Breathing

Most of us are very busy in our lives. We do not have a spare moment and even when we have it, it is weighed down with the cares and troubles that we generally have. Thoughts come and go, emotions flit through the mind. Everything we see around us brings back memories of things done and reminds us of things which need to be done. We either live in the past or in the future and never in the present. Naturally we are not at peace. We can only be at peace if we live in the present.

Hence, even when we put aside a bit of time for meditation it becomes mostly useless because we can’t rid ourselves of this constant activity of our mind. This is more so when we try to follow a simple technique of meditation like the Sambavi Mudra. If we can quiten the mind it might be of some help in the practice.

So let us talk about the most effective and easy technique to do that- Breathing.

Technicalities about pranayama are not important here and are not necessary for our purpose. Our aim is to lessen the number of thoughts we have so that it would be easy to fix our mind at the Trikut or middle of forehead.

What you do is to breathe deeply when you sit or are lying down for meditation. Just breathe from your abdomen or the pit of your stomach or whatever you like to call it. Names and terms do not matter, breathing long and deep and slow is what matters. Take it as the preparatory exercise before beginning the real meditation. As you do it, follow the breath in an out. There is no need to tire yourself out by rushing things. Slow steady sweet breathes would do it.

If you can manage it keep your spine straight, but even if you can’t do it breathe through the nostrils. This is very important, apart from other ills like colds etc which may result from mouth breathing, breathing through nostrils would make the breath pass though the trikut making us more aware of it. Also breathing through mouth can never be deep. So breathe through the nose at all times.

Well what do you when your nostrils are blocked as sometimes they are? Mostly this does not happen to those who practice pranayama. But if you do not do it but is person who takes a bathe every day, try this technique. When you shower or pour water over your head or are in the pool bathing, keep a little water in the mouth and keep it shut till you have toweled your hair dry. Then spit it out. This works most of the time and clears the nostrils for the day.

I think it works this way. The water that get into you through your head you as well as the mucus which might block the nose otherwise, trickle down to the water kept in the mouth and goes out of you when you spit it out.

Well back to breathing. As you go on doing it you would notice that thoughts are becoming lesser and lesser till they disappear completely. Please remember that we are not trying to fill ourselves with energy by doing it. An excess of energy does more harm than good to our state of mind. Our primary purpose is getting rid of unwanted thoughts and emotions so that we can bring our attention to our foreheads.

There would come a time when you are aware that the thoughts, feeling etc have completely disappeared from you for the present then turn your attention to the spot between your eye brows and place your mind there.

Normally the breath or prana becomes still at the place where the mind is placed. I outlined the above technique only for those who find it difficult to control their thoughts whatever they do, at times. All pass though such stages, even the best.

Wish you luck with it

KEEP THE MIND AT THE PLACE BETWEEN THE EYE BROWS