What is conscious breathing?

There is an ancient text called the Kayagatasati Sutta, or the Body Contemplation Sutra. In the text, the Buddha suggested an exercise for releasing tension for each individual part of the body and in the body as a whole.

He used the image of a farmer climbing on the roof to take down a sack of beans. The farmer punched a hole in one end of the sack and thereby allowed all the beans, one bean at a time, to come out of the sack. So the farmer, with his good eyesight, could see the beans and see which ones were moldy or rotten, and which ones were good. Based on this example, the Buddha recommended that, just like this farmer, we learn to pay attention to every single bean in our life.

so,

To begin, lie in a comfortable position and scan your entire body, then focus on different body parts. Start with the head, or hair on the head, and end with the toes. You can repeat inside yourself:

"I'm breathing, I'm aware of my brain."

Exhaling, smiling at my brain."🌹

So continue with the rest of the body.

Just like the farmer with his beans, scan the body with mindfulness. Even fifteen minutes is enough time to slowly scan your body with conscious attention.

When your mind recognizes each part of the body and embraces it with energy, tenderness and awareness, that part of the body will finally be able to relax and release its tension.

If during the scan you come to a part of your body that is sick or weakened in its function, stay focused on that part for a long time. If you spend more time in the place that hurts, using your energy of conscious attention, you can laugh at your pain and release some of the inner tension.

If you know how to help yourself, you will be able to release tension from the body, you will activate the healing processes and healing will take place much faster.

If you become aware like a Buddha, you will be able to return to yourself, and when you are fully aware of your body, you are now and here in the present moment, in our true home."

 

So repeat to yourself:

 

"I breathe in, I calm my body down

I exhale, I smile

 

I breathe in, I am in the present moment

I exhale, I know it's a wonderful moment

 

I breathe in, I know I breathe

I exhale, I know I'm breathing

 

I inhale, my breath growing deep

I exhale, the breath comes out slowly

 

I am aware of my body, I am breathing

Relaxing my body, I exhale

 

Calming my body, I breathe

Taking care of my body, I exhale

 

Smiling at my body, I breathe

Relieving my body, I exhale

 

Smiling at my body, I breathe

Releasing the tension in my body, I exhale

 

Feeling the joy (of being alive), I breathe

Feeling happy, I exhale

 

Living in the present moment, I breathe

Enjoying the present moment, I exhale

 

Aware of my stable position, I breathe

Enjoying the stability, I exhale"

 

Breathe, and pay full attention to the inhalation. Wherever the breath is in the body, feel the calm it brings. Just like drinking cold water on a hot day, feel your breath cooling your internal organs.

When you practice meditation, if the body is still, then the mind is still. Conscious breathing makes body and mind become one. On exhalation, smile to relax all facial muscles. This is how the nervous system relaxes.

If you can, put a half smile on yourself as a sign of calmness, it itself can be an incentive for peace and joy to appear in you.

And when you come to the present moment, you stop being attached to the past and worrying about the future.

Your life only happens in the present.

Knowing that you are alive, that you can be in touch with all the miracles around you and within you, is truly a miracle!

This exercise can be practiced anywhere at any time: in the room where you are meditating or exercising, in the kitchen, outdoors, in the park, whether you are walking or standing still, lying down or sitting, even when you are working.

By using the conscious breathing technique, we can transform the present moment into a moment full of wonder and beauty.

 

Love and light

Biljana Pesheva