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Conscious Breathing Once I found a half dollar silver piece while taking a walk down a country road. I sent the coin to a poet friend with an enclosed note urging him to keep his eye open for the other half of the dollar, as if one half needed the other for completion. He kept the coin as a reminder of his aspiration to find a pathway from the realm of potential to the realm of creativity. I perceive the abundant air supply that is all around us as a fifty cent piece we've all been given. If we see clearly, we might look at the invisible combination of nitrogen, oxygen and trace gases in our atmosphere as an expanded field of billions of floating molecules, each containing a nucleus of intensely vibrating white light called prana or life force. Understand that air floating through space is only energy in potential. Until we bring the pranic light into our bodies, we have no breath. Air plus respiration equals life. Fifty plus fifty equals a dollar. Mentors in the art or breathing say, "as you breathe, so you live". Some of us are only getting a few cents worth of oxygen. We breathe instinctively, automatically without the need for constant command of supervision from the conscious mind. If each of us could be the subject of one of the late Andy Warhol's classic films (the ones where he pointed the camera at a seated person for hours on end) we might be astonished at how little we breathe, how often we completely stop, how forcefully our bodies restrict the flow of breath at various sites in our respiratory systems. If the filmmaker colorized the air surrounding us, and we could watch the number of day glow turquoise, hot pink or lemon yellow molecules entering our nostrils as we inhale, we might not be satisfied with the amount of "good" coming into our lives. The first step in becoming a master of your breath and of your life, is to become conscious of how you breathe. I warn you that it does no good to judge or criticize yourself for your restricted breathing patterns. Self humiliation only restricts you further. Rather than criticize, understand that throughout our lives breathing has been associated with pain. The first searing breath trumpets the shocking reality that you're out of Mother's spa and expected to handle breathing on you own. Some of us may record the first breath as synonymous with rejection, pain or fear. As life goes on, events play rough. People's voices are harsh, night is dark, loved ones stray. We learn to hold our breath and tense our muscles to desensitize ourselves from pain. By the time we leave junior high, most of us have built a musculature we can count on as a defense. By the time we hit thirty we are so defended we can hardly breathe. The defenses are developed unconsciously from the primal need to survive. After taking the first giant step and coming to grips with the realization that your breath is restricted, the next step is the great undoing. This step takes courage and perseverance. Personally I have used several tools which I will recommend. A big part of the process involves releasing repressed energies that are held hostage in the cells. In order to liberate these energies you must claim them as your own. You must come out of denial and face your pain. You must face your belief system. Which beliefs are yours? Which have been imposed upon you? Which no longer serve you? I've found journal and poetry writing very helpful for culling through issues on a cognitive level. Judith Kravitz's Transformational Breathwork is invaluable for bypassing the mind and working on a more non-verbal, spiritual level. Yoga practice helps release restrictions in the body. There are many other tools available to help you free your breath, I mention these because they have worked for me. As I breath more consciously my respiratory system is opening more and more and in turn so is my life.....fifty five, sixty, sixty five, seventy and counting. There is another fifty cent piece out there for you. Keep your eyes open.
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Jacqueline
Moss Healing Arts. Tools for Healing and Poetry. |
