Meditate with Urmila: Breath, the healing tool for life

Breath is pran-energy, the vital life-force energy. The more you focus on the breath, the more you are able to infuse life, that is, pran, in your body and energy system.

This brings clarity in mind, opens up eyes to which your mind is generally not open. It calms you, aligns your energy. Every cell breathes. When there is a flow of pranic energy, there is movement of energy in the body. Pran-energy moves the body.

Breath indicates internal state

When the body is infused with pran (breath), alignment of mind-body is gained and this alignment propels your state of ‘being’.

In absence of attention from your breath, the mind does tend to get more absorbed in things external, and tends to sway to the externalities. Breath awareness brings you in a balanced, aligned state, from the non-aligned, imbalanced, fogginess-of-the-mind state to more understanding, clarity-state.

In clarity you are aligned, self-connected and present every moment. You are aware of every action you take and the space from which you take them (mental space). All these have larger ramifications, all your decisions do.

A non-aligned, unaware breath state may disconnect you from yourself, your own presence. The body, when it lives in a state of constant inattention from you, disconnected from you, then the neglected body has the tendency to fall prey to illnesses due to this disconnection. Breathing correctly helps you to keep your body-mind healthy.

Pause, breathe

Most run to ‘accomplish’ tasks over tasks in the day and are indifferent to their breathing. There is indifferent treatment to breath. How about being in the state of constant awareness of your breath? How about connecting with your breath more, and adjusting the patterns of breathing in a way that calms you. Your presence, your awareness is through the breath. Do not undervalue the breath and the role it plays in your healing.

You can breathe and open your body, You can breathe and feel more. When you feel more, you are more aware. The daily rush may cause an unaware state of breath, body and mind.

Nature of breath

Breath is soft, gentle and light by nature. It is stretched and calm. Your breath is ‘aware’. Breath plays a significant role in the creating and un-creating/re-creating of events in your life as it puts you in varied states of mind. Your presence to breath is respect to breath, to your own life. Breath is glow and nourishment. It is your guidance system. It helps to navigate your life.

Every organ breathes with pran-energy . Every organ relaxes with infused pran-energy. Breath brings the organs of the body in the state of homeostasis . It brings music and rhythm back to the organs of the body. It rejuvenates all cells of the body-mind. It lends freshness, life and youth. It is the best healing tool all have. However, connection is missing and is required.

In a day, be present to your breath, if need be, several times in a day; slow down, pause your breath, rejuvenate , love yourself. Breath can bring ‘fire’ in the body or calmness. It depends on how you’d like to use breath deliberately for your healing.

Did you know that:

· From the yogic perspective, pran is the cosmic vital life force; it’s gross form is ‘breath’, subtle form is ‘motion’ and mental form is ‘thought’?

· Breath and, the inhalation, the transition and the exhalation can be consciously and voluntarily controlled? In yogic system, this is done by a mechanism called pranayam and bandh (air locks).

· Pranayama techniques, that is, the conscious pattern of breathing techniques helps in rest, rhythm, repair and rejuvenation of the body-mind complex?

· Breathing techniques help in attaining higher altered state of consciousness?

· Thoughts and breath are directly related; if breath is controlled and regulated, thoughts can also be calmed down?

· The Patanjali Yoga sutra states that pranayama practices destroys ignorance (‘tatah ksiyate prakasha-avaranam’: 2:52) removes the veil covering the light of knowledge and illumines inner light of wisdom?

Disclaimer: Urmila Rao is an emotional healer and a forgiveness teacher. All the ideas expressed herein are her own, and not professional advice or medical prescription. Her website is: www.karmicwellness.in Email: hellokarmicwellness@gmail.com