The Power of Meditative Breathing Do you know what keeps our body, including its numerous intricate interconnected organs chugging and propelling always? It is essentially nothing but our breathing which is unconscious and involuntary. This little action supplies oxygen to the heart, brain and all other vital organs of our system. If involuntary breathing action could keep us alive, what can a little attention to the way we breathe do for us? Simply wonders!
This is so, mainly because the purpose of breathing is not just to keep us alive. It goes a long way in providing physical energy and above all, the requisite nourishment to the mind. Meditative breathing helps combat a variety of mental and physical ailments like nervousness, depression, stress, insomnia, heart diseases etc.
Breathing technique
Breathing techniques give us a variety of ways to achieve this mental and physical fitness. For instance, some breathing techniques use the fact that you can control it. Some use the fact that you can meditate on it. Some take the approach of just leaving your breath to the sub conscious mind – you leave it alone and simply watch your body breathe. Some have you concentrate on it. And some have you integrate it with other mental or physical functions.
When a beginner is introduced to meditative breathing, the first aim is to dim the distracting/troublesome thoughts that keep popping out of the mind all the time. Choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed.
