Explorations in Energy

Conscious breathing is nothing more than becoming aware of our breath and using it to direct our attention from the outside world of the mind to the inside world of the body. This shifts our state of being and deepens our awareness. Being in our body allows us to access felt-senses and perceptions. Conscious breathing is a vehicle to contact our inner self.

 

The most important benefit of conscious breathing is that it harnesses our attention. Attention is a powerful tool of awareness. When our mind is jumping from place to place and our attention on things other than the present moment, we lose connection to our body. Consequently, we lose the subtle energy information our body is receiving.  

 

The breath is the link between the body and the mind. When the breath is shallow and limited, attention is kept in the head and outside of the body. This pattern develops in order to avoid uncomfortable feelings. Taking short, shallow breaths, or holding the breath for short periods of time protects us from feeling uncomfortable emotions and sensations in our body. By avoiding uncomfortable emotions and feelings, we accidently block ourselves from being present in the moment. This means that awareness is regulated by how deeply and completely we are processing our emotions. Old traumas are like land mines asking to be deactivated.
 

Right now, take a deep breath. Follow it into your body. Take two more. Notice how your mind is instantly calmer and awareness of your body instantly increased. 

 

Deep, relaxed, unforced breathing draws attention down out of the mind and inward to our Center. When we deepen our breath, it’s impossible for our body-mind not to change. Within a few minutes of such breathing, we enter a different place than we were in before. Our mind is calmer and clearer, our muscles more relaxed, and our attention more focused. This is inevitable.