ON BREATH AND BREATHING
The Lion and the Locomotive
At the seminar in Moscow recently, the focus was on using breathwork to access and return to a place of silence and stillness, of deep peace and intense aliveness within us. Call it our center, our source, our essence…
This place has never been touched by anything that has happened in this world. It is always already free and pure, powerful and loving, bright and clear. It cannot be affected in any way by anything or anyone. Even we cannot influence this place in ourselves.
We use the breath to identify and remove whatever is in the way of living from this place of deep peace. And we learn to recognize and eliminate whatever has the power to pull us out of this beautiful place.
We start with the metaphor of a powerful locomotive.
A fast-moving train has so much power and momentum that it easily blows through anything that may have been thrown in its path. It continues along its track without even slowing down.
That train represents conscious continuous breathing: the connected rhythm. We start by breathing in a powerful and challenging way. And then we continue to breathe no matter what we think, no matter what we feel, and no matter what happens in us or around us.
The other metaphor is that of a mother lion.
Picture her laying in the sun in the open plains, totally relaxed and alert. Meanwhile her cubs are wrestling with her tail, pulling on her whiskers, chewing on her ear, and jumping on her belly.
None of her cubs’ shenanigans distract her in any way. She remains perfectly calm and relaxed and alert. Nothing disturbs her peace, her awareness, or her quiet relaxation.
During our breathing session, we need to take on the qualities of the lion and the locomotive.
Choose a conscious connected breathing pattern that activates a lot of energy in order to bring up whatever feelings and sensations or emotional reactions that have the power to block us from experiencing that place of peace, and also whatever has the power to pull us out of it.
Something very wonderful results when we manage to breathe through things that usually stop or distract or disturb us. Something very beautiful happens when we can remain relaxed and peaceful and calm in moments and situations that usually cause us to contract or tense up, or to become upset, angry, or afraid.
We can practice this alone. But in the beginning, it’s always better, to make use of a partner or sitter, a coach or facilitator.
As soon as the breather shows any signs of stopping, struggling or tensing up, or escaping, avoiding or spacing out, the sitter asks for a report. “What just happened? What are you feeling? What are you thinking about? What are you focusing on?
If the breather says “nothing,” the helper should point out the disturbance in the breathing or relaxation that was observed, to see if the breather can confirm the reaction.
At the seminar, we practiced very active breathing for five minutes, and then we practiced pure awareness and relaxation for five minutes. Going back and forth like that for an hour.
The practice allows us to uncover everything that has the power to prevent us from being in a beautiful, peaceful and vibrant state, and all the things that have the power to pull us out of it.
Make it an exercise or a game, and use your skills of awareness, relaxation and breathing to release whatever has the power to disturb you, distract you, or block you from being in a beautiful state, and whatever has the power to pull you out of it.
