Deflation

Picture a large red balloon floating in front of you. The surface is stretched so thin that the light shines through. Balloon tension is good. Human tension? Not so much.

With a little practice you can use the balloon image and your breathing to release physical tension at will. Deflation is a relatively easy exercise since it is based on the natural exhalation phase of your breathing cycle.

Since you never stop breathing 24/7, Mother Nature designed each exhalation as a mini-rest. To inhale, the muscles between your ribs (intercostals) cause the ribs to flare slightly up and out. The muscular floor (diaphragm) stretched across the bottom of your ribcage flattens downward. This muscular movement creates enough of a vacuum in your chest to draw in new air.

Exhalation happens when all these muscles relax and let go. The ribs drop down again. The diaphragm rises to its domed-up natural resting position in the ribcage. The slightly smaller chest cavity pushes the stale air out. Inhalation is work. Exhalation is letting go.

You may be surprised at how much physical tension you have been carrying. After awhile tension begins to feel normal. Use the balloon image and imagine that each time you breathe out, you are releasing tension from your body along with the outgoing air. After a little practice release of deep tension will take only a few breath-cycles. Just imagine that you are releasing air from a balloon.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

String of Pearls

As always, breathe sloooooowly, gently, and deeply. And, as always no discomfort ever with a breathing exercise, either mentally or physically.

Lay your relaxed dominant hand in your lap, palm up. With each new breath you will touch the tip of your thumb to a fingertip or to your palm.

First Breath: Touch the tip of your thumb lightly to the tip of your little finger.
Second Breath: Touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your ring finger.
Third Breath: Tip of your thumb to the tip of your middle finger.
Fourth Breath: Tip of your thumb to the tip of your index fingerFifth Breath: Curl your thumb in toward your palm. Repeat as long as you feel comfortable.

Note: This is an exercise that is wonderfully effective and almost invisible to others. After some practice, you will be able to center yourself simply by touching your thumb once to any fingertip.

Be well. Breath beautifully.

Alternate Nostril Breath

This is an ancient and beautiful exercise that can do an impressive job of bringing the two hemispheres of your brain into harmony. Relax your dominant hand so that your fingers curl naturally. Center that hand in front of your nose (palm facing in) with your arm resting comfortably on your chest.

Gently touch the tip of the thumb (dominant hand) against the nostril indentation just above the flare, and the tip of your ring finger to the indentation on the other side. This leaves the tips of your index and middle fingers resting on your forehead just above brow level. Delicate pressure is enough to close a nostril since the passage narrows markedly at that point.

Avoid the tendency to slouch or to tuck your head down or off to one side. Continue only for as long as you are comfortable and focused. Eyes open or closed as you wish.

The physical setup is the same as for Eye of the Sun, except instead of traveling in a complete circle, the air now flows across an “arch” and backtracks across that same arch. Breathe IN through your RIGHT nostril and OUT through your LEFT. Then back IN through the LEFT and OUT through your RIGHT.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: EYE OF THE SUN

Point of Stillness

The pause at the end of each exhalation is a powerful, magical, valuable moment. Although the pause may last only a second or two, it provides a moment of beautiful quiet for your mind, your body and your spirit. You can take advantage of this special pause but resist any temptation to extend any pause beyond its natural length. To override this timing is like grabbing a soap bubble so it can’t float away.

Experiment by selecting in advance a positive word that you repeat silently to yourself during the pause. Or focus on a healing image. This is also an amazing time to simply listen and be open.

This brief moment brings you to your deepest self. That is why the temptation is so great to extend it. Although Point of Stillness is a delicate and simple exercise it is surprisingly effective.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Breath-Counting Meditation

I’m rarely in favor of using an arbitrary count to time a breathing exercise. Our goal is to regain enough awareness of mind/body/spirit that you will know exactly how long to inhale and exhale to meet the demands of the moment. We can then build in a safe additional challenge to improve the respiration as much as possible.

Your entire being changes from minute to minute; superimposing any count based on a teacher’s decision is neither as good nor as safe as it should be (albeit easier for the teacher.) I’m a maverick on this one so you make your own choice.

Having said that, this exercise is one of my exceptions because the count itself becomes the focal point of your meditation. The count has nothing to do with timing the breathing. The length of each breath remains natural and comfortable.

Remember, one complete breath cycle is: one inhalation, a natural pause, one exhalation, and a natural pause. For Breath Counting I would suggest that you silently count each EMPTY PAUSE. Count “one” through “ten” and then begin at “one” again. Continue for as long as you can stay focused. Breath Counting is not a contest. Neither is it a measure of your progress. It is an exercise to help you find your center.

Remember that we are counting each natural pause at the end of each exhalation.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Silkwind Breathing

Part of the complexity and brilliance of your pulmonary system is that your breathing changes speed in accordance with demands being placed on your body/mind at any given second. All this happens automatically (although you have the power to intervene and go from Auto to Manual when it suits you). Cool.

However, when you overburden the pulmonary system you interfere with this exquisite engineering. Your pulmonary system is brilliantly designed to handle occasional assaults but modern man is piling on errors beyond what the body can handle at this point in human evolution: stress, drugs, cigarettes, air pollution, building toxins, inactivity, too much sugar, not enough exercise. . . .

The breath should flow easily and smoothly in and out of the lungs at a speed that is appropriate for who you are, where you are and what you are doing. Notice for a moment if your breathing is steady, even and smooth as a silk ribbon sliding between your fingers. Or is it uneven and raggedy? Are you holding your breath? Does the breath feel as if it is flowing all the way down to your bellybutton or does it stop behind your second shirt button?

Slow steady smooth breathing allows your body time to do triage on the incoming air. Since breathing is the bridge that spans mind, body and spirit, steady breathing has the power to calm your nerves and make your spirit more available.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Falling Leaf Breath

Sit on a straight chair with your weight distributed evenly along the back of your thighs and your feet flat on the floor. To balance your spine and lungs correctly your tailbone should never touch the chair seat. Rest your palms on your knees and let your shoulders stay down and quiet during the entire exercise.

During each inhalation “float” your hands up in front of your shoulders and over your knees.

Float your arms down, returning palms to knees, as you breathe out. The outgoing air exits through an almost silent “shhhhhh” – so quiet that the person nearest you wouldn’t hear. The movement and the breathing are smooth and steady.

Lead upward with the backs of your wrists and down with the insides of your wrists. As always, first establish a comfortable natural breath cycle and only then match the movement to it. Think of the breathing as the music and the movement as the dance.

Continue only as long as you feel comfortable and can remain focused.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Small Star

Small Star is one of those meditation-in-motion exercises that are useful when you feel too fragmented to move directly from a crazy busy day into a subtle quiet deep breathing exercise.

1. Bring palms together in front of your breastbone with your elbows resting against your sides. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed and your eyes open. Breathe through your nose.
2. With palms and fingers still together (as in a gesture of respect) fan your joined fingers apart about an inch (thumbs and index fingers moving toward your chest and little fingers moving forward, away from you).
3. During each inhalation, slowly pull the heels of your hands apart about four inches. Pull the length of your fingers apart also but the fingertips stay glued together.
4. As you breathe out, gradually press your palms together again. Keep your movement and breathing smooth, quiet and easy. As always, breathing leads and movement follows.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Hissing Breath

You may occasionally feel too scrambled to begin meditation or subtle breathing exercises immediately. That’s OK. On those truly crazy days it’s best to apply the brakes slowly and ease yourself gradually out of maximum stress into calm.

Let’s explore an INTERMEDIATE exercise that can help you STEP DOWN GRADUALLY from your hectic day. The more scattered you feel, the more important meditation and breathing exercises become to your mind, your body and your spirit.

The Hissing Breath gives you helpful AUDIBLE feedback. Later we will work on a few meditation-in-motion exercises that give you VISUAL feedback. Because you have had a particularly tough day it is especially important that you go about this exercise without pushing or forcing.

1. As always, empty first. Then inhale slowly and easily through your nose. Fill comfortably.
2. Send the air out as you make a long even hissing sound. . . hissssssssssssss. Empty comfortably without forcing. Almost immediately you will feel your systems slow down.
3. Continue as long as you remain focused and comfortable.

Remember that you never allow any discomfort (mind or body) with any breathing exercise. If the really long slow hissing out breath makes you a little light-headed, then try breathing out by making a “shhhhhh” sound. This moves the air out a little more quickly.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Cherish Silence

If you never insist on quiet time alone, if you allow your senses to be constantly bombarded, if you mindlessly parrot the thoughts and actions and styles of others, if you become addicted to the crashing din of daily life, you will never discover the person you are or what you need or what you have to give. You will swirl around in a cultural backwash without the ability to chart your own course . . . . ever. Technology is an amazing gift but let it be your slave and not your master.

You are an original unique creation and not simply a faded copy of others. The more time you devote to exploring the music of your breathing, the more time you meditate, the more quiet time you schedule, the greater your awareness will be of who you are. Don’t live as a stranger to yourself.

Schedule time each week without talking, without listening to radio or watching television. Yup. No IPod. Your inner spirit will never raise its voice. If you are very very quiet, you may learn to listen. As Baba Ram Dass said, “The quieter you become, the more you hear.”

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Meditation 101

There are so many rewarding and pleasurable meditation practices available. Most have been passed with great care and respect from master to student for hundreds or even thousands of years.

While some practices and exercises are quite involved and complicated, the simplest and most basic of them remain incredibly rewarding and effective. We all meditate at sometime during the day perhaps when we are so absorbed in a book that we fail to notice the fading light. Or when we are so intent on a project that we don’t notice that we haven’t eaten since yesterday. Meditation is a perfectly natural and normal process. If you don’t already have a meditation practice, you might enjoy meditating intentionally as well as accidentally.

I believe your intent and your respect for the process are more important than the specifics of any particular meditation exercise or ritual.

As a starting point – sit up straight (but relaxed) with your hands in your lap. Soften your jaw muscles and your tongue. Close your eyes. Listen to and feel the movement of your breath as it slips in and out of your body. Observe the breath without attempting to control or direct it in any way. Continue for as long as you can concentrate completely on your breathing. Some days you may be able to focus for only one breath. On other days, fifty. The quality of your effort (or effortlessness) is more important than the length of time.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Sea in a shell

I appreciate this exercise because it is a simple and elegant way to center yourself quickly when everything around you is turning to mush. It is understandable that you feel fragmented and distracted during a demanding workday. It is easy to lose track of your center, of your true self. Your best decisions, your best plans, your best healing, springs from your CENTER so try not to stray “too far from home” for too long.

Keep your spine comfortably erect and your shoulders relaxed during the entire exercise. Closing your eyes is preferable if circumstances allow.

1. With the tips of your middle fingers close your ears gently by pressing in on the small flap just forward of your ear canals (not to be confused with your ear lobes).


2. Rest your bent elbows comfortably against your chest and keep your face forward.


3. Close your eyes and LISTEN to your deep, slow, steady breathing. The sound of this smooth and rhythmic flow of air is a wonderful relaxing focus. It will seem as if you are listening to the sound of the sea in a seashell. Continue for as long as you feel comfortable. You will find that your breathing slows and deepens fairly quickly without any conscious effort on your part.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Breath Watch

I’ve never been drawn to complicated meditation rituals. If, however, a trusted teacher has assigned you a meditation exercise, a personal mantra or chant and it feels right for you, then I encourage you to stay with your current practice.

I personally believe meditation is a natural aspect of our survival and that we do it several times a day without labeling the process as “meditation.” If someone were to ask you if you meditate, you might say that you haven’t and you aren’t interested. Don’t be so sure.

Mother Nature shuts down our noisy fussy conscious mind and opens up the deeper mind, the mind that knows more, stores more, and is perhaps connected to a larger “database” than is our small conscious mind.

Meditation doesn’t lull your mind to sleep so don’t write it off as being lazy. Brain scans show quite the opposite. Meditation is simply a different (and awesome) kind of busy.

Don’t be fooled by the deceptive simplicity of the Breath Watch exercise because it is an ancient, respected and powerful meditation that you can summon at will.

1. Close your eyes and simply observe your breathing. Feel it. Listen to it.
2. When you begin to lose concentration, rest for a few moments and begin again.

There is no right or wrong way to breathe for this exercise. You will quickly learn to become a respectful observer, rather than a director or critic. Simply observe without dictating the results.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.