Elemental Breaths

Mindfulness, 2016

Anu Books, 2022

Breathing practices are seen in almost all mystical religions always have similar features. Seeing breathing meditations in all belief systems with mystical, metaphysical, and spiritualistic features and performing these meditations according to certain methods and rules is to ensure the body-brain balance and keep the desires under control. Breath is vital for the human body. At the same time, it has an important place in the spiritual lives of people. Specifically, breathing practices in Asian religions have found a place among the rituals of some Muslim groups. Breath and breathing practices have been talked about frequently in every period for the continuation of a healthy life and keeping the spiritual life alive. Hinduism and Sufism are two religions with very different and unique doctrines as their source and starting point. However, religious practices may show some similarities at some points over time. In order to achieve their religious goals in both belief systems, they adopted the same methods with their own religious arguments and applied them in similar ways. As a result, the Indian Sufi movement and Hindus, who managed to live together for a long time, were conceptually influenced by each other as a result of these long-neighborly relations, and some method transfers took place. The Sufis' Habs-i Dam and the Hindus' KavelaKumbakabreathing techniques have been accepted as a means of deepening in worship and concentrating on the knowledge of God. In addition, breathing techniques are at the forefront of both belief systems in order to regulate brain-heart-body relations.

International Journal of Yoga Therapy

For many years I have had a consuming question in my own Yoga practice and in my work as a teacher. The question takes many forms, but it can be boiled down to this: What does it mean to breathe naturally? To ask the question, one must believe,as I do, that the body possesses an intrinsic wisdom, a belief founded in both scientific and experiential understanding. At first the question appears simple, but like most such things, its apparent simplicity belies the extraordinary depth of experience that arises in its asking.

1997

The nature of breathing and the potential use of breath experiments or exercises has over the past 70 years raised a great deal of controversy in various schools of somatic psychology and education, spiritual training, and mystical transformation. The common stereotype in Western somatic psychology that most Eastern' breathing practices are disembodied" is more a matter of emphasis than substance. The attitudes of somatic pioneers Elsa Gindler, Gerda Alexander, Wilhelm Reich, and F M. Alexander suggest a dialogue with those in the Vijnana Bhairava Sutra of the Yoga tradition and from the Chishti Sufi tradition with regards to the relationship of breath awareness to neuroticism, schizophrenia, and visionary states of awareness. A functional dialogue between the various models can be explored by approaching breathing experiments in an integrated fashion, which involves proprioceptive awareness, emotional feeling, and conscious movement with awareness of surroundings.

Working on the assumption that the average healthy individual completes 15 breath cycles each minute, an individual that is fortunate enough to live until they are 100 years old will take approximately 786 million in breaths and the same number of out-breaths. From the meditator’s perspective, this equates to almost 1.6 billion opportunities to attain enlightenment. The breath, when correctly observed and attended to, can become a potent means of cultivating awakened perception. However, despite the numerous opportunities provided by the process of breathing to become more spiritually aware, it is unfortunately the case that there exist a significant number of people that live out their entire life without being aware of a single breath in or out. The breath can be used in meditation to collect, calm and focus the mind. Using this meditative calm as a basis, the breath can then be used to cultivate insight into the true nature of reality. In our experience, it is important that the meditation unfolds in this sequence. If an individual attempts to investigate the true nature of reality with a mind that lacks clarity and focus, it is inevitable that the outcome of their investigation will be confused. Therefore, as a given meditation session progresses, there should be a gradual ‘opening up’ of awareness and a smooth transition from a form of meditative awareness that is more focused on establishing mental stability, to one that is more orientated towards meditative investigation.

Drala Mountain Center Blog 2023

In this blog post, Dr Nyinda further exploration to the benefits of using breath as a tool in meditation practices as it relates to the generation stage practices. This creates context for the development of the Vajra Body in view of Tibetan tantric practice. Understanding how these factors relate to the Six Yogas, also known as the Six Dharmas practice, typically preformed in three year retreat, is briefly explained from the point of view of traditional Tibetan Medicine.

European Journal of Oriental Medicine, 2022

This article looks at two models; point centred treatment (PCT) loosely associated with TCM, and channel centred treatment (CCT) affiliated more with the five element system. It examines how they relate to channel and organ theory, and the relationship of herbs and acupuncture to internal and external environments of the body, quoting classical sources. The author has found that the various aspects mentioned above are often mixed in ways that obscure a clear view, and that by separating the different positions one can come to a better understanding of each, and how they relate to each other.

2007

This is article about integration in breathwork, like Rebirthing or Holotropic Breathwork. Integration of psyche, which is almost equal to insight, or revelation. How does it happen? What can help? What stages of the process one can go through? How does rebirther (breathworker) influence/facilitate the integration?

Mindfulness of Breathing, 2013