baking, the final step isn't reached without surrendering to the process.

In breath, the breathing is the baking.

To fully experience yourself in a session, surrender to the breath.

Which part of you would like to "bake a breath"?

Now is a great time to find out.

Baking a Breath © David Allen 2011

First published January 2011

Presents? Presence.

This is an un-credited work that I recently found in 2010. For me the power is in the simplicity of the wish.

Untitled

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated. He found his son waiting for him at the door.

SON: “Daddy, may I ask you a question?”

DAD: “Yeah sure, what?” replied the man.

SON: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”

DAD: “That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.

SON: “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”

DAD: “If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”

SON: “Oh” the boy replied, with his head down. "Daddy, may I please borrow $5?"

The father became furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard every day for such frivolities.”   The boy went to his room and quietly shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about his son's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, he had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $5. He really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the boy's room and opened the door.

“Are you asleep, son?” he asked.   “No daddy, I'm awake”, replied the boy.

“I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $5 you asked for.”

The boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank you daddy!” he yelled. He reached under his pillow and pulled out some crumpled bills. As the boy slowly counted out his money, his father began to get angry again. “Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.
“Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,” the boy replied.   “Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his son, and he begged his forgiveness. ~~

The best present just might be your presence.

Presence? Presence. © David Allen 2010

First published December 2010

A New Fall Line-up

School Daze?

Regardless of how you remember back-to-school, it is that time of year again. Even if you aren’t directly connected to any “back-to-school” activities, you can find the clues pretty much everywhere, even beyond retail and the calendar.

Change is in the air. Colors are starting to change and we had a very brief tease of cooler weather. Your body remembers the cycle at the end of summer. Anticipation (good or bad) of something new starting: a new grade, new teacher(s), new school, new responsibilities, new opportunities.

Out of the school cycle, this can be a great time to see where you are and where you would like to be. Just like planting bulbs now, so they can bloom in the spring, you can create a plan of action to put into play over the winter. Where are your areas of interest and / or improvement? Take some time to sketch out how you would like those areas to look come springtime.

How empty is your nest?

It doesn’t matter if you have little ones starting the first year of full time school or older ones going away to college, for you there will be a shift in demands, time and even self image.

Moms and dads are impacted by a child moving on. How closely your own sense of being and identity are tied to your child and his or her activities can be one of the many influences on how you may handle the transition. It can be especially challenging when part of you says “I know this is part of being a parent and I am so very proud/happy…” and another part says “What do I do with myself now?”

This is a great time to pull out that old list of things you wanted to do but never had time. If you never had one- set aside time to make one. See what shows up and then explore the ways to make it happen. If you are partnered, you can brainstorm things to do together without the kids.

If the feelings seem bigger than finding new ways to enjoy your time, there are many options for working with someone as you enter this new phase in your life.

Take some time to plant bulbs for yourself, not just the garden. Winter doesn’t have to exist only for shoveling snow and wishing for spring.

A little planning now can lead to something lovely in the next season, and the next and the next.

First published September 7, 2011

DCA close white shot 2.2010.jpg Take the next step.

I invite you to contact me to discuss your particular situation and how we may work best together.

Email david@breathworkworks.com

Phone 443.844.7489