I am almost done with Simple Meditation and Relaxation by Joel and Michelle Levey. This has been an enormously helpful book for me. I will write a formal review once I complete it, but I wanted to share some breathing exercises that I learned from this book.Count to Ten
This was hard for me at first. I would lose my focus before I reached the mid-way point. The idea is to breathe in (thinking good thoughts) and then breathe out (ridding bad thoughts) for a count of ten. It requires a lot of concentration, but I am getting better at it.
As I improve, I am adding a focus on my tailbone at the top and bottom of each breath. It's trickier than it seems!
The Nine-Part Breath
This breathing exercise requires that you inhale through one nostril then exhale through the other (taking turns) for a count of three.
Left nostril, inhale; Right nostril, exhale
Left nostril, inhale; Right nostril, exhale
Left nostril, inhale; Right nostril, exhale
Right nostril, inhale; Left nostril, exhale
Right nostril, inhale; Left nostril, exhale
Right nostril, inhale; Left nostril, exhale
Then breathe in though both nostrils for another three times
While inhaling, imagine your body being filled with a white light (positive energy). And while exhaling, imagine a reddish gas leaving your nostrils, taking all of the negative energy with it.
This one also requires a lot of concentration but is easier than counting to ten.
What are your favorite breathing exercises?
3 comments:
I love the Breath of Fire - it's both calming and energizing. Here's a video clip on YouTube. It's one you want to start slowly with, you can get a bit dizzy. It's almost like hyperventilating only much more controlled.
It's so interesting. I associate these breathing exercises with slowness, but the Breath of Fire is something completely different. I will give it a try and let you know how it goes (but I will start this one slowly).
Thanks for the tip!
Jill
I tried the nostril one - that took some concentrating but was worth the effort. I also love the count to ten as it reminds me of my mother's advice to me when I wanted to run before I could walk - or worse!
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