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Spiritual Fridays: 5 reasons to practise mindful breathing

To understand mindfulness, begin with the breath and embrace the myriad experiences that follow

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“Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale.” The first time I heard this was back in Class 4 or 5 during our yoga class in school. Our yoga teacher, Mrs Warrier, would always ask us to focus on our breath. Given that I was all of 10-years-old, I never ever understood what she meant. So I would just hang around, sitting there in padmasana, intermittently opening my eyes to check if my classmates were successful in  this task. I was always happy to find company. 

Circa 2004. Rochester, NY. “Just relax. Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale.” Same words, a different voice. This time it's John, my yoga teacher. Yes, I was still trying to learn the art of breathing in and breathing out. No success yet. 

Circa 2014. I am in the comfort of my new home and I have the privilege of a yoga teacher who comes home to teach the art, again! No luck. Yoga teacher lasts only a month.

2015 January. I try again. And this time, it worked. It worked because all I did was focus on the present moment. The 'here' and 'now'. Sitting in total silence, eyes closed and chanting 'Oooooom” would seem more like a practice for monks. But, turns out mindful meditation can fit perfectly in our lives, too. 

Why should one practise mindful breathing?
To begin with, it's only natural to experience discomfort during the practice. It doesn't mean you are not doing it right or you can't do it. But in fact, this breath shows us our discomfort and how it impacts the various relationships that perpetuate it. Instead of moving away from this discomfort, all you should do is stay with it—stay with this feeling, this breath that is causing uneasiness and irritability. 

1. The breath is not focussed on becoming efficient or improving the act of breathing itself. Just let the breath be—do not force it, speed it up or control it. The breath isn't trying to get anywhere, so just focus on the feeling of this breath.

2. We can learn a lot from the natural rhythm of this breath. The mind will constantly want to wander, push away unpleasant experiences and move you from being in the present. The breath teaches us steadfastness. It helps us cultivate resilience in tough times. All you got to do is stay with the feeling, whatever it may be.

3. Initially, you may find the breath boring. But that's because you are not paying attention to it. Your focus is probably on “Am I doing it right? Will I be able mindful from tomorrow?” Instead focus on is this breath the same as the last one? Is it mildly different in texture, intensity and duration? Be open to these wonders of breathing.

4. You are not breathing. The breath is what breathes. Wondering how? In one of his newsletters, Osho reveals how- When a child is born, he/she cannot breathe on his own. To expect that is impossible because the child does not know how to breathe, nobody has taught him. The first act of breath bridges you with the whole, makes you one with the whole, and all that follows will not be your activity. All that is going to happen after this first breath till you die, till the last breath, is going to be the activity of the whle. The whole will live within you.
Essentially, flow with life's offerings without resisting or clinging to it and life will take care of you. Cooperate with the breath, which the whole (the Universe) is breathing into you.

5. The breath helps you rest, relax, recover. The stillness of mindful breathing allows us to recuperate from the stresses and anxieties that are caused by not focussing on the breath, in the first place.

I will leave you with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, “To master our breath is to be in control of our bodies and minds. Each time we find ourselves dispersed and find it difficult to gain control of ourselves by different means, the method of watching the breath should always be used”. 

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