Conscious Breathing: Find peace in the chaos around you with this story from the Buddha

There is an old text called "Kayagatasati Sutta ('Kayagatasati Sutta )", or "Sutra for Contemplating the Body, in the Body". In this text, Buddha speaks about how we can get rid of tension, and that in every part of the body and the whole body as a whole.

He used the story of the farmer, who was climbing into the attic with the intention of taking down a sack of beans. The farmer punched a hole in one end of the sack, allowing all the beans, one bean at a time, to fall out of the sack. He could see the beans with his own eyes and separate those that were moldy or rotten from those that were good. Buddha recommends in the text that just like this farmer, we humans also practice how to pay attention to every single "bean" from and in our life.

Exercise

Lie in a comfortable position and scan your whole body, then slowly focus on individual parts of your body. First start with the head, or hair on the head, and finally finish with the toes. Take it part by part, and at the same time repeat to yourself:

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

Exhaling, smiling from my brain.'

And so continue with the rest of your body.

Try, like the farmer with his beans, to consciously and attentively scan your whole body part by part. Fifteen minutes is enough time for your mind to begin to recognize relaxation and start to fill your body with energy. So your body will release the stress and tension from itself.

Moreover, if during the scan, you come to a part of your body that is painful, stay with focused attention longer on that part. Buddha says that by paying conscious attention to what hurts, you will be able to smile and thus release the pain, stress, and tension from you. And by releasing the tension, you activate the healing processes and healing itself within yourself.

The awareness to return to ourselves and accept our true "home" - the body, with all its limitations, is the ultimate goal of a healthy approach to ourselves and to spirituality.

So I suggest you continue this practice and repeat:

"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, I breathe deeply,

I exhale, 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,

Letting go of 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 slowly and give your full attention to the process. With each breath, feel the calm that the exhalation 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 merge into one. As you exhale, smile to relax all the muscles in your face as you release the nervous system.

I often tell my interns to smile while they practice. I believe that neither practicing yoga nor conscious breathing should be difficult and very serious. The half smile reminds us that the ultimate goal of our practice is comfort, peace and joy within.

By surrendering to the present moment, we learn to let go of attachments to the past and worries about the future. We know we are alive if we are in touch with all the miracles happening around us. Because Life is available to us only now, in the present.

The exercise I described above can be practiced anywhere at any time: in the gym, in the kitchen, in the park, regardless of whether you are moving, standing still, lying or sitting.

By introducing this practice of conscious breathing into your everyday life, you will be able to transform the present moment into a moment filled with wonder and beauty for you.

Sai Baba says life is a Game, so let's play it properly!

 

Love and light

Biljana Pesheva

for the author: Biljana  is founder on the brand Healthy Life Skills  & Healthy Yoga  where hold seminars, retreats, active rest, trainings and hours for reduction on the stress and the tension where the modern one man using comprehensive (holistically) access in the work with the individuals and the groups.

See the next activities and join!

1. Healthy Yoga hours – Online 1 May 2024
2. Healthy yoga classes with attendance – in the hall in Kisela Voda neighborhood May 1, 2024
3. YOGA vacation in Qeret Albania 23-26 May 2024