I am always impressed and awed with the power of breath. Many people approach and are interested in a spiritual path due to the fact that one can heal ... one does heal on the road to enlightenment/spiritual development. The breath can HEAL.
I am also fascinated with the fact that the breath is one of the keys on the path of Kung fu, Chi Kung and Yoga... among other paths. One is not able to progress to higher levels without management of the breath.
In panic, fear, anger, anxiety... and other labels we have for various illnesses, the breath can be observed as unsteady, imbalanced, shallow, constricted and otherwise inharmonious.
The breath tells us so many things. Observe your breath. Tell yourself that today you will observe your breath in all moments. This will show you how much awareness you have and how much sleep you engage in during the day. If you promise yourself that you will do this and find you `forget` ... that is a form of sleep... remember the previous blog on fragmented self (many I's and unifyng the self)? If one part of yourself says it will take on this practical challenge, and you find that you 'forget' most of the day, that shows how another part has come forward which is not engaged in the Work at all! Remember, this Work is also about waking up more fully in your daily life. This is a great tool and a useful practical exercise to show you where you are really at.
You will notice how your breath changes around certain people and before, during, and after certain experiences. Follow your awareness and observe without trying to change it ... just watch without judgement and be interested in these patterns you will come to see. How do you breathe? Deeply? In the chest only? Is your breath constricted anywhere? Under what conditions and how...
When we sit for long periods, our breath tends to naturally slow down ... sometimes, when we are engaged in an activity and sitting for a long time we may lose awareness of the breath and how it is flowing. We may not be naturally breathing deeply and fully.
Remember to take breaks, move around a bit, stop .... inhale and exhale slowly 20 long deep relaxed breaths in fresh air during the day ... and do your daily practice with awareness.
When we do Kung fu, Chi kung and Yoga, we cultivate breath awareness and it is a major part of our work. We can feel, in our pulses, the difference before and after practice ... we can feel it in our pulses if we are not engaged in full breath throughout our being ... and this, in turn will affect our inner flows of energy and eventually our physical form and organs.
Check this out yourself (meaning there is research on this) ... it has been found that cancer does not survive in a highly oxygenated system ... it can not grow... it requires an acidic and low oxygen system. How do we eat ... think... breathe ... There is other research with various illnesses and the breath ...
We all have things we work with while here ... while walking our path ... we will have moments - even periods where we forget ... continue to walk on ... apply and use your tools and practical exercises ... remember to avoid labelling, judging, comparing, measuring self and others ... simply work with where you are at ... continue to learn and observe your self ... observe others and learn from them as well.
The breath is a major key ... this is another reason we do formal practices every day ... it becomes clear to us that this really works and we now have a tool to use ... if we REMEMBER ourselves and do the Work.
The breath can HEAL and bring us to higher levels of awareness ... prove it to yourself ... with consistent work over time.
