Breathwork for Beginners

You take about 23,000 breaths every day. How many of them do you consciously think about?

Take a moment right now to notice your breath.

Is it deep or shallow? Are you breathing into your chest, belly or back? Did you instinctively breathe deeper the moment you brought your attention to it?

That is a clear example of the power of breathwork. As we move through the routine of daily life, most of us breathe into the chest with short, shallow breaths. What we don’t realize is that breathing from our chest signals to our body that we’re stressed. By spending time focusing on deep, long, full breaths, we can activate our parasympathetic nervous system and oxygenate the body, contributing to a more relaxed, peaceful way of moving through the world. 

What is pranayama?

In Sanskrit, pranayama is made up of “prana,” meaning life force, and “ayama,” meaning lengthen. Therefore, pranayama is not the practice of breath control, but the practice of controlling your prana, or life force, through the power of breath. 

It is said that the most important part of your physical yoga practice is not the poses, but the breath. The way you breathe in yoga matters. Since your inhales and exhales happen naturally, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about your breath. But bringing attention to the way you breathe in yoga and in your life is one of the best things you can do for your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.

In yoga, breathwork - the practice of bringing attention to your breath - offers a chance to clear the mind, purify the body, and balance the flow of energy within. And the best part is: anyone can do it. All you need is time, intention, and guidance to feel the effects of this powerful practice on your life.

The Benefits of Yoga Breath Exercises 

In yoga, it is thought that the mind, body, and breath are connected. Think about what happens to your body when you’re stressed or anxious: your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, and you’ll start to take fast, short breaths. Just as your state of mind can influence your breath, your breath can influence your state of mind. Taking time to focus on your breath can calm your nervous system, improve your digestion, and aleve suffering in a variety of ways. 

Practicing breathwork has been scientifically proven to have an effect on the heart, brain, immune system, and digestive system.

Studies have shown that practicing yoga breath can:

• Effectively treat depression, stress, anxiety, and PTSD

• Improves mental focus and reduces brain fog

• Help with emotional regulation

• Lower cortisol levels in your body (your body’s main stress hormone)

• Lower and stabilize blood pressure

• Boost the immune system

• Help you get a good night’s sleep

• Increase oxygen levels in the body

• Improve core strength

• Manage poor digestion and improve symptoms of IBS

Does when I inhale and exhale really matter?

In short, yes. 

Breathing changes the shape of your body. When you inhale, your diaphragm and pelvic floor descends to make space for the expansion of your lungs. At the same time, your ribs and sternum lift up and out to allow the belly to expand. When you exhale, your diaphragm and pelvic floor ascend to expel air while your chest and ribs move inward.

Your yoga instructors tell you when to inhale and exhale based on what best facilitates different types of poses in your body. Experienced yoga teachers will intelligently sequence yoga breath with movement so that you inhale during poses that open the frontline of the body, and exhale during poses that compress the frontline of the body. 

Why do yoga instructors always remind the class to breathe?

While it can sound like a broken record, a yoga instructor who consistently brings attention to your breath understands the connection between asana (poses) and prana (breath). 

We all have a tendency to hold our breath in difficult moments. During a challenging yoga practice, you may naturally hold your breath, which will make it difficult to hold poses. Deep, intentional yoga breathing has a calming effect on the body. Focusing on the quality of your breath while you practice will also improve your focus, mental clarity, and mind-body connection.

When to breathe in yoga:

As a student of yoga, it can be difficult to know when you should inhale and when you should exhale. If you find that you’re constantly on a different breathing rhythm than your instructor’s cues, it may help to understand what poses correlate with breathing in and out. 

In general, you will inhale for:

• Backbends and heart openers

• Poses where you lift, like Mountain Pose and Crescent Lunge 

• Spine lengthening cues

• Transitions where you re-engage, extend, and prepare

In general, you will exhale for:

• Forward folds and surrender poses

• Spinal twists, like Revolved Crescent Lunge

• Side bends

• Transitions where you release, surrender, and softening
  

What is the yoga breath called?

While there are a variety of yoga breath exercises practiced in yoga, the term “yoga breath” usually refers to ujjayi pranayama, also known as the victorious breath or ocean breath. This is the type of breathing you’ve probably encountered in vinyasa classes, where it’s used to bring power and focus into the body.

Ujjayi pranayama is practiced by inhaling and exhaling through your nose while slightly constricting the back of your throat to produce a gentle sound like an ocean wave. When you breathe through your nose, your perceived exertion during exercise is lessened, making your workout feel less difficult. But studies have also shown ujjayi pranayama can increase oxygen consumption in the body by as much as 50%.

Next, we’ll explore Ujjayi pranayama as well as other yoga breath exercises you can do to clear your mind, feel present, and deepen your yoga practice.

Ujjayi Pranayama  - Victorious Breath in yoga

Sometimes called in yoga “ocean breath,” Ujjayi pranayama is a yoga breath exercise practiced throughout asana to bring power and focus into the body. Practice it by inhaling and exhaling through the nose while slightly contracting the back of your throat. The breath should sound like oceanic white noise. 

Yogic Breathwork Contraindications

You should not practice breathwork on your own if you:

• Are pregnant 

• Have a history of aneurysms

• Have uncontrolled hypertension, epilepsy, or seizures

• Have high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems

• Have vision problems or a panic disorder

• Take heavy medication

• Recently underwent surgery 

• Are healing from a recent physical injury

How to stimulate your vagus nerve to reduce stress and anxiety

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is a long and powerful nerve that connects the brain and gut together. It runs from the brain, passing and contacting the tongue, vocal cords, throat, heart, lungs, diaphragm, liver, spleen, large intestine, small intestine, pancreas and kidneys, ending as a ball of nerve endings in the stomach. Hence why it’s often referred to as the ‘wandering nerve’!

The vagus nerve and our relaxation response

The vagus nerve largely contributes to the parts of the nervous system responsible for both the fight or flight and rest and digest responses. And as the vagus nerve connects with the lungs and diaphragm, means the way we breathe affects it. If the vagus nerve senses relaxed, slow breathing, it relays messages to the brain that everything is a-ok, and there’s no need to stress.

Whilst the science behind the nervous system runs deep and you could read about it for hours, there’s no substitute for first-hand experience. Simply put; we know what it feels like when we stimulate the vagus nerve, because we feel more relaxed. Think of the vagus nerve a little like your in-built de-stressor, available to engage with at any time. In a world where many of us are currently experiencing situations that could elicit anxiety and stress, it’s worth knowing how to work with the vagus nerve to bring your body into a state of balance, and empower yourself with your own healing tools.

Five ways to start working with the vagus nerve in yoga

1. Slow deep breathing

Breathing is one of the most simple and effective ways to stimulate the vagus nerve and elicit the relaxation response. Simply taking a slow, long and diaphragmatic breath is enough to encourage the vagus nerve to let the brain know it’s time to relax.

The vagus nerve runs through the throat and vocal cords too however, so specific yogic pranayama techniques like Ujjayi breath and Brahmari breath (humming-bee breath) can be even more powerful. To practice Brahmari breath, take a long breath in and then let out an audible ‘hummmm’ with your mouth closed as you exhale. 

2. Singing and chanting

Similar to the way Brahmari breath vibrates the vocal chords, singing and chanting have been shown to work with the vagus nerve to bring the body into a state of ‘rest and digest’. If singing makes you feel self-conscious and stressed, try singing in the shower or singing along with the radio in your car! Any song or mantra you enjoy can help to bring about this response, but the ‘Aum’ or ‘Om’ mantra is particularly effective for cultivating a sense of calm, and is said to send out purifying, positive vibrations to the environment around you. 

3. Cold therapy

Have you tried cold showers yet? Popularised by Wim Hof and his style of breath work coupled with cold showers, cold exposure has increasingly been found to help relieve anxiety and stress, stimulate the vagus nerve, and promote healthy mitochondria (the ‘engines’ within each of our cells). If a full-on cold shower isn’t possible, try splashing your face with cold water – especially when in the midst of a wave of worry or anxiety – as this has similar effects, or stepping outside for short amounts of time with minimal clothing in cold weather. 

• If you want to take this further, combine the cold showers and breathing techniques with yoga targeting the core in our Strong core radiant health program.

4. Meditation

Whether it’s a guided meditation session, or a regular routine of sitting and watching your breath, meditation has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system by slowing the heart rate and breathing, relaxing the muscles of the abdomen, and slowing brainwave activity.

All of these aspects signal to the vagus nerve that the body is in a relaxed and safe state, thus sending messages to the brain to let it know it’s ok to relax. Positive, loving thoughts are also highly beneficial for vagus nerve activity, so try the Buddhist Metta Bhavna or ‘Loving Kindness’ meditation to start with.

5. Gut Heath

The brain and gut are in constant communication via the vagus nerve. Which is why gut health and mental health are so intrinsically linked. In fact, research shows that when it comes to people with food sensitivities, anxiety, gut problems, brain fog and depersonalisation, a poorly functioning vagus nerve is often at play. 

Having a good balance of healthy gut bacteria has been shown in numerous studies to positively affect the vagus nerve and contribute to better brain health. If you suffer with digestive issues – reflect upon whether these bouts of indigestion or stomach issues tend to be accompanied by mood swings or brain fog. If the answer is ‘yes’, it’s time to take greater care of your gut, as over 80% of our immune system is actually located within it!

Taking a good quality probiotic can help improve gut bacteria, as can including more pre and probiotics in your meals – think sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha or kefir. Practices like occasional fasting, ensuring you’re not eating too late at night, and cutting down on refined sugar can also have a positive impact upon gut health, thus reducing anxiety and stress too!

Yoga for better sleep

Yoga is a gentle and restorative way to wind down your day. A national survey found that over 55% of people who did yoga found that it helped them get better sleep. Over 85% said yoga helped reduce stress. You can use supportive props like bolsters, blankets, and blocks to make poses comfortable so that you can stay in the pose for longer and continue to breathe.

Your breath is key to be able to relax in these poses. Breath in yoga is equally important—if not more important—as the physical pose. Use a gentle and calming yoga breath technique called Ujjayi Breath, also known as Ocean Breath or Victorious Breath. Inhale deeply through the nose. With your mouth closed, exhale through your nose while constricting the back of your throat as if you are saying "ha" but keep your mouth closed. This exhalation should sound like the waves of the ocean (or like Darth Vader from Star Wars). Use this slow and steady breath to soothe yourself in each of these poses.

Practice these yoga poses right before bedtime and stay in them about 3 to 5 minutes each. Use your Ocean Breath in each pose, with the exception of Corpse Pose, where your breath returns to normal.

These seven restorative yoga poses relieve tension and stress at the end of the day. The more that you practice these poses regularly, the more you likely you can get a good night’s rest.

Best yoga poses for assisting sleeping patterns:

1. Wide-Knee Child’s Pose (Balasana)

2. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

3. Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana) at the wall

4. Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)

5. Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani )

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

7. Legs on a Chair Pose

Other ways yoga can assist you to sleep better?

• Yoga improves mindfulness, increases melatonin levels, and helps reduce sleep disturbance.

• The deep breathing technique is extremely relaxing and it induces sleep.

• The key to possessing proper sleep is regular exercise with a combination of yoga.

• Yoga and meditation help us de-stress.

• It relaxes our nervous system.

• It revives our body, makes us feel good, and provides us with a relaxing effect.

Yoga is good in many aspects of life as it helps improve our overall health and helps us attain a better and calming mind. If we indulge ourselves with the practice of yoga, then physical and mental stress are reduced and we stay in a happy, positive state of mind helping us to be mindful, and responsive.

What is Kundalini Yoga

Kindalini yoga works strongly with energy and attemtpting to unblock areas that we may be energetically stuck. With so many different styles of yoga available, each offering a different experience, kundalini is worth a try. Read the article below to learn more about the kundalini practice..

This ancient healing practice awakens and connects you to the divine energy within yourself, so you can achieve a life full of lightness, joy, and boundless love.

Throughout our lifetimes, we’ll all face triumphs, wins, hardships, and challenges. Kundalini guides us in reacting to the ups and downs from a more neutral headspace. This ancient healing practice was the first yoga ever created, and its technologies have been scientifically proven to activate specific parts of your brain that increase awareness and generate more balanced control. Through breath, specific movements, and timing, this practice works to increase the nervous system on a cellular level and increase your energetic awareness.

What does kundalini mean?

In Sanskrit, kundalini means “coiled snake.” In early Eastern religion, it was believed that divine energy was created at the base of the spine. It’s energy we are born with, and Kundalini works to “uncoil the snake” and connect us to this divine energy within.

In its early creation, Kundalini was a study of the science of energy and spiritual philosophy, and in ancient times, royalty would sit with Kundalini Masters to hear the ancient scientific teachings of Kundalini and spiritual visions. Yogi Bhajan, originally named Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, is credited with bringing Kundalini to our Western culture.

Why do practitioners of Kundalini Yoga wear white?

Yogi Bhajan believed that colours have an effect on consciousness. The colour white was thought to expand your aura by an extra foot, not only providing more protection from the harmful energy surrounding you, but projecting positive energy out into the world, as well. “We ask you to wear white so that you will reflect what is outside and go within yourself—that’s what white clothes can do for you,” he said in 1975.

Those who practice Kundalini Yoga also often wear white turbans or other head coverings. While optional, head covering are thought to focus your energy at the third eye or Ajna Chakra and create a sense of calm, as well as symbolise your devotion to the practice.

How can Kundalini Yoga help us?

We use Kundalini as a tool to achieve a life full of lightness, joy, and boundless love. Through Kundalini Yoga, you will begin to not only become aware of the geometry of your body, but also see how this practice affects the energy, emotion, and motion in your body, quickly and efficiently.

We all have “locks” in our body where energy is stuck and we are no longer in flow with our mind–body connection, the universe, and our highest potential. Kundalini Yoga pulls the energy at the base of your spine up, all the way through the roof of your crown and outward so that energy can flow and create balance in your energy centres and chakras.

Together, we’ll walk you through some of the technical parts of this yoga practice, including the breathwork, mantras, kriyas, meditations, and mudras, so you can understand what each of them are and their individual benefits.

At first, the chanting, breathwork, and some of the postures might feel weird. Yet in order to get the most from this spiritual practice, it is very important to commit to your practice, show up consistently, and come with an open mind.

5 aspects of a Kundalini Yoga practice

How to do the Breath of Fire

The most common breath used in Kundalini Yoga is Long Deep Breathing, where you breathe slow and deep in and out through the nose by expanding the stomach out on the inhale and contracting the stomach in on the exhale.

Every meditation and kriya has a specific breath and posture to help generate or release specific energy. One of the most common and loved breathwork practices in Kundalini Yoga is Breath of Fire. Breath of fire is practiced by breathing rapidly equal parts in and out through the nose by pumping your stomach to create oxygen in your blood and charge your electromagnetic field. Breathwork is a beautiful tool to have when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. We use Long Deep Breathing with our left hand over our heart and right over our stomach to instantly soothe our anxieties.

Mantras

Mantras aren’t as intimidating and woo-woo as they sound! The use of chants and sound, or mantras, have the power to signal a chemical reaction in the brain and body, positively affecting your mood. The moods we feel—like happiness, joy, and sadness—all vibrate at a specific frequency. By chanting a mantra, we are channelling the positive power of them, whether it’s peace, abundance, or prosperity.

Chanting a mantra attracts your body to vibrate at that frequency, elevating your mood to higher vibrations, creating a more abundant and high-vibe state of mind. You don’t always have to be sitting in meditation to use mantras; you can also use mantras in your sleep or when you’re driving—the energy of the sacred tones and sounds will fill your space and attract that energy into reality.

Kriyas

When you put breath, posture, and sounds all together, you have a kriya—or a set of exercises. Kriya means “action,” and it is through a specific set of actions and commitment where manifestation can begin to take place. Kriyas work on all levels of your mind, body, and spirit, creating an overall healthy and abundant life full of vitality.

Mudras

Mudras are hand positions that lock and direct energy into different parts of our brains. Thousands of years ago, yogis mapped out the hands and how they are connected to different parts of the brain and body through specific hand placement. We always use a finger to finger placement and press down to activate the energy.

The most common mudra in Kundalini yoga is the gyan mudra that uses the thumb and index fingers to stimulate knowledge. In order to accomplish this mudra, you must firmly press the thumb and index finger together, which activates the points of the fingers. The index finger is associated with Jupiter, which represents expansion. In this mudra, you experience receptivity and calmness. We use this passive yet powerful form unless there is another active form specified.

Another favourite and effective mudra is one that opens up blocks of communication, which can help in everything to a first date to a nerve-wracking business meeting. Press the pad of the thumb onto the nail of the Mercury (pinky) finger for one minute. This allows you to develop the inner confidence to communicate all you need. After this, lightly touch your thumb to your pinky finger, channelling your communication energy to align with your ego.

Kundalini meditations

Meditations in Kundalini Yoga have releasing and healing results. During meditation, you can feel entirely awakened, heightened, and moved by the energy you’re releasing or creating. The meditations in Kundalini yoga are practiced at specific lengths to achieve different results. A 3-minute meditation affects the electromagnetic field and circulation of blood in the body, while an 11-minute meditation begins to alter the nervous and glandular systems of the body. A 31-minute meditation affects all cells, rhythms of the body, and clears out the subconscious mind.

The following is a simple and easy meditation you can practice on your own to get a feel for how Kundalini can affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally. This meditation gives you a boost of energy, making it a great practice for when you wake up in the morning or during the middle of the day if you’re feeling drained and depleted. This meditation can bring in new, vibrant energy and can rejuvenate your focus, coordination, and spirit. If you’re feeling tired, do this meditation and then take a simple Savasana (Corpse Pose)).

A step-by-step Kundalini meditation:

1. Sit comfortably with legs crossed and your spine straight. Place your palms together in prayer pose at the centre of the chest with the fingers pointing up.

2. With eyes closed, you’ll focus your gaze at the brow point where your third eye or 6th chakra is located, which is the point between your eyebrows and up a bit.

3. Your breath will be divided into four equal parts as you inhale.

4. After you breathe in four equal parts, you will hold the breath and exhale, breaking the outgoing breath again into four equal parts and then hold out for a few seconds.

5. On each inhale and exhale, pull your navel point toward your spine. Each breath cycles takes about 7–8 seconds.

This meditation is best practiced for 3–5 minutes. We love to add the mantra Sa Ta Na Ma to this meditation, and we encourage you to play this mantra if your mind is anxious or your thoughts are distracting you. Sa Ta Na Ma means “Infinity, Life, Death, and Rebirth.” This mantra will help you focus your mind and ultimately connects you to your highest and most true self.’

Authors: Brittany Deanda and Tara Schulenberg
Article source: https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/a-beginners-guide-to-kundalini-yoga/

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Loving Kindness Meditation - How To

Of all the different kinds of meditation out there, there's one that's especially powerful for cultivating compassion and extending the benefits of one's meditation practice to others. It's called loving-kindness meditation, metta meditation, or maitrī meditation in Sanskrit. Here's what this practice is all about, plus a guided loving-kindness meditation to try for yourself.

The origins and benefits of a loving-kindness practice

Loving-kindness meditation is thought to have originated in ancient India, before the time of the Buddha. Since then, it's become known as a traditionally Buddhist philosophy and practice, but the ideas of loving-kindness, compassion, or maitrī, can also be found in Hindu and Jain texts.

In these meditations, the object is to cultivate and send out compassion to the world and all living beings in it, including ourselves. According to Marci Quinn, spiritual author of A Teen's Spirit: Changing the World Through Love and Kindness, "A loving kindness meditation is a powerful tool to help you experience forgiveness and compassion for yourself, those you know, and even those you don't. By actively visualizing yourself extending love to people during your meditation, a deep sense of peace and calmness sets in."

This is a particularly beneficial meditation to try if you're looking to hold space for someone, enhance your communication skills, and deepen your relationship to yourself and the world around you.

"Aside from the sense of peace that you can receive," Quinn notes, "this practice can help improve your relationships with family and friends with whom you may normally have deep-rooted, recurring issues. Offering love and forgiveness to those who may not seem to 'deserve' it is one of the most transformational choices you can make in your life."

What to think about during your loving-kindness sit

This is, of course, totally up to you, and can change from day to day. But to help get you started, one common mantra that focuses on the metta, is: "May all human beings everywhere be healthy, happy, and free."

In addition to that, Quinn adds it's also beneficial to choose people that you may have negative feelings toward or unresolved issues with. "Bringing them into your meditation will help open pathways to actually feel forgiveness and compassion for them despite any of their perceived wrongdoings or shortcomings. In offering love and kindness to others, you can be sure you will receive it as well."

Once you can extend that love and compassion to those you may struggle with, it opens the pathway to healing. "A loving-kindness meditation practice will help shift your perspective of others (and yourself) from fear-based to love-based thoughts," she notes, "which helps open you up to receive all the blessings you deserve."

Tips on making your practice more effective

It's no secret that meditation can be a bit of a struggle for many people. Quinn notes you can make your loving-kindness meditation practice more effective by thinking about positive memories you have of others while you're meditating. Here are a few more meditation tips that can help guide and anchor your practice:

1. Feel the sensations that come up when you think about those you love.

2. When thinking about and sending love to those you might have issues with, notice which feelings come up then, too.

3. Picture two people side by side: one you love, and one you have past grievances with. Recognize they are the same and send them both love.

4. Try not to resist or fight any unpleasantness or thoughts that come up.

5. Be mindful of your posture.

6. Make it a walking meditation if you can't sit still.

7. Be gentle with yourself.

A guided loving-kindness meditation

Follow along to this loving-kindness meditation, created by certified yoga instructor, reiki master, and sound healer Susy Schieffelin.

A 10-minute, guided sound bath meditation for heart healing and loving-kindness:

1. Begin by finding a comfortable place of stillness.

2. Allow your eyes to gently close and bring your attention to your breath. Take a deep inhale through your nose and a full exhale through your mouth. Take another deep breath in, all the way down into your belly, and let it go.

3. Imagine going deep within your heart, until you find a place of stillness. A place of peace. And in that place, begin to call in a version of yourself. You might imagine yourself as you are today, or maybe you imagine yourself as a child, or at a moment in time when you felt sad or lonely. A time when you could have used a little bit more love.

4. Imagine yourself—notice your face, notice what you're wearing. Connect with how you feel in that moment, and then begin to imagine yourself at that moment in time, surrounded by white light. Become aware that this light is a very special light. It is a peaceful, healing light. A light of pure, unconditional love.

5. Imagine sending this light to that version of yourself, allowing the light to melt away any sadness, any loneliness or worry, any fear, any heaviness or heartache. Imagine the light melting it all away, enveloping you in a soft, warm glow of unconditional love. Allow yourself to receive that love, and with every breath you take, feel that light growing bigger and brighter. Imagine yourself melting and dissolving, becoming pure love.

6. Feel a sense of healing, a knowing that somehow everything is OK, breathing in love and kindness and exhaling to just let go.

7. When you feel as though you've fully received this love, maybe there's someone else in your life you'd like to send love to today. Someone who could use some extra love and kindness. Feel this person in your heart, and just as you did for yourself, imagine enveloping them in healing, white light. Imagine sending them so much love. Send them kindness and comfort. Send them the message that everything is OK. Feel them receive it.

8. And now imagine our whole world. Billions of people, animals, plants. Imagine our planet Earth, and surround the Earth in healing, white light. Imagine sending unconditional love, kindness, and healing. Imagine that light dissolving all the pain, all the heartache, all the suffering. Imagine this light of love filling our world with joy. Filling our world with peace. Filling our world with hope.

9. In closing, take a deep inhale through your nose. Sigh it out through your mouth. When you're ready, start to become aware of your body, wiggling your fingers and your toes. Circle your wrists and your ankles, maybe even stretch your arms up overhead as though you are awakening to a new day, a new version yourself, of your life, of this world. A world filled with love and kindness, hope and peace. Feel the openness of your heart, and when you're ready, gentle blink your eyes open. Welcome back.

The bottom line

In our humble opinion, there's never a bad time for more loving-kindness on this Earth, so give this meditation technique a try next time you or someone you know needs a little love—or you simply want to send the planet all the loving energy you can.

Read original article here
Article author: Sarah Regan

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Hridaya Meditation & the spiritual heart

Hridaya Meditation is also called the “meditation for the revelation of the spiritual heart” and is aiming on the direct experience of our true nature. ... By meditation on the “spiritual heart” we can experience this love and consciousness within ourselves and in this way bring more peace, love and joy into our being. Learn more about this style of meditation below -

There is an essential part of you. A place beyond the personality, beyond limitations, beyond suffering, beyond time. A home where you rest in the Infinity of Being. That essence is the Self, the Spiritual Heart. Although you are not and can never be separate from the Heart, that truth hides behind an identification with the ego and its stories. The good news is that it’s possible to transcend this condition. So, what is Hridaya Meditation? It’s a process of deconditioning that leads you back home to the Heart.

Technical Aspects

The practice of Hridaya Meditation has three main technical components:

1. The awareness of the Heart Center: Connecting with a spiritual “portal” in the middle of the chest, a little to the right.

2. The awareness of short pauses after inhalation and exhalation: Opening to the background of Stillness revealed in the gaps between breaths.

3. Self-Inquiry: Asking the question “Who am I?” and being present for what arises.

The Finger That Points to the Moon

There is a lovely metaphor from the Zen tradition that describes the relationship between the technical elements of practice and the Ineffable: “The finger that points to the Moon.” This suggests that you shouldn’t remain focused on the finger, but always look in the direction it points.

Similarly, these three technical aspects are like “fingers” pointing to the “Moon” of Consciousness. They are just pointers or doors to the vastness of your Being. They don’t have value in themselves, but only in connection with what they reveal.

For example, you can focus on the chest area, which can eventually bring an increased level of concentration, mental clarity, and awareness of the emotions. But these are limited to the domain of your personality.

When you understand that the Heart Center is just a pointer, you open to a new “domain.” The Islamic hadith describes this as “Heaven and Earth do not contain me, but I am contained in the heart of my devotee.” And, in Jesus’s affirmation, “The Kingdom of God is inside you.” In this way, Heart Center is not just a “point of concentration,” but brings the taste of Infinity.

Additionally, being aware of the pauses after inhalation and exhalation and asking “Who am I?” can lead you to that domain beyond personal limitations.

Therefore, Hridaya Meditation, while using these tools, finally goes beyond them, becoming a natural way of celebrating the Freedom and Joy of your true Self.

What is Hridaya Meditation? A path to the Heart.

Read the original article here
Article published by: Hridaya Yoga

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