Your Breath is your First Medicine, and it is gifted by Creator. Every Inhale, Exhale and Pause between holds Wisdom. By mastering your Breath, you slow down Time, soothe your Nervous System and awaken your inner Healer. Natural Healing Methods such as Herbs, Prayer, Touch, Movement, Water and Silence have been used by our Ancestors long before synthetic Medicines and chemical-based Solutions arrived.
Returning to Natural Medicine means listening deeply to your Body, feeding it Living Foods, trusting in Plant Intelligence and releasing Harmful Substances from your daily Habits.
It is a choice to reconnect with Earth, walk in rhythm with the Moon and allow Healing to be Gentle and Sacred.
When you lengthen your Inhalation, you invite in more Life Force. When you deepen your Exhalation you release stored Trauma, Anger and Fear. When you practice holding your Breath, you sit in Stillness, strengthen your Spirit and calm the mind’s endless Waves.
These small daily Practices help you cleanse your Organs, rebalance your Mind and align your Spirit. You begin to crave Peace instead of stimulation. Your Body remembers how to self-regulate. Your Soul rejoices in this return to Harmony. This is the way of the Elder, the Healer, the Seer.
You are your own Sacred Medicine Bundle.
“My Breath is my Anchor. My Healing is natural, Ancient and always available to me.”
Fill a Bowl or Tub with warm Water. Add a handful of Sea Salt, a sprig of Cedar or Mint, and speak your Intentionsinto the Water:
“I release all that is not natural to me.”
Soak your Hands or Feet while practicing Box Breathing:
4-count Inhale, 4-count Hold, 4-count Exhale, 4-count Hold.
Repeat this for four Rounds, letting the Water absorb your stress.
“Creator, return me to the Natural Ways.
Teach me to Heal through my Breath, my Food and my Choices.
Remove all foreign Energy from my Body and return me to your original Design.”
Each morning, sit in Stillness.
Inhale for a count of 5.
Hold for a count of 5.
Exhale for a count of 7.
Hold again for 5.
Do this for 3–5 Minutes.
Then journal any Feelings that rise, name any Toxins in Food, Thoughts or Products that you want to release from your Life.
In Native Nations, the Breath is seen as the Spirit’s Voice. It is Sacred. Elders teach that deep breathing brings you back to the Present, where all Healing happens. Plant Medicine, Smudging, Sweat Lodges and Fasting all include Sacred Breathwork. Even during Ceremony, Breath is guided to align with Song, Prayer and Silence.
In Cree/Nehiyaw, the word for Breathe is "Nipîhikan".
Journal: “What does Nipîhikan mean to me? How can I Honour my own Breath as Sacred?”
Write a short reflection in your own Language, or translate the word for Breath into your Nation’s Tongue, if known.