Breathword
Breathword is a podcast about breath as a tool for living and the ways life breathes back. Each episode explores the insights that come from slowing down, tuning in, and letting yourself feel. Through intimate conversations, poetic reflections, and grounded breaths, host Annie Janssen invites you into a more authentic, wiser way of moving through the world. This is a space for healing, humor, imperfection, and the quiet magic of being alive.
Breathword
Spring Cleaning for the Soul Breathwork
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Welcome to Breathword, a poetic breathwork experience hosted by Annie, your guide through 15 minutes of transformative 3-part breathwork. If you're new to this practice, visit breathword.com to get acquainted.
In this episode, titled "Spring Cleaning for the Soul Breathwork," we delve into the rejuvenating power of clearing space within ourselves. As the season of renewal approaches, it's an opportune moment to reflect on neglected areas of our lives, both external and internal.
Annie invites you to consider the clutter in your physical surroundings, drawing parallels to the clutter that may exist within your mind, body, and spirit. From stagnant energy to neglected relationships, she encourages you to embark on a journey of self-exploration and renewal.
With these reflections in mind, Annie guides you through a 15-minute breathwork session aimed at clearing space in your heart and mind. Through the rhythmic 3-part breath, you'll release tension, invite in revitalizing energy, and cultivate a sense of inner clarity and peace.
As always, Annie provides gentle reminders to listen to your body and offers reassurance for any sensations you may experience during the practice. After completing the breathwork, you'll have the opportunity to relax to soothing music before Annie shares a heartfelt poem on the theme of expansion.
Join us as we embark on a journey of spring cleaning for the soul, using the breath as our guiding tool for transformation and renewal.
Tune in now and let's begin the journey together.
Welcome to BreathWord, a poetic breathwork experience. I'm your host and breathwork facilitator, annie, and I'll be guiding you through 15 minutes of three-part breathwork. If you're new to the three-part breath, I suggest visiting breathwordcom first to get acquainted. Today's theme is spring cleaning for the soul. Perhaps you're feeling that itch to clean, or maybe you're in the middle of moving. Now is a great time for us to consider the little areas that maybe we've been neglecting, like those clothes thrown over a chair or stale food taking up space in the pantry, and it's also a great time to consider what that looks like within ourselves. Maybe it's this stagnant or stuck, low energy, maybe it's a relationship that you've been putting on the back burner, and maybe that relationship is with yourself. Are there parts of your mind, body and spirit that are in need of some TLC? Well, that's exactly what we're going to do. Let's clear out some of the cobwebs and dust off the shelves of our mind. Using the breath, we'll embark on a 15-minute guided breathwork journey to clear out that space. I'll be guiding you through a three-part breath.
Speaker 1As a reminder, this breath is done lying down completely flat. All breaths are through the mouth as you cycle the breath from the belly to the chest and exhale. Before we start, gently place a hand on your stomach and a hand on your chest. Inhale air into your belly Now inhale into your chest, shifting it up into your heart space and fully exhale and repeat Inhale into your belly, pushing against your hand. Inhale into your chest, nudging that top hand, and release. We'll continue this all through the breath.
Speaker 1As I said, and as always, you may experience tingling, getting hot or cold or cramped hands all normal, totally fine, and I encourage you to lean into it If it ever becomes too much. Take a few breaths through your nose before returning. Once we've completed the three-part breath, you'll relax for a song. Before I read a poem I wrote for you. Now let's get started. Make sure you're lying down in a comfortable place, completely flat, free from distractions. We'll start by just taking some nice, easy breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, in through the nose and out through the mouth In through the nose.
Speaker 1And out through the mouth, again gently in through the nose and out through the mouth. Continue these nice easy breaths. You might want to wiggle your body, to ground yourself a little bit, shaking loose any tension and clenching your jaw, relaxing your eyebrows and your forehead, just letting your body lie heavy against the ground or against your bed, wherever you are Getting present with ourselves, noticing any lingering tension or tightness and with each little exhale, releasing it, letting it go. We don't need it. Inhaling some gratitude, letting it go, we don't need it. Inhaling in some gratitude for your space that holds small comforts that you witnessed today or you have in the past couple of days, those moments of ease and tapping into that as we let the breath flow.
Speaker 1There's nothing else to do for the next 15 or 20 minutes except to be right here with yourself, prepping your spirit, your mind, your heart for a little bit of spring cleaning and for what lies on the other side of some active breathing. Take our nice final easy inhales through the nose and exhale through the mouth and we'll ease into our first song of the three-part breath belly chest exhale, belly chest exhale. Belly chest exhale, exhale, belly chest, exhale. Thank you, I'm sorry. You're doing great. Continue cycling it like this, knowing that there is no right and there is no wrong, as we gently move those breaths all through the mouth, through our belly, into the chest and letting it go, being gentle with ourselves as we move into this next song.
Speaker 2Picking up the pace just a little bit.
Speaker 1Belly Chest, let you go, let you, let you, let you, let you Continuing those nice sharp inhale, inhale and exhale, letting it flow like an infinity sign, like a wave crashing within us and through us. Thank you, keep it up, moving that breath, staying present with ourselves. We can do it a little bit quicker before we slow it down. Getting ready to hold that breath at the top, inhaling, sipping it in, holding it A little tighter, a little fuller. Holding, holding and exhaling, releasing, picking up the peace again, maybe slowing down the peace. I was watching you. A moment of love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss, a cry. Our rights, our wrongs. A moment of love, a dream, a laugh, a moment of love, a dream, a laugh. Just stay there. I ain't coming over, but still it's so long. It won't stop Until it's over, won't stop.
Speaker 1We're inhaling that, cleansing and exhaling that which we don't need, knowing that we're dusting off our insides with each inhale and each exhale and each exhale, getting into every little nook and cranny with each of these breaths. Clean it up for this last minute or so of this song. You've got it. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Keeping it up, proud of you for showing up, for doing this spring cleaning for the soul, resetting our minds, letting it all go, keeping it up until we slow it down. Now we'll ease it in to this last final song of this active three-part breath, finding the rhythm, maybe slowing it down even more.
Speaker 2Go on, let the waves crash on over. Go on, let the sails pass in time. We'll see you next time when that great joy rivers all I know. Let that sweet water, summer on the coastline, find a way to give my heart another kind of rain, wash it all away. I wanna go. Go on, let's get lost in the prison Somewhere out beyond the northern light.
Speaker 1Our lonely love will lead us over Into every dream we couldn't find Taking these fullest breaths that you've taken, leaning in until the end.
Speaker 2Standing as we breathe. Keep it up through this last minute, letting that flow. I need that flow, just a little bit more to go, you've got it. You're doing so well.
Speaker 1Washing it all away Last final breaths and releasing it all. So we transition back to our normal breaths, like the inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
Speaker 2I love you.
Speaker 1A poem for you today. You awaken in a small but cozy space, walls lined with windows and some art. You slowly realize that you know this place, the home of your soul and of your heart. Slowly, you survey your soul's home, lived in by love and its rowdy guests, noticing treasures among clutter and beauty among the mess. Boxes are stacked in a corner, filled with anxiety, left unchecked, nerves frayed and worn down, zapping until there's nothing left. One by one, you clear them out and open the windows to the light, dusting off surfaces so love can reverberate and echo peace in your little paradise. You rearrange pieces of furniture, creating an environment that feels new, where energy flows effortlessly and welcomes visitors when you choose.
Indoor Oasis Breathwork Meditation Practice
Speaker 1You notice the art adorning the walls, some out of intention, some in haste. You leave only a few that mean something. The rest of the surface, a clean slate. Plants hang from tabletops and bookshelves. With a watering can you quench their thirst. Their limp leaves instantly spring awake, growing even greener as they're nourished. You hang a sun crystal above the window so that rainbows dance across floorboards, welcoming visions of sunsets and sunrises, a merging of your soul and the outside world. You lie down on the fresh pillowy bed in the sanctuary residing within your soul, an oasis that is always a few breaths away whenever you are ready to come home. Thank you, thank you so.
Speaker 1As we come to the end of our breathwork practice, take a moment to reflect on the inner cleansing you've experienced. I hope you feel a little bit lighter Now. Take it easy on yourself and I'll see you next time.