Most people think that meditation is all about emptying your mind.
But it's not.
It's about shifting our awareness from an anxious state into something more relaxed.
And there's a tool that we have with us 24-7 that we can actually shift our awareness towards and that's the breath.
By bringing our awareness into conscious slow breathing,
We can shift away from a sympathetic state,
Fight or flight,
Into a parasympathetic state,
Rejuvenation and rest.
These two states are part of the autonomic nervous system,
Both useful to function in society,
But we are mostly stuck in this sympathetic state,
Feeling stress,
Anxiety,
Things are always on top of us and weighing us down.
By bringing our awareness to center by following the breath,
Inhales and exhales and slowing things down,
We can enter a more parasympathetic,
Resting,
Rejuvenation and reflective state.
Let's go ahead and try a few breaths.
Notice the breath that you are taking in right now no need to count no need to achieve anything just notice what goes in Or it goes out.
Where do you feel it?
Do you feel the lungs expanding?
Do you feel the belly?
Do you feel the air rushing in through the nostrils?
Can you feel the warmth in your tongue?
Just observing what goes on in this very moment.
You see,
Breathing is a powerful tool that can help us enrich our lives.
I got into breathing through yoga and meditation many years ago,
And I used to have a lot of panic attacks,
A lot of anxiety,
And through breath I can shift myself into a more wholesome center state.
Not saying it's a one-fits-all miracle tool,
But it's something that can help us balance things out,
Not just shift into one state or the other.
We have healthy stress,
We have good rest,
And we can use both to function in society.
Achieve what we want by bringing ourselves inwards first.
I hope this helps.
With much love.
Namaste.
