Inhale God

"Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God."

 ~ Krishnamacharya

 

A quote passed on to me by a precious like-minded client....Namaste!

 

Prayer Breaths...your most effective secret weapon:

 

 

Have you heard me talk about our two nervous systems?  When we want to engage in the process of becoming, we first have to plug into the appropriate system.

 

The "Sympathetic" nervous system is our idling high, flight or fight, do it or say it and THEN think about it, revved up and heading for 10 mode of operation

The "Parasympathetic" nervous system is the more authentic, congruent, plugged in, think about it and THEN do it or say it, at rest system.

 

Before we have access to make any changes in our moments, we need to be able to move from one system to the other.   I always feel like apologizing all over myself when I let the secret out of the bag....the key that unlocks one and leads to the other. It is breath. Sounds cliché and over-simple?  I know. But trust me. Let me tell you why it is powerful.

You cannot exist in the sympathetic nervous system and breathe mindfully at the same time.  It is a biological mechanism that we don't create, it is just in us, and we can tap into it.

 

Try what I call a "Prayer Breath":  Breathe in for a long time. Hold your breath for a long time, exhale for the longest component of the breath (this is a really important rhythm and the length of the components matter). 

 

When you breathe in, focus your mind on one word, one thing you need more of.  Is it clarity? Peace? Insight? Focus?  You will make this a prayer by asking the Lord to impart that which you do not have  Make your Resource bigger than you, go further than where you leave off. Give that word a color. Imagine as you take that slow breath in that the billows of the word follow in through your nose, down your wind pipe, and swirl and fill your entire unseen cavity.

Now pick a word you need to be rid of, something that is not serving you in the present.  Is it confusion? Chaos? Pain? Anxiety? Give it a color.  As you feel your diaphragm slowly rising and squeezing your breath out through your nose, focus your mind by giving that word a color and watching it billow out and evacuate your entire cavity. In that one word, request that which does not serve you to be far from you.

 

Do this a handful of times. It does not take a long time to make a big difference in your internal stance toward your outside world.