MORE CONVENTIONAL (MOSTLY "EXOTIC")

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES 

THE BREATH AS MEDITATION

“Kabir says; what is God, the breath within the breath.”

The flame of the Infinite One 
is the soul breath of the human.
 
Source of my power, 
the breath you have given me, 
the breath (soul, spirit) you have given me is pure.

“A river arose out of Eden forming four river and four winds (Four Breaths of the Creator.) 

They joined to form a singular spirit which animates all creation.” The Zohar

The Four Beings of nature; Still, Growing, Wild and Talking are all animated by the breath of the Divine. Each individual "wind," spirit or breath, at each's own, unique vibration and consciousness. 

 The moment this breath is withdrawn they and we will no longer exist. We are continually being breathed by the breath of the Supreme Being. When we leave the planet and the “silver cord” (King Solomon) that connects the soul to the body is broken, that breath is taken from us. 

Breath meditation allows us to connect to that small microcosmic part of us made in the image of the Divine animated by His/Her breath. Think of how desperate we become when we feel we cannot breathe and get air.

Connecting with the breath or “wind” (in Hebrew) or spirit (Moya in Zulu) can facilitate active, sensory meditation and connect us more powerfully to the breath of the Divine that is animating us. 

Pranayama – the yoga science of breath – describes many ways in which to do this. The diaphragm, the main muscle in the body for ventilating our lungs can move energy from the lower chakras into the heart and the other higher chakras above it.

 

The breath that is in all beings emanates from the sacred well spring making us one – not the same but all one.

The breath that created us is the same breath that created the worm and the stone and thus we share a oneness.

We are wrapped in the embrace of the winds; 
the mystery of the north-wind, 
the inspiration of the east, 
the clarity of the south 
and the wholeness of the west.

The sages taught that the mystery of who we are is contained
in the four winds and that without them none of creation would exist.

God’s breath is heard in quietness and felt in stillness. 
Beware the noises and clamor of ego which drown out the Divine whisper.

The Buddhist Thich Nat Han would teach breath meditation with a simple mantra; 

"breathing in, I know I am breathing in and breathing out, I know I am breathing out." 

Whatever way we do it, following the breath is a powerful technique for achieving equanimity and balance.

Other mantras he used included...

As the in-breath grows deep,
The out-breath grows slow.

Breathing in makes me calm;
Breathing out brings me ease.

With the in-breath I smile;
With the out-breath I release all tension.

Breathing in I know I am alive;
Breathing out, in this present moment.

Breathing in, there is only this present moment.
Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

I highly recommend you watch these links on Ujjayi (Victorious) breathing below which can put you in an alfa, relaxed state of consciousness very quickly. It can be used at any time and I use it frequently. It is easy to master. In the first video she unfortunately weakens the "Ocean" or "Darth Veda" breath's accentuation on the exhale by talking through it. In reality it can be louder and is easier to do on the exhale than on the inhale. Importantly, the longer the exhale the more intense the relaxation response. Lengthening the exhale comfortably is key.

The second link describes doing it during Ashtanga yoga which may not apply to you so ignore that part of it but use the technology. She describes it more succinctly. Both links are good and Ujjayi is great for finding balance in sudden, stressful situations to create a speedy relaxation response.

Ujjayi Pranayama in 3 Simple Steps - YouTubeYouTubehttps://www.youtube.com › watch

How to Practice Ujjayi Breath in Yoga - Breathing ExerciseYouTubehttps://www.youtube.com › watch

For those who want more information on this important technique Wikipedia has a nice review.

 

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