Breath is an amazing thing. It expresses your emotions, getting faster and more shallow when you are afraid, faster and deeper when you are excited. Slower and deeper when you are relaxed. Breath control can also help control your emotions. Deliberately breathing deeper and slower can help to calm you down. Breathing deeper and faster will infuse your brain with oxygen and wake you up.
If you do Yoga, your Yogi has undoubtedly advised you to control your breathing as you move through the poses. In fact, almost any exercise program will emphasize the importance of breath control.
As part of my morning meditation routine, I sit Lotus (Well, as near to it as my damaged knees will allow.) with my hands open on my knees, thumbs and middle fingers touching, eyes closed. I straighten my back, reaching upward with the crown of my head. Breathe in for a slow count of four. Hold for a slow count of seven. Breathe out for a slow count of nine. Repeat the sequence four times.
The idea is to relax, focus your mind, and cleanse your lungs. Then simply let your mind go blank. That’s the hard part. I hear a train in the distance, cars on the street out front, a door closing downstairs. I work at shutting it all out. I know it can be done because I hear none of this when I am reading, very little of it when I am writing. On the mornings when I am simply unable to focus, I turn on soft, instrumental music and let it hide the background noises. I listen for that still small voice, be it God, inspiration, creativity, memory, the inner me.
Every time my mind wanders, I pull it back to the tones, the rhythm, the notes. I hope the day comes when I can automatically slip into trance. It hasn’t yet. I seldom achieve anywhere near it and it’s always hard work. I set a timer and keep at it for a full fifteen minutes regardless of how successfully it’s going. I’d like to expand the time frame, but I am afraid I’ll never be able to do that. There’s just too much pulling me away.
