Pranayama: The Art of Breathing

"When the breath wanders the mind is also unsteady. But when the breath is calmed, the mind too will be still... therefore one should learn to control the breath."

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Having had some problems with breathlessness before, I've decided to engage in more yogic exercises that will help prepare the lungs for fuller, deeper breathing. Nearly all meditation practices will always come back to focusing the mind on the breath. This type of yoga discipline is called pranayama - coming from the Sanskrit combination of prana "breath" and ayama "restraint". From a physiological perspective, taking full control of the breath allows for greater intake of oxygen into the bloodstream, which in turn leads to better blood circulation around all the limbs and bringing a fresh supply of oxygen to the brain. You can slow down the heart rate and lower the blood pressure, all bodily responses used for downplaying the sympathetic nervous system when we become upset or agitated. From a mental and emotional perspective, controlling the breath can actively help to regulate our emotions (using the James-Lange theory of emotions). And finally, from a yogic perspective, pranayama is considered one of the highest forms of self-purification and self-discipline, encompassing both control of the mind and body.

One very effective pranayama exercise before starting meditation is a practice called Anuloma Viloma. It is alternate breathing between the two nostrils. The main purpose of this exercise is to establish the catabolic-anabolic balance of metabolism in the body. If it is practised with care, it can become extremely beneficial to the practitioner, combating all sorts of illnesses such as high blood pressure, rheumatism, sinus and asthmatic problems. Mentally, it purifies and becalms the mind, renewing optimism and granting the practitioner peace and serenity.

Here's a nice video with Swami Ramdev on the instruction and benefit of anuloma viloma pranayama. Enjoy! OM Shanti

Watching the Breath

I've made it a goal of mine to re-start my meditation. I'm literally going back to the basics, just to get a feel for the real essence of meditation and centering myself. I begin with what is perhaps the most basic form meditation: watching and focusing the mind on the breath. While it's probably the most fundamental and simple of all meditations, it is probably also the most powerful. The effects of it are tremendously immediate - you become entirely aware of your breath, your breaths are longer, deeper, fuller. If you want to bring your mind onto the focus a few deep, conscious inhalations through the nose should do the trick.

So I ran through another session of simple breath watching, and I have to say it can be hard work if you have other thoughts going through your mind. I think my saying I've been out of practice for a while would be an understatement, but I will say that it is good I'm going back to the start. Ugh, just wish my sinuses weren't feeling so stuffy right now. I'll have to remember to try some pranayama exercises - that might clear it right up so I could go on meditating without annoyances.

OM Shanti

What is Meditation?

It's a surprisingly tricky question that one, because when you ask somebody what do you think constitutes meditative practice they will often tell you it involves sitting in the lotus posture (padmasana) with your hands folded into various mudras and using a repetitive mantra for concentration.

When I began meditation I spent a long time trying to figure out what it was. At first I assumed it was a relaxation technique. This is oversimplifying things. While meditation leads to relaxation it is not a relaxation technique of itself. I later realised that meditation requires concentration and teaching the mind to focus itself onto something, but at the same time meditation is not concentration of itself. The word "meditate" in English can have two meanings. The first definition can mean reflection or contemplation of something. This would denote thinking, which is not what meditation is. Meditation can never be intellectualised.

So if meditation is neither relaxation nor focus of the mind nor thinking thoughts over carefully, what exactly is it? The answer is quite counterintuitive. Meditation is a state of no mind. The mind becomes suspended. It is nowhere in particular. It does not think, it does not wander, it does not concentrate. It simply is. It lives entirely in the here and now, neither contemplating the past nor anticipating the future.

This is, of course, in the upper echelons of meditative practice and generally used for centering the mind. Meditation has also been used for purposeful contemplation of something, either for developing compassion for other living beings or for connecting to the Divine. It can be used to heal, physically, mentally and emotionally, used as an aid for relieving stress and also to explore yourself spiritually.

Meditation is a journey. It is path to Self discovery (note I've have said Self and not the self as we have understood it traditionally) and knowing who you really are. If you have ever experienced wondering who you really are, you will understand what I mean by saying it is exploring the real Self. Have you ever answered the question who are you? You can give your name, your age, sex, race, nationality, job, martial status, family size, and then maybe onto the less significant things that define you such as your favourite hobbies, food, films, etc. But when you come to the realisation that all that you have used to describe yourself is merely the sum total of all the circumstances and situations that you have chanced to grow up in, you really start questioning who am I really? That is what meditation seeks to answer.

To finish this post, I want to quote (again) Lao Tzu with one of my favourite sayings from the Tao Te Ching: "Knowing others is wisdom; knowing yourself is enlightenment."

"The Journey of a Thousand Miles...

Begins with a single step," said Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu. And so too does the blog of a thousand thoughts begin with a single post! His message was that one must take every day, every moment, every step one at a time. I have never used or posted on a blog before. I wasn't even quite sure I knew what a blog was until a friend of mine sent a link to me via a discussion board last week!

Anyway, I hope to make this first blog something of an introductory one and I think a little about myself is in order. I'll try keep it short and sweet. I am a college student (studying psychology) with a deep interest in Eastern philosophies, religions, meditation, yoga, exercise, health and relaxation. I'm also really into aromatherapy and using alternative medicines. If I ever further my education in the field of psychology, I would really love to combine my interest in health and meditation with behaviour, in transcendental psychology or alternative health therapy.

I'm looking forward to all my blogging days here. :)