Golden Apron Breathing* (part 2)

Welcome to our practice of breathing into the golden apron… or more accurately as, breathing into the oemental bursa. Before we begin, please refer to my February 2026 blog post on the anatomy and function of the oemental bursa. From the awareness of the importance of our internal sea of chi (as qigong practitioners refer to the oemental bursa), we seek to nurture our ‘golden apron’ by breathing into this fluid filled sac. Let’s explore:

Breathing in the oemental bursa(at least 10 + minutes…..)

• Body-marks: Lay on your back with legs bent, ensuring you are warm, comfortable. Place your left hand just below your left ribs atop your stomach, your right hand just below your right ribs atop your liver. Let your hands have the quality of volume and density so that your touch goes below your clothing, your skin…and into the volume of your stomach…and liver. Once you feel you are aware of your stomach and liver, let your two hands rest on your abdomen above your intestines…with the same quality of volume and density, let your touch bring you into awareness of your intestines. (These are our 3 body-marks as reference.) From here on in, rest your hands where most helpful to you.
• Tune into your breathing… inhaling oxygen that plants and trees give to you, exhaling carbon dioxide, your gift back to the tree and plants. Breathing is our most intimate nutritional connection to the earth and the earth with us: photosynthesis  respiration.
• Let the awareness of your breath descend lower into your body… beyond your lungs… and deeper to the fluid filled space between your stomach and liver. This is the beginning of the oemental bursa… Let your breath have a quality of inhaling thin and deep, exhaling long and quiet…. Expansive without any strain whatsoever.
• Now let this fluid area between your stomach and liver expand to include the space behind the stomach and liver….
• Allow your belly to soften, find ease in your intestines… SLOWLY let this fluid breath move down and slightly forward to cascade overtop of your intestines…. Slowly slowly slowly to nourish your very centre… your sea of chi…
• Let your sacrum be heavy… do LESS… BE more present in fluid breath in this fluid filled sac… Let your breath nourish the golden apron as it conversely nourishes you….
• Allow/ invite this fluid breath to travel….maybe into your sacrum… the marrow of your leg bones…. Your spine…. Into your shoulders….and arms….head…. Fluid breathing from your very centre into your periphery…. Let this manifest…. Slowly, slowly….spend a good amount of time here as this is our focus (~10+ minutes)
• To conclude: return to lung breathing, awaken your fingers, toes, face…circle your wrists, ankles, roll your head side to side….. stretch long….
• Come to seated and notice the quality of your body… your mind….
• Write/draw/move/rest….whatever helps you to integrate your experience…

Be assured that you have nurtured your self at a nutritional, immunological, and protective level. Remember that this, like many meditations, is a practice that deepens with mindful explorations.

*Thanks to my BMC ® founder and teacher, respectively: Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Bob Lehnberg for gracious offerings of this practice.