Tag: breath

When a strong feeling comes up, it will often be accompanied by a strong habitual pattern, writes Pema Chodron in her book How To Meditate. The pattern may be justification, defence, a story of avoidance or pleasure. The invitation is to wake up from this habitual pattern to dissolve the hold emotions have over us. It is done by breathing with the emotion, not labelling it as bad or good. So go to our experience and feel it directly with the breath rather than launching into a conceptual strategy of avoidance or reaction. If you just go to the breath without experiencing the emotion as well, this can be repressing emotions. So choosing not to act out by speaking, acting or dong. Neither choosing not to repress. We are simply watching and breathing with the emotion.

Breathe, by Timothy

My breath is my anchor
I return there for peace
Uninvited emotions
Yet together they meet
A chest wide disruption
An intensifying beat
Until a grateful exhale
Kicks them out on the street

Guide: Noelle Lim

Image credit: Tuqa Nabi, Unsplash

Adapted from Pema Chodron’s book “How To Meditate”, this is a practice of letting go using the breath. Starting with knowing, acknowledging you are breathing, then transitioning to feeling the sensations of breathing in and out, following the flow, just watching. Not needing to rush, nor breathe in any particular way. And if you have difficulties with breathing or with any prior breathing practices, as best as you can, just watching the breath. It may come across easy, gentle or may be unpleasant. As you are still sitting up, you are fine. As best as you can, staying with the practice, and allowing with care and kindness.

By focusing on the breath as the object of the meditation, noticing how impermanent each breath is. Coming, going, every changing, always flowing. As you are on it, developing the mind, training to mind to stay in present to the impermanence of things like thoughts, emotions, sights and sounds and physical sensations. Whenever the attention floats away, gently guiding it back to the breath.

Excerpt from Mary Oliver’s poem from In Blackwood Waters

To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.

Guide: Noelle Lim

Image credit: Alexander London, Unsplash