7 Tips to breathe easier

Life's purpose changes for many of us.  We are invited to allow people, events and experiences to shake us up and wake us up rather than put us to sleep.  Showing empathy and compassion for everything that arises on our path is allowing all we encounter to be our teacher, to show us what we are willing to see. Its all about opening up to unleash and experience more of our true selves.

Come what may, the rhythm of the breath is a gauge that helps us recognize which emotions we are feeling and what is really going on beneath the surface. Ponder these 7 tips to breathe easier;  

1. Listen to your breath

We can each come to sense more of what is going on within ourselves by tuning in and paying closer attention to the nature of our own breath. Simply noticing whether we breathe deeply, more shallow or somewhere in between, tells us much about what is going on inside of us.

2.  Ground yourself

As we breathe, we can imagine inhaling air up through our feet to ground ourselves in the Earth and feel more stable.  We can also go further, imagining the breath energy (prana or life force) circulating through the entire body. Focusing on this visualisation has a very peaceful effect.

3. Defrag & recentre

Multi-tasking may cause us to feel like we have a bit of vertigo. When different parts of us feel disconnected or spinning out of control, its helpful to stop wherever we are and sit down. Close the eyes and imagine each inhaled breath is facilitating a defrag.  We can retrieve whatever feels out of place. A computer defrag allows it to slow down and pull its files together to function more efficiently. Each exhale can purge whatever you no longer need. 

4.  Re-orient

When we are faced with life choices, an obvious best course may not stand out rigth away. Sometimes we can get worked up. Fear and anxiety may arise. A helpful approach is to visualize each choice and breath into and out of it and feel the vibe we get with each inhale and exhale.  Letting the rhythm of the breath guide us to what feels right for at this time takes a huge load off mental contemplation.

5.  Rebalance

At different stages, our bodies can seem to feel different temperatures in different places. Maybe the hands and feet feel colder than the rest of the body or, maybe the top half feels colder or warmer than the bottom half. We can always use the breath to help us find balance by sending energy to different parts of the body.

6. Be like an accordion 

Like an accordion, we sometimes feel stretched to our full capacity yet still feel more music could to come out of us. We can use the breath to increase the length of our exhalation so it is logner than our inhalation.  Typically, the rate of inhalation to exhalation is about the same in many people. Yet, we can focus attention on the inhale and gradually extend our exhalation in a sedentary and then a walking meditation. Such techniques are used by Free divers, singers, and individuals with breathing issues or others who simply wish to maximize the benefits from lung capacity and get more oxygen to cells.

7.  Massage the chakras

Awareness of energy anatomy can set the stage for another kind of breath meditation. We can focus on and tune in to each chakra in turn, breathing into it, and sense the state of energy movement, congestion and other details.  This can serve as the beginning of a more in depth breathing meditation which can also involve healing to provide relief from suffering and help us gain new insight into our deeper selves.

Listen to the breath speak

How often do we hear breath speak and truly listen? Here is an insight shared by a Rabbi: 

The name of God back in the day was Yahweh because breath was life. Give it a go.  As we breathe in, we make a sound similar to 'Yah' and out sounds like 'weh.' That's how God got that name. Originally, it was believed that every time a human being took a breath, we are praising the name of the Creator.

Imagine that every creature on this planet, whether they know it or not, says the name of the creator in the language of every breath. Imagine the impact of consciously reminding ourselves this is also the first thing we say when we are born in abody and the last thing said when the physical body dies and soul moves on. Every moment of every day, we are voicing who we are under and through our own breath.

7 Steps to breathe more consciously

Breathing fully and consciously implies normalizing our breathing pattern. Mindful breathing enables us to be more aware and connected to core vibration and natural behaviours.  How do we know whether we are over-breathing or underbreathing? How can we breathe for maximum oxygen cell content? If exploring any new meditation or breathing technique, if it doesn’t feel right, stop doing it.  Trust your intuition. Consider these 7 steps to breathe more consciously;

1. Know our goals

Before embarking on any breathwork, it is wise to know our goals; is it to ease chronic illness? to promote  rehabilitation? to achieve peak athletic or public (stage/vocal) performance? to reduce stress? to manage grief, anxiety, depression? to identify and release emotional trauma? to maintain or restore homeostais? to enrich quality of life? to extend life span? When our intention is clear, the path presents.  By taking initiatives, we have the power to shift our life experience.  We may choose to taste greater confidence, deeper peace or, feel revitalized in unexpected ways. 

2. Invite revelations

Eureka moments change everything. Although the respiratory system of the body is itself involuntary, we actually have control over the rhythm of our breath.  We breath on average, 25,000-30,000 times per day. Yet, many people are fortunate if they breathe up to 70% of their capacity. The other 30% is wasted. How we breathe determines how we feel. What we put in, we get out. If we breathe deeply, we live deeply. If we are shallow breathers, we live a shallow life. Rest assured, we can change our oxygenation efficiency through breath training. This requires growing conscious of our thoughts and feelings and realizing we can change them.

3. Get comfortable

Before engaging in breathing techniques,  it is important to relax and get comfortable, preferably be sitting or laying down.  Silence is important (no speaking) to focus attention. Listening to soft music or mantras are assumed to be soothing yet can also be distracting. It is not advisable to be standing, operating a moving vehicle, machinery or engaging in any activity that requires your full attention. Many breathing techniques are best performed on an empty stomach but we also want to be well-hydrated. Be in a place where fresh air is abundant and the body is at normal temperture (not too hot or cold). Different breathing techniques benefit from different postures during the breathing session.

4.  Make connections

Every moment we inhale a breath, that air is translated into life energy. Its called Chi (China/Japan) and Prana (India). Most people know how it feels to breath freely although some of us only dream about that.    How people breathe around us affects us when we allow it.  When we do not breathe properly, the body breaks down. This affects us energetically, even if we do not see it, we feel it.  It may affect us emotionally, physically, mentally, or on many levels simultaneously. We can even connect our changing breathing rhythm to our emotions and issues arising. In the ancient Indian system, the length of life was measured in number of breaths. Conscious breathing has long been linked to longevity and a mroe fulfilling existence.

5. Choose the technique

If we already have knowledge of a pool of techniques we can draw from, then the next step is to intuitively use the technique best suited to the situation at hand and practice consistently.  If active in a group, we may choose to share what is going on in our life with peers, ask for guidance  from someone we trust about which breathing techniques best suited to help us.  How can we narrow our focus? grow aware of the muscles we use when we breathe,  Are you eager to extend your breath retention? Are you concerned with recurrent shortness of breath? Perhaps Buteyko breathing, with the aim of breathing slower and less, if for you?  pursed lip breathing and diaphramatic breathing would be worth exploring.

6. Repeat 

The key is to follow what feels right and just breathe. For some techniques, it doesn’t matter whether you breathe in and out through the nose or out through the mouth.  In those cases. it’s what works for you.  In other cases, such as rebirthing, cathartic breathing, nasal and mouth breathing are more or less dynamic, have different purposes and effects.  When we practice multiple rounds of the breathing techniques, the effect can be more noticable. It can be very powerful to breathe in a group.  One can move beyond counting the breaths, to completely get out of the head and enter a deep meditative state.

7. Rescan

We can also rescan the body to see the effects of the breathing technique. We can be more aware of how we breathe. We do not wish to waste another breath.  We all have the power to heal ourselves in a more effective way, to perform better, to move our body with more ease. There are so many diseases related to stress. We each have the power to shift the focus when we breathe. Inhalation through the nose tends to be most effective. (Cathartic breathing through the mouth for  is one exception). We take up nitrogen oxide through our nose which is a secret benefit to nose breathing.

 With mindfulness-the practice of peace-we can begin by working to transform the wars within ourselves.  Conscious breathing helps us to do this. - Thich Nhat Hanh

Deepen depth of character

Character deepens with experience.  Perceived (physical) pain and (mental) suffering build character. When things are not going the way our ego wants them to go, we are invited to step back, find patience and understanding. We can stop identifying with pain, see beyond it.

Radiance happens based on the attitude we hold when everythng is going our way or, at least in the direction that feels right or less painful. We navigate the waters of pleasure and pain until we move into calmer water.  As we travel this journey, increasing synchronicities arise.  Events unfold and give us information we did not even consciously know we needed, guide us to options to help us help ourselves, options we were previously unaware.   Acceptance and surrender in practice, is allowing intuition to guide us and trusting ourselves fully.

The perfect example is my recent atlas re-alignment. It was through connecting and engaging with friends that led to that atlas-related referral. For this process, I consulted an individual who helped me gain deeper insight into myself, as well as how to feel into the interconnectedness of my spine, joints, breath and the rest of my body on a whole new level. I now have more detailed understanding of reasons for my posture and breathing that extensive breathwork training had not itself given me.  However, in trusting in that path and completing that training, I was being prepared for what was coming next. A friendly reminder we are always being preapred for the unforeseen.

Similarly, this process led me to a dentist who is now assisting me to piece together a puzzle about my son. Emoional, physical and other symptoms are all related to energy flow.  What we see is always guiding us to see what we are not yet seeing. Recent life experience teaches me that it is the degree of connection and engagement we nurture in our relationships that catapults us to precisely what the soul requires to love on a whole new level. Wisdom of connection is timeless.

Interview with Doug Wilson

On the Path to uncover and heal my own trauma and addictions, it feels natural to encourage others to take steps to gain new insight into themselves.

Inspirational stories shake us up to wake us up. They invite each of us to recognize what we admire in, and what triggers about others, is dormant in us. When it feels right, we see through separation to all we have in common, change how we perceive and respond to life.

Recently, in facing big challenges, synchronicity led me to the book Kundalini Running (2018). Intuition guided me to interview the author, Doug Wilson. I share share a glimpse of his remarkable story.  It invites each of us to reflect on our own lives, and to trust in what is blossoming.

Thanks Doug, for being here.

My pleasure.

My life calling guides me to people who have experienced deep trauma (or guides them to me).  We gain something from each other. Your story offers insight into moving beyond addictions, including; psychoactive and other drugs, alcohol and an unconscious pattern of repressing emotional trauma.  Please comment.

In my book, I share that earlier in my life, I craved the freedom and release that drugs and alcohol brought me.  It was the only way I could escape the loneliness and tedious life routine I had unconsciously fallen into.  I was afraid of facing the truth: I didn’t know how to be at ease with life and experience it as a beautiful happening, as an opportunity to learn, grow and evolve.  

You are certainly not alone. Everyone is in recovery from something. Many people are lonely and unconsciously driven by fear in job and environments they dislike. Your drug experiences, including recreational and medical cannabis, reflect widespread social phenomena.

This said, it is often overlooked that caffeine, alcohol and sugar are the three most accessible and widely-consumed legal drugs in the world.  And people wonder why they swing between feeling over-stimulated and depressed? Luckily, growing aware of our habits prompts shifts. Your food choices, for instance, have really changed! 

They definitely have. I became vegan. You can read more in my interview for vegan of the week with Melanie Eager.

Thanks! My life has also guided me and many others into a vegan lifestyle. Love how your book shares 'why' and invites us all to ask more often. Your story shows us physical challenges are also mental, so we uncover what we are made of.  

When life brings us full circle, its a wake up call...

And we can ignore the signs or listen. Your story echoes we cannot run away from ourselves forever. So, how did early ideas of success influence your addictions?

A well-paid career, world travel and achievements in global endurance running, made me believe that I ticked all the boxes laid out by a society I was lost in. Of course, that view of success has changed...

Brain tumor surgery and rehab changes a lot! What's inspiring is your will to live to the fullest, despite unexpected challenges.  Although we may falter, your story invites us to face fears, relax more, go beyond comfort zones and find strength.

Yes. What we resist, persists...

Love that the same lesson can take shape in our lives in different ways until we get it. Sometimes we get a similar situation arise again as we are ready to grow conscious of a deeper message. Its like every moment is an oportunity to see differently.

Share with us your view of your ‘Dark night of the Soul.’

A self-inflicted period of complete emptiness with no sense of trust within myself or the world around me. 

It feels like your book also reveals ‘the dark night of the soul’ is like a confronting initiation. The book echoes that each of us reaches points in life where our core beliefs are challenged, where we face uneasiness, where our familiar illusions are stripped away, and we feel we stand alone in the presence of the divine.  

Yes. This process is both liberating and discomforting.

How does this validate you were imbalanced, living an inauthentic life?

I lived between states of extreme highs and lows, of uncertainty and certainty. I don’t see this as an inauthentic state of being, but rather a period of time to establish the foundations for what I needed to learn about myself and ultimately work to overcome. The darkness is still a part of my life’s journey that I am grateful for. 

I really resonate with this.  In your book, you draw attention to the healing that can occur when we stop ignoring deeper dimensions of life. You notice shared stories of mental, emotional, physical or other abuse from a young age, disconnection or abandonnment issues, feelings of hurt, hopelessness and disconnection. Your take on things offers hope and encouragement for those who read your book.

Awesome!

Share an example where you relapsed into old addictions, while attempting overcome one of your weaknesses on the path to living true to yourself? 

Right now! I'm struggling to maintain trust that the choices I’ve made over the past few years have been in line with my life’s purpose. The lingering sense of fear and uncertainty remain around where my life is heading… I want reassurance that everything is going to work out the way I imagined it would - but that’s not the truth. It’s hard to trust in the process of the unknown and I often find myself thinking about heading back to the more familiar. 

Your honesty reminds us that self-acceptance is about noticing where we are and how we feel in the present moment without judgement. So often, we are conditioned to time travel between the ears, to shift between past and future.

Western society conditions us that way.

It reminds me of this: "If we are living in the past, we are depressed.  If we are anxious, we are living in the future.  If we are at peace, we are fully present." (quote credited to Lao Tzu, yet anxiety and depression strike me as modern ills...)  

Anyway, what do facing recurrent challenges teach you about yourself?

That life presents challenges for us so we can learn of our capabilities. It’s a choice to shy away or confront them.  

Indeed. As Joseph Campbell suggests, we are each on a hero's journey, embarking on an adventure, encountering a decisive crisis, working through it to a victory, and as the result, feel changed or transformed.

Good analogy.

During the process of rebuilding your life, at which stage did healing cellular memories/ emotional trauma come into it? 

6 months after undergoing a life-saving brain surgery I was wondering how to take care of myself on a fundamental level of health & wellbeing. I was constantly asking myself what I needed to do to ensure I wouldn’t end up back in hospital…? A twist of fate led me to energy healing. My first session exposed the roots of cellular memories and significance of emotional trauma.  The session was the catalyst for changing the direction of my life.  

I can definitely attest to the life -changing impact of breathwork. Like Kundalini, breathwork is a clearing process on all levels (spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, ect.) It brings up cellular memories of self of evolutionary mind and as a collective to be felt and dealt with. 

Agreed. All conditionings come up to be cleared.

How did spiritual practices become part of your life? 

To me life itself is a spiritual practice. I’ve always known the nature of spirit that lies within but have had varying states of awareness/connection to it. Everything has roots in spirituality.  

Which ones did you explore? (i.e. yoga, breathwork, ect). 

I explored various energy healing modalities and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation.

Why lean toward kundalini yoga?

Kundalini Yoga leaned towards me. The power of the practice suited my nature. It's been incredibly rapid in developing my self-awareness. I continue to be blown away by its ability to scientifically and therapeutically transform my body, mind and soul.   

In your book, you point out Kundalini isn’t synonymous with Kundalini Yoga…

That’s right.  Kundalini is the potential energy of a human organism, a creative force that’s described extensively across many historical traditions and cultures. Kundalini is a natural phenomenon of energy. It powers creativity and can be individuals in infinite ways.  We can increase the voltage and change how the energy moves through the central nervous system.

From my point of view, kundalini energy rising is different for each who experience it. Yet I also resonate with how you present it and can certainly relate. Every stage is not always comfortable yet, stretching out of the coccoon is part of life. Just ask a butterfly...

Now, of all the sports you could have chosen to motivate your rehab, why running?

I’d been into adventure marathon running prior to my diagnosis of the brain tumor. My rehabilitation was focused around being able to run a marathon as soon as possible after surgery. I felt that if I could do that I would be fully recovered and back to the life I knew prior to being sick. 

Although I have not yet run marathons, I can relate to lots of good reasons to run shorter distances. But tell us, why run so many races? 

My nature is to do things in excess. 

Why choose to run in such unique and remote places?  

I enjoy the challenge of travelling to a remote corner of the world to race in an extreme environment. It’s something that suits my personality and a way for me to channel some addictive energy in a positive direction.    

Is winning important to your current sense of success? 

No - but competing at my best is. I use racing as a measure of my potential. 

I love how your book echoes running allows you to compete against yourself, that you find satisfaction pushing yourself at every stage of training or a race, from beginning to end. Its a measure of your personal best.  It echoes focusing inward.  

What advice would you offer for anyone going through a shift from fearing authority to developing and becoming an authority?

Give it time and patience. Avoid the trap of thinking the works is done. The process of developing ourselves is long and happens in stages. 

Indeed. A great reminder that everything unfolds with perfect timing. An invitation to surrender and love what is unfolding.  We can always find blessings.

Share some pivotal moments that affected your heart opening.

I’ve had a number of life experiences that go beyond my normal, familiar realms of perception. Two very specific encounters where the centre of my awareness was set free by a flash of light with such immense power and beauty that it opened my heart and shone truth behind my eyes. It exposed me to the timeless, unconditional and undying love that radiates within everything and connected me with that truth. 

Thank you for feeling at ease to share such intimate experiences. This invites each of us to appreciate everything that arises as part of the wider process.  To follow and resoante with your example:  simplifying life is the road of mindfulness, increased self-awareness and much more.  

You have recently written a book, Kundalini Running.  Without giving too much away, why share this story and why now? 

Our technologic revolution is exposing us to an unprecedented level of information. The excess of information is overloading the internal structures of our bodies. My story is an example of what this overload leads to - poor health and wellbeing. A common story, but the way I overcame it has a unique twist. It offers a powerful message of hope and shows that change is possible despite the challenges we face in life.    

In the book, I love that you point out we cannot be happy all the time and truly live.  This is a lesson I have learned along my own journey.  When we attempt to be positive all the time, this is often hiding pain we are denying or repressing.  Only by uncovering our emotional trauma and feeling all emotions do we truly live. There is also a saying that unless where are giving from the heart, we are half dead and may not even know it.

Some people assume kundalini awakening is a synonym for Self-realisation. What is your view and experience?

I think they are two separate aspects of life. 

Kundalini awakening is a function of human anatomy. We can do very specific work to prepare ourselves for this in order to raise the energy safely. 

Self-realisation is a process. Everyone goes through varying degrees of it throughout their lifetimes. 

Share some life-changing revelations you have about voices and visions often symptoms of kundalini awakening.

The times where I have had immense releases of kundalini energy have resulted in clear and concise information forming at the centre of my awareness. I’ve seen very precise, colourful geometric patterns that relay information along with sounds that reinforce the experience, but not heard any voices so to speak. 

Love that the processes and experiences arising are, intended, among other things, to show us that all is created and sustained by the mind, that the transient is transparent and empty in nature.  The problem arises if we cling and want to make 'sense' within, 'normal life.' 

Whatever happens invites us to see through the identifications, shows us what we are not. 

Exactly. Please comment about the fear of losing a sense of self.

For me the fear is of the unknown. 

Tell us your current life focus, where we can learn more about you, upcoming events.

My current focus is getting my story out to a wider audience. My aim is to share life experience through my book, classes and workshops. I believe we've entered a period of change where traditional medical practices will merge with modern ones. I want to be at the forefront of this.  

www.kundalinirunning.com

IG @kundalini_running

FB https://www.facebook.com/kundalinirunning/events/

Great to see that your book is making it into library systems and other local venues. Clearly, your story is perfectly positioned to spark dialogue in a variety of spheres. 

Share any lasting message you wish to leave with our readers.

Stop buying into the concept that life is only about love and positivity. While these a great aspects of humanity they ignore the full spectrum of what it is to be a human being. Pain, suffering and emotions like anger are part of being human. We need to acknowledge this within and spend time understanding our pain and suffering in the same way we understand self-love.  

Appreciate very much that youtake time to for this dialogue.  I highly recommend your book and will spread the word. It invites us to awaken and trust ourselves more. Also invite visitors to explore yoga and especially kundalini yoga if it resonates. Doug Wilson may be the teacher you are looking for! Ultimately, we are each on a path to deepen self-love.  This involves exploring the gamut of emotions.