Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/97768
breath for bal ance Focus Only on Breath With the client lying supine on the table, ask her to start taking deep breaths, clearing her mind by bringing awareness to only the breath. Encourage her to feel the breath as it enters the body through the nostrils, following it to the back of the throat and down into the lungs, and feeling the rising of the abdomen. Ask her to continue to keep awareness on the breath as it begins to leave the body, feeling the fall of the abdomen, and following the breath out of the lungs, up through the throat, and out the nostrils. Keep the client's awareness on the breath until the mind is clear of everything but the breath. Have the client continue with deep breathing— now is the time to tune into the body. Start by instructing the client to take awareness to her toes, noticing how they feel. Are they cold, warm, or tingly? Direct the client to move awareness up through the arches and tops of her feet, slowly continuing up through her ankles, all while bringing 94 massage & bodywork january/february 2013 into awareness what is going on in each area. Even if nothing is there, encourage the client to be aware of the nothingness. Continue to bring your client's awareness up through her legs in the calves and shins, through the knees, and then up into the thighs. Next, bring the client's awareness to the buttocks and pelvic basin, asking her to note if she feels anything like a constriction or expansion. Continue by bringing the client's awareness to the abdomen as it rises and falls with the breath, noting how the area feels and what is going on in that region. Now, move the client's awareness up to the chest and heart area, tuning in to how it feels, how the breath moves in and out of the chest, and how the heart beats. Ask the client to carry