When you own your own breath, nobody can steal your peace.
When I ask people about their meditation practice they usually give me the same answer: I don’t have time to meditate. I tried, but I couldn’t do it. I don’t have time to sit still and concentrate for what exactly? How do I know I am meditating?
“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes per day, unless you are too busy, then you should sit for an hour.” ~ Ancient Zen proverb ~
When I ask people about their gym practice or diet plan, I receive all kinds of answers. Going to the gym or following a diet plan is proven to give results, at least that’s why we are following it. And somehow it’s easy, follow the instructions, go on with your day, and boom you can cross that off your list. You did it. It doesn’t matter how, but you did it.
So what does meditation mean? Can meditation solve my problems? Will magically all my worries disappear, and answers come to light?
Meditation practice is such an unknown field to most of us, because most have never reached the point of self-realization and true inner peace. It is easier to follow instructions from others, but what about your own instructions? What is it really that YOUR BEING needs to find inner peace? Like all profession’s meditation needs practice. The more you practice the better and easier it will get. The more you practice, the calmer you become. The more you practice, the less things will upset you. More practice means more clarity and control.
I am here to help you find your breath.
One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is by counting your breath. It is a form of “entry level” meditation that is suitable for anyone. Even kids!
Conscious breathing will help you find peace of mind and prepare you for a sustainable meditation practice. Think about this, when your mind is focusing on counting breaths or repeating a mantra, there is no possibility of thinking about random thoughts. Your brain is only able to focus on one thing at a time. Let it be your breath.
When I start a private yoga session with my clients, we usually start with breathwork to calm the mind and bring attention and conscious presence to the practice. Most people come with a load of energy, distractions, worries, etc. By simply regulating the breath and bringing AWARENESS to the breath, we slow down this surge of energy created by an overload of thoughts and emotions. And it only takes a few minutes!!
- Start by sitting in a comfortable position, with the shoulders rolled back and the chest lifted. The heart and chest need to be “open” and lifted to inhale oxygen deeply into the lungs. Practice this first.
- Gently close your eyes.
- Start to count your inhale (in your head) for the count of 6…… INHALE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6….
- Hold your breath for the count of 6…….HOLD 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…..
- Now exhale completely for the count of 6………EXHALE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…..
- Repeat this 6 – 12 rounds.
- Enjoy the stillness that follows right after. A moment of inner peace.
- These moments will increase and become more significant overtime, with consistent practice.
After multiple rounds of regulating your breath and energy levels you will find yourself much calmer and organized among your thoughts. What was it again that was bothering you? Was it really that important?
When you practice breathwork and find yourself in stressful situations, you will notice that a change of thought and consciousness can be instant. YOU are in control of what bothers you, because YOU are in control of your breath. Remember the more you practice, the better you will get at it!
