Breathing Exercise for Meditation

“Meditation not medication” has been my motto for the past 25 years. In meditation practice an awareness of and conscious use of the breath is essential. Whenever I can I avoid taking medicine and first contact the deeper wisdom of my body and ask what can be done on my part to remedy the problem. An awareness of the breath is always necessary in all forms for self-healing. This video is an 8 minute guided process with a simple breathing meditation.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a focused state of mind that allows an inner journey of reflection, contemplation, direction and response. Meditation techniques have been practiced for thousands of years. Originally, meditation was a form of yoga practice in India with the purpose of developing spiritual understanding, attention, and a direct experience of reality.

Meditation is the process of eliminating external stimuli, quieting the mind and achieving a state of deep peace and higher consciousness. Definitions and practices for meditation are many. Some of the most practiced are zen meditation, transcendental meditation, sitting and walking meditation, yoga meditation, visualisation and guided meditation. In the past, mindfulness has been introduced as a form of meditation. The word meditation is Indo-European. The root “with” means “to measure” and from this comes the English words “medicine and moderate.” The word “meditation” came to the English language from Latin “meditato”, which originally meant any kind of physical or intellectual exercise, and later contemplation.  Meditation is a wonderful method that supports this process. Meditation is not something “done with you” from outside but is a self-help process that helps to strengthen and activate human own inherent healing abilities, frees resources, counteracts empowerment and brings understanding, insight, coping and control in one’s own lives.  

Why meditate? The purpose of meditating is primarily to get peace of mind, body and emotions. The goal can also be to raise awareness, gain greater clarity, raise awareness, increase insight, understanding and answers. During meditation it is easier to observe subjective experiences, thoughts, feelings, emotions, responses, reactions and behaviours than when the mind is overstimulated. Beginners often experience meditation as challenging because it requires some discipline and stamina. The best for these can be to get help from CDs and / or guided meditation. Eventually, meditation will bring a person into contact with his wisdom energy and this gives direction for how life can become more harmonious and loving. Meditation helps us find happiness, inner harmony and to be centred. Peace can never be found or experienced beyond one’s own. Peace is found when we learn to control our mental and emotional activity and remain centred. Meditation teaches us how to master our state of mind and emotions and bring us to the truth about who we really are. Meditation is the way in which all the spiritual masters have gone through the whole story.

Meditation is a good health insurance Thousands of scientific studies have been conducted on the effect of regular meditation. Many insurance companies in several countries provide reduced insurance premiums to clients who meditate regularly. The body’s need to be “heard” happens best through silence.

It may seem amazing that so much positive can happen just by “sitting quiet without doing anything”

The benefits of meditation are many including:

• Increased energy
• increased concentration
• increased learning ability
• Greater calm and relaxation
• Increased creativity
• Increased ability to focus and be aware
• increased presence
• development of mental potential
• greater tolerance
• Increased academic achievement
• Improved health and longevity
• reduced need for medicine
• reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
• improvement of asthma and bronchitis
• Improved self-image and increased self-esteem
• stress management
• reduced demand for caffeine tobacco, alcohol and drugs
• Increased work performance and increased productivity.

How to meditate? It is important that one is in a comfortable place where one can remain undisturbed during meditation. The meditation position is sitting, lying or standing with the spine straight. The breath is deep and rhythmic. Research shows that different messages are sent to the mind when the breath is deeper than when it is ground, tight and high in the chest.

Why is it so important to breathe properly? The breath is life itself. It is the connection to health and few understand this. If we could raise a generation of children who continued to breathe correctly, many diseases would disappear. The reason we forget to breathe correctly is often the influence our thoughts have on the body. All thoughts have a deeper effect on the body, not least on the breath. The breath is defined as Prana, “the power of life that nourishes the soul.” In Sanskrit, Prana means absolute energy, or the source of all that is. Prana is healing through his hands and auras field. Prana is used by the soul of creation and manifestation. has stored Prana, or vitality either intentionally or unconsciously, radiates vitality and power marked by all those around them.

Blessings Gill

Gillian Godtfredsen, Doctor of Metaphysics, PhD Holistic Life Coaching, Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher