Day 10 - Breathing for Balance

"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." —Thich Nhat Hanh

Today, we take a closer look at something we all do every day—breathing. Everything that is alive is energized by a force called prana. Prana means energy or life force and, in humans, that life force is the breath.
Whereas most of our breathing is regulated automatically, conscious breathing can completely shift our perception. When we close our eyes and simply witness the breath as it flows in and out of our nostrils, we invite peace and balance into our lives, bathing our brains and every cell of our bodies in energy and vitality.
Our centering thought for today is:

I am one with the breath of life

 

Our Sanskrit mantra:
So hum I am.

 

How does conscious breathing benefit you?

I already do it 1 and 30 mins. per day. Pranayama has helped save my life when I developed sleep apnea from lung problems. This "disease" has been a gift as the "conscious breathing" goes along with my meditation. For me conscious breathing is almost like "praying without ceasing", as I have to stay aware of my breathing all day. At night I have a breathing machine, that forces air into my lungs. My meditation is based on pranayama - paying attention to deep belly breaths - concentrating on the breath instead of a mantra. When I used the mantra meditating here, I used Soo on inhale and Hum on exhale. Thank you Pranayama, Oprah and Deepak for re-affirming my conscious breathing/meditation practice.