15 Jan A Recipe for Healing: Heart Opening Tea, Meditation, and Breath-Work

Recently, I attended a Women’s Breath Work and Healing Circle. As I have never attended one before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

I arrived to find a chic log cabin. Upon entering, I was delighted at the warm space that had been created with plush cushioned pillows, meditation pillows, blankets, fur rugs, and yoga mats surrounding candles lining a majestic fireplace.

There were approximately 10 to 12 women there, all varying in age. To begin, the host served Goji Berry and Rose Tea. Besides tasting divine with its delicate flavor, it also helped to calm and set the mood for the evening. She called it the Heart Opening Tea. Here is the adapted version of her recipe:

HEART OPENING TEA ::

• Combine 12oz filtered water with handful of dried gojis. Allow this them to soak and bloom overnight
• Combine with ::12oz warm Tulsi Rose Tea
• 1-2 TBS of Rose Essence
• 5 – 10 drops Omica Sweet Blossom Stevia

Sitting in a circle, we each took a moment to introduce ourselves and then moved into a group meditation. During this time, we inhaled and exhaled in rhythm while holding one another’s hands. As we inhaled, we slowly raised our arms and during the exhale, we slowly lowered them and squeezed the hand of our partners.

Afterward, we went around the circle again and provided the words that came to mind during our meditation. What came forward for me were the words love and release.

The conversation moved forward on what we would like to release from our lives: be it friendship, employment, or lifestyle.

After careful consideration, I stated that I would like to release fear from my life in regard to financial security.

Many used other words or phrases, but the common denominator that we all wanted to be released from was simple: fear.

Fear of failure, fear of health, fear of remaining single, fear of ending particular friendships and/or relationships.

I began to realize how much we limit ourselves with fear and insecurity. We hold ourselves back from accomplishing all that lies before us because we are scared and intimidated by the unknown.

This thought remained with me as we moved through simple yoga poses meant to stretch and warm our bodies:

• Mountain Pose
• Downward Dog
• Childs Pose
• Upward Dog
• Forward Fold
• Cat/Cow

As we lowered ourselves to our mats, we began with four breathing exercises:

• Purifying Breath
• Calming Breath
• Abdominal Breathing
• Rib Cage Breathing

This prepared us for the breathing exercises to come—really opening our chest space to expand and accommodate our deep breaths.

I was feeling calm and centered as we moved into corpse and began moving through the two-step breathing exercises of Pranayama.

As we inhaled belly to chest and exhaled, I felt myself begin to relax and let go. The only focus I had was on my breath.

During this time, the host went around saging the room and, with essential oils, began to rub our feet. I found myself relaxing into a natural meditative state easily and organically.

I saw myself as a child, pure and radiant in white. I found myself longing to return to that level of innocence that I no longer carry as life has changed—and in some ways tarnished that purity I once embraced.

Then I was an adult—exactly as I am now. In this vision, I was sitting in a lotus position directly across from myself, holding my own hands. I saw the pain that came through this life and with a gentle heart, embraced myself with compassion, love, and understanding.

At the conclusion of the breath work circle, the host read the following quotes:

“You have a power that has nothing to do with what you do or what you say or who you know or what you know or where you are or what you look like or your skills or your talents or what you have. It is the power of your presence. It is the heat and light from your burning log. And it touches everyone who comes in contact with you.” ~Paul Williams, ‘Remember Your Essence”

“Ultimately, self-compassion is a series of choices, a moment by moment conscious turning away from that which will harm your spirit toward that which will nourish and sustain you. It is choosing, in any particular situation, and over and over again whether you’ll treat yourself well, or beat yourself up, whether you’ll deny yourself, or treat yourself as lovingly as you’d treat your child or your most precious friend. Self-compassion means looking at yourself with kindness, with a conscious awareness of your sufferings, and in time, with a deep appreciation for the way you have transformed them.” ~Daphne Rose Kingma, Loving Yourself: Four Steps to a Happier You

For me, what came through was a lot of self-love and self-forgiveness. It was a beautiful experience and I would highly recommend group meditation and breath work to others.

Have you ever done something similar to this? I would love to hear about your experiences.

Author: Mary Rogers

Editor: Emily Bartran