Learning to breathe - the first steps

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BECOMING MORE PRESENT THROUGH THE BREATH:

Before you can use a tool to your advantage, you have to learn how to master it by becoming familiar with its capabilities. Breathwork is a great tool to help you slow down your mind and become more present. It also helps you to develop the Observer, which is a very important aspect of yourself that allows you to step back from your thoughts and emotions and "see" them for what they really are.

Remember thoughts create things in life; things like ill health to deep joy.

When you learn to see your thoughts in this way, you are taking the first steps to self-empowerment and self-mastery. Remember it is every human being's responsibility, to discover what you think and feel, so you can make CONSCIOUS CHOICES in your life.

Making CONSCIOUS CHOICES helps you to shift into a positive frame of mind. This in turn influences what you think, feel and do.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

• You need a pen and paper beside you
• A straight backed chair or if you meditate regularly, a meditation cushion
• Breathing time 15 minutes

BASIC EXERCISE:

• Sit in a chair, back straight, feet flat on the ground, palms facing down on knees
• Close your eyes and focus into your heart, tilting your head slightly and looking downward
• Begin to breathe in and out of your mouth, so there is no pause between the in-breath and the out-breath
• Breathe so the in and out-breaths are equal in length
• Relax into the breath, getting into a rythmn
• Simply OBSERVE your breathing
• If you find yourself thinking, notice this and bring yourself back to your breath
• If you find yourself feeling emotions or body sensations, simply breathe into the feelings without acting on them
• Write down what emerges after your 15 minute breathing session.

Try to breath in this way often, so you can familiarize yourself with it and learn to trust the response it creates in you without needing to avoid.

Points of Practice

• You can't do it wrong
• Keeping the practice simple, through focus and discipline is genius
• Your mind will try to take you away from your breath
• Writing down your breathing experiences helps to reveal deep aspects of yourself
• Knowing deep aspects of yourself helps you to understand who you are
• Understanding who you are helps you to understand people and the world around you.