Tag: breath meditation

Breathing Globally – Join the Dalai Lama

After my neighbors dog took me for a brisk walk along my country road this morning I was acutely aware of how intimately we are connected with all that breathes and is alive.  This weekend we have a unique opportunity to breathe with people all over the globe in synchronicity.  As ElevateUs states, “The tides are turning, in all walks of life and all corners of the planet. Humanity is stepping out of the shadows of ‘what has been’ by calling into question the very fundamentals – how we live, what we serve, who we are.”

Each of us can choose to be a part of this.  When you harmonize with others in a flow of breathing it unites us in a way that is beyond the mind, and connects on levels of the heart and beyond.  Breathing together can powerfully unite us and is an intimate way to deepen the awareness of the interconnection that is always there.  We all share the Earth’s gift of breath.

Let us join with the Dalai Lama this weekend, and with each other every day this year, to elevate the practices of love, compassion, abundance, and joy throughout the world.  The Universal Breathing Room at Do As One has partnered with the Dalai Lama who has called forth 10,000 monks to help initiate the teachings of the Buddha Maitreya.  This is the first time in history that a Dalai Lama has conducted this blessing, intended to elevate love and compassion for all people. Breathe with them at this link: http://www.elevate.us

Take this practice and come to the Universal Breathing Room frequently to simply breathe in flow with others worldwide on a daily basis.  There is a global map where you can see where people in other locations are also joining in, and 3 other “rooms” you can go to – the Full Spectrum Breathing Room, where you can harmonize with the chakra colors as you breathe; a Universal Laughter room; and a Universal Om Room.

Take 5 minutes a day to join in and check in with the energy, feelings, and insights that catch your awareness!
Take a Deep Breath NOW!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Most Recent Post: Make Love To Life!

Breathing Peace

The Symptoms of Inner Peace

*A tendency to think and act deliberately, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
*An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
*A loss of interest in judging others.
*A loss of interest in judging self.
*A loss of interest in conflict.
*A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
*A loss of ability to worry.
*Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
*Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
*Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart.
*Increasing susceptibility to kindness offered, and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate.
*An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold, rather than resisting and manipulating.
Thank you to the author: Saskia Davis at www.symptomsofinnerpeace.net

Also Thank you to: www.onesanctuary.com for inspiration and finding this quote in the first place!

As we come into the holidays we may contemplate how to enjoy them fully without stress or undue expectations placed on ourselves and others.  It is well known that bringing peace to our planet is one of the most important elements in the realignment with vital health and well being that is being called for now in our times.  Yet, it is not political peace that I am speaking of here, for that is an outcome of another kind of peace.  It is the peace within us that when actualized, or at least practiced to the best of our abilities, contributes to the overall peace among nations, countries, communities and individuals.  It is this self-Peace, if you will, that everything else unfolds from.  Breathing peace may include some of the “symptoms” above…and will most definitely release one from the need to make the holidays, or our lives in general, “perfect”, and instead create unforgettable moments that will nurture, inspire,  and sustain collaborative relationships and evolutionary creativity. 

Breathing peace may include creating a “sanctuary” for ones self in the midst of many tasks and seemingly endless obligations.  This sanctuary can be in nature, on the back of a bicycle, feet enclosed in a good pair of walking shoes, a quiet space dedicated to contemplation/reflection within ones own home, in a bathtub filled with aromatic steam arising from a body covered with warm and comforting water, a bowl of homemade soup, a cup of hot chocolate, spiced apple cider or tea, a bookstore or library with comfy chairs to read from, a midnight walk in a star studded sky, a full inhale connected to a full and released exhale for several minutes, or any number of “sanctuaries” that bring peace and balance to the moment.

Here is an additional reference from Gay and Katie Hendricks who created a short online course on the PeaceBreath. Based on 1,000’s of years of instruction on the importance of the simple breath, their intention is to offer this reminder as a tool for conscious change and interconnection on the planet -starting from inside of you.  From the Aramaic translation of Jesus of Nazareth from the Beatitudes these words beckon us to remember: “Blessed are those who find peace through simple breathing, for they shall discover heaven within.”

http://www.consciousone.com/breathing_peace/

The course itself:
http://www.consciousone.com/breathing_peace/course/intro.html

What creates a  sanctuary of peace for you?  Please share it with us!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Sympathetic Breathing

“Sympathetic Breathing” brings to my mind many possibilities.  I see two people embracing each other, matching breath and bringing support and love.  I also am aware that we feel the breath rhythms of everyone around us and actually breathe the air that all that went before us have breathed – including the plant and animal worlds.  This “intermingling” of breath…although some of you may not want to consider that…speaks to the deep interconnectedness that we mindfully, or unmindfully, play in every day.

There is also a natural breath rhythm that can calm the sympathetic nervous system in our body.  The sympathetic system is a system that activates during stress, worry, fear, or anxiety.  It is our fight or flight system that was beautifully created for us when we needed to run from the tigers (or whatever was chasing us in the moment) to survive.  The chemicals that are stimulated to flow, and the physiological activation of muscles, reflexes, heart, and breathing to “survival mode” wear our body down over time…but certainly saved us from danger in the past.

The video for this week uses beautiful images in nature and mindful guidance to instruct on our natural blueprint of breathing.  This breath is one which calms and balances the sympathetic nervous system and stimulates the parasympathetic system,which is our deep relaxation response.  Mindfully breathing in this manner can not only bring more peace and health into your life, but can also affect those around you as they align with your breathing.

 

OTHER BLOGS:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Struggle No More

For many, many years now Thich Nhat Hanh as been a guide for me…suggesting a path back to the deepest parts of myself that know no struggle, and are free to co-create a life of joy and alignment with thriving.  I am still practicing this gentle form of mindful awareness.  This week I bring to you a beautiful song by Phap Niem and Gary Remal on Thich Nhat Hanh’s – The End of Suffering.

Bring yourself into a quiet and comfortable space as you listen to the song and observe the stream before you…. a breathing space that brought these words to the surface for me:

 

 

Observe the water flowing around the barriers that may attempt to obstruct its path…freedom of movement, of life, of breath…suffering no more…letting go of all but the moment of the next inhale…the next exhale…be present to the opening of breath and creative force that brings life to everything around you and within you….breathe love…breathe compassion…breathe joy…breathe release from any struggle that comes into your mind…let go…

 

 

Next post look for a breathing meditation and movements, also by Thich Nhat Hanh.  His compassionate and loving Presence has moved millions.  He is You….

 

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WidlyFreeWoman.com

Ecstatic Breathing – Birthing the Breath

This week I was privileged to view a video that stunned me with its beauty and sacredness.  If you go to the dictionary, ecstatic is described as “in a trance like state of great rapture or delight.  Showing or feeling great enthusiasm.  And….a person who has periods of intense trance like joy”.

In this video you will view a woman giving birth in the most sacred and natural of ways – the way in which it was meant to be.  The most important component in these hours of “labor” was breath, and the sounding that birthed from the breath.  There is no doubt that there is pain involved as you watch this beautiful woman in her birthing passage, yet it is the breath that washes the pain through and expands the stressful process of birthing through “sounding out breath” into an ecstatic state.

I invite you to watch this video now and then come back to see what you can do to practice “sounding out” your breath.

Dr. Chris Northrup posted this link on her twitter feed.  It’s a video of a woman going through labor and birth – an ecstatic birth experience.  The video is 18 minutes long.  I say take the time to watch the entire video.  It is worth every moment spent whether you have ever given birth or not.

You’ll find it here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=149916791692395&ref=share

Sounding Out Breath Practice:
Last week we talked about how the breath is such an integral part of being able to sing with your full being and voice.  A big part of the healing power of singing, sounding, and chanting is that they work to regulate our breathing. When we sing, whatever the words of the song, we tend to “sound the breath out” until it’s time to inhale. The more often we sing, the better our breathing as it expands our capacity to not only bring in more life giving breath, but also intimately supports the letting go within the exhale.

Chanting adds to this the inherent power of certain sounds. Sounding the breath out with ooooommmm has long been practiced to deepen meditative states. And aaaahhhh, the sound that people often make when feeling pleasure or satisfaction, can be used to intentionally generate healing energy in the body.  This sounding out breathing also “turns on” the parasympathetic system in the body which signals the relaxation response, and stimulates the “feel good” chemicals of the endorphin system.

PRACTICE:  With a long slow inhale
 let the air out through the mouth with a
 long sustained sound of aaaaaahhhhhh . . .
Breathe all the way out, until it’s time to inhale
.  Then breathe in through the nose a long slow inhale
 and sound the breath all the way out
 with a long sustained sound of aaaaaahhhhhh . . .Pause for a few moments noticing any feelings or sensations.
Now continue for several more breaths,
 breathing in through the nose, 
filling yourself with energy, and sound out the breath
 with a long, gentle aaaaaahhhhhh . . .

then experiment with a fuller, more powerful aaaaahhhhhhh….changing the texture, sound, and vibration as you feel so moved.

Practice this daily whenever you feel stress or you feel “stuck”.  Breathe into the stress or the frustration and release it with a long slow exhale –  sounding whenever you are able, and experimenting with types of sounds and perhaps movement.  This will become an automatic response to stressful or difficult situations as they happen – and can lead you into a place of ecstatic breath.  Enjoy the moments…birth the breath…    

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