Breathing Practice
Breath
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By focusing on calming ourselves, we can observe the true nature of life. We still the body, heart, and mind as much as possible, leaving only the diaphragm to move—pulling in and expanding the breath, filling the torso to keep us alive. When this breathing becomes deep, full, and relaxed, it becomes a powerful gateway to meditation.
In this state, we lose ourselves in the flow of air, without expectation, ambition, or distractions. This natural flow of energy is free from ego or negativity. As we connect to a calm, joyful breath, a sense of peace naturally arises. This state, free from personal emotions and ego, lays the foundation for more advanced Dharma meditation practices.
Mammalian Dive Reflex The Mammalian Dive Reflex is a natural response that occurs in all mammals when submerged in water. It helps regulate the nervous system, oxygen levels, and body temperature. By taking a slow, six-second breath in through the nose and then gently exhaling for six seconds through the mouth, as if blowing out candles. This helps slow the heart rate and reduce adrenaline, conserving energy.
By exhaling fully, like a whale expelling air through its blowhole, we release carbon dioxide and help restore oxygen levels for quicker recovery, especially after exertion.
Fully inflating the abdomen while breathing can help decompress the spine, while focused breath can open or support the upper body.
A slow, steady breathing cycle can calm the whole system, much like a wide, peaceful river. This steady rhythm helps thoughts and feelings become more grounded and less erratic. In contrast, short, shallow breaths trigger the fight or flight response.
Nasal breathing is more efficient for taking in air, as it filters and prepares the oxygen for the body, potentially easing conditions like asthma or allergies.
Breathing can also help us stay calm in stressful situations. A conscious six-second inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth can lower heart rate and reduce anxiety.
Breathing techniques allow us to control our temper, guiding our energy toward wiser actions rather than reacting impulsively.
When it's time to act, follow nature’s flow. Like water moving from low to high, focus on using internal energy, aligning and observing each moment. Move through Wisdom, with detailed awareness.
Breathing Practice 1
What Is Energy?
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Energy refers to anything moving or changing we can be aware of, and observing the details of how it behaves can make the idea of energy less abstract.
Four Eternal Elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Air.
These four balance each other perfectly by having opposing qualities.
Yin when it is relaxed, soft, wet, cold, dead and stillness. Earth and Water follow gravity, join together, heavy, flowing, falling, pulling, downwards like thick frozen mud.
The opposite, Yang. Strong, up, lifting, fast, hot, expanding. Like when fire and air explode to push up and out forcefully and suddenly. Wide-open and free, reborn, fully charged.
Balancing these opposing forces is key to moving and standing with ease. Just 10-15 minutes of Phoenix Pose and its movements each day imprints a blueprint of perfect posture in the subconscious, promoting optimal movement and enhancing our ability to fully enjoy life.
Moving with a lightness, rolling energy to bring power all the way from foot to the crown of the head, all the way to the fingertips. This is the technique for creating the Taichi energy whip.
Humans stand apart from the rest of the animal kingdom because our energy flows directly through the central nervous system, offering greater mental processing power. This design has enabled the creation of a modern world filled with technology and comfort, which, unfortunately, encourages a sedentary lifestyle. Lack of movement leads to blockages, imbalances, and pain. Blockages to the central energy highway disrupt the flow of energy, information, and metabolic function. When the system becomes blocked and inflamed, it struggles to clear toxins and repair itself, focusing only on maintaining vital functions under additional stress.
By regularly releasing fascia lines, the whole system can easily be decompressed and optimal function and performance restored.
If muscles become deconditioned the tissues lose agility and may feel tense, sending signals of pain, tightness or discomfort. These restrictions put pressure on the joints or vertebrates of the spine, crushing nerves as the structural integrity and alignment is compromised. The body is like an antenna to feel and interact with the space and surroundings. If the antenna loses function we become less aware. Therefore less alive, closer to being reborn again.
The wise choice to perform this phoenix pose as often as possible every day unites our concentration towards something perfect. Not just thoughts and ideas contradictory to subconscious urges like wanting to be fit but not having energy to go to the gym. It unites mind, body and heart towards wise disciplines instead of blind habits.
The awareness developed in this pose will carry over to more advanced poses and sequences, creating a routine to play with. We aren't simply learning a few moves, we are learning how to move to match a perfect system. Awakening the consciousness to be more perfect.
It may seem difficult at first but don’t worry, the speed of learning increases as the awareness grows sharper, seeing more detail as the subconscious ability improves..
Without a wisdom centre, our scattered energy never has a logical anchor in a crazy ocean of constantly changing influences. Like a boat in a storm with no rudder, compass or map we too can become lost.Every time we make the wise choice to develop the awareness of Centre and practice moving with that procedure, it’s like grabbing the rudder and steering it even further away from the damage, destruction and pain of blindly acting.