Okay, so this post is a little late but it’s never too late to celebrate independence and freedom with a new breath move! 
Kira and I learned this from a video search as we were preparing for the Fourth of July and I was preparing for teaching the weekend rotation at Easton Yoga outside. This breath is guaranteed to have you be a little silly which I think helps us free ourselves from any fear of judgement and connect deeper with our inner child and imagination.
I don’t know about you but I always loved watching fireworks on the fourth. There was something about being outside all day and then culminating the event at night by shooting sparkly explosives into the deep night sky and having them light up the dark and send sound vibrations to your ears and body as well. You can feel them and when you have a ton of people sitting around looking at the same fireworks display – it connects them and creates community. This is all stuff I love.
So to start the fireworks breath – first come to a comfortable seat. Imagine that red plaid blanket under your tush and the green summer grass all around you. Close your eyes. Feel all parts of you connected to the ground and listen to your natural breath. How does it feel? Describe it. Smooth? Relaxed? Labored? Short? Fluid? No judgement, simply observe.
Then come to bring the hands in prayer in front of the chest. On the inhale wind the prayered hands up into the air following the entire inhalation up as if the firework is shooting into the sky. Feel the movement in the wrists as the firework winds from side to side making its way up and up and up until it reaches overhead. Feel the full length of the arms as they lengthen out from the shoulder joints. Then – CLAP – the firework explodes into the air! Imagine all that space above you lighting up. And then, for the exhale let the hands part and drift slowly down by the sides as if you can envision the particles of explosion softly drifting downward and downward until there is nothing left but a bit of dust. The explosion has ended. The excitement has ended. The palms are resting on the knees or thighs. Take this in. Let it soften you. Let it free you. Let it keep you connected to the present moment. Let it awaken you. Let it flow through you. Try it for a few rounds and notice how you feel after.
On this fourth of July and onward – may this movement bring you peace, joy, and a sense of freedom.
