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By K. Moe-Kindermann
When was the last time you devoted ten minutes to do nothing but
sit and breathe? How about five minutes? Unless you already practice
meditation or yoga your answer may be "never" or "why
should I?" Let's first look at the facts; you can live about
seven days without any food, about two days without any water and
only about two minutes without breathing. This gives us some indication
on the power of our breath. What happens to our breathing when we
get upset or excited? How do we feel when something takes our breath
away? The more we take notice, the more we realize that our breath
follows our emotions and our state of mind. As we become more in-tune
with this connection, we can begin to harness the power of our breath.
We can use the breath to direct the mind instead of the reverse.
We need sufficient oxygen to clean our blood and organs, for our
cells to renew and for our brain to function at its optimum level.
The more we breathe the better we function, physically and mentally.
It's as simple as that. Meditation is breathing with awareness.
It is not tuning-out, in fact it's tuning-in. It's complete and
honest awareness of yourself. In order to cultivate inner peace
and happiness we must believe that it exists within us, no matter
how the world is treating us. The first step is believing that it's
there.
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Try thinking of a time when you were really happy. You may remember
an event or a person. Whatever it is breathe in that feeling, recreate
it within yourself. Then take away the situation that made you happy.
Let the happy feeling stay in your heart and run through your veins.
See how long you can feel this, even if it's just for a fleeting
moment.
People who meditate are not free of stress, although they have more
tools to deal with stress. Since high stress levels are the root
to many illnesses, one could say that the more you breathe and meditate,
the healthier you are. In fact doctors and scientists are currently
researching the connection between meditation and the immune system
and finding fascinating results. One thing they have found is that
slow, rhythmic breathing stimulates the circulation of lymph throughout
the body, a process that removes toxins from tissues and organs.
People who have been meditating for a long time find it so rejuvenating
that they can easily sit for an hour or more. While the idea of
committing an hour to do nothing but sit and breathe may seem a
daunting and unrealistic task to most, allotting five minutes a
day is more feasible as well as beneficial. Work your way up from
there.
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Meditation helps us feel more calm and centered, even amidst a
storm. When we are faced with a challenge our immediate reaction
is to fight or take flight. If we use the tools from meditation
and take some deep breaths before reacting, we may find a solution
that wasn't apparent before. Try to breathe space between you and
your reaction. By coming from a calm and strong central place, a
tense situation can be defused instead of fueled.
Meditation begins with letting go. Its normal to first experience
feelings of anxiety, anger, sadness, frustration. You may be thinking,
this isn't working. I have no time for this. I don't want to feel
like this. This is normal and it will pass. Allow yourself to feel
without judging, analyzing or trying to "fix" those feelings.
They are there to be felt, acknowledged and released.
Here are some tips for beginning meditation:
-Sit in a quiet, comfortable place.
-Place your hands in Dhyani Mudra: Rest both of your hands facing
upwards in your lap like empty bowls. The left hand lies on top
of the right hand and the thumbs touch each other. Relax your hands
and mentally fill them with breath. Inhale from your hands and up
your body to the crown of your head, then exhale from your head
down your body into your empty hands. Rest there.
-Focus on taking slow deep breaths and feeling the natural pause
between the exhale and the inhale. Let yourself rest in that space
of stillness.
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-Through whatever thoughts and feelings that arise continue to
bring your attention back to your breath. Let go of any negative
thoughts. Focus on breathing in love, joy and peace.
-If you find it difficult focusing only on your breath, use an object
such as a candle to softly stare at. Or imagine a symbol such as
a flower opening as you inhale and closing as you exhale.
-Allow this time to honour yourself and the divine powers that be.
Trust in the process of life and just breathe.
While philosophies on meditation vary, they are all centered in
cultivating a deeper self-awareness and connecting with the inherent
joy that lies within us.
"Keep knocking and the joy inside will eventually open a window
and look to see who's there." -Rumi
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