Meditative breathing for mental peace

Breathing is the only vital autonomic bodily function that can be consciously controlled and directed by the mind. This is so for a reason; your breathing is a bridge between your body and your mind. To allow your breathing to remain unconscious and automatic is to exist in a realm where that bridge is obstructed.

The breath is intended as a balancing device, a tuning tool that allows you conscious control of your emotions, and access to states of deep relaxation and harmony. Your breath holds the key to the door of compassion and understanding for all living beings. Why? Because it is in the moments of peace and stillness created by breath awareness that you can get in touch with the inner you. The peaceful, calm and competent you, and
the you that can extend empathy, care and concern to others.

That's Meditative Breathing. Practice it for 15 minutes, once or twice a day, and see the benefits accrue over time. You can not do Meditative Breathing wrong if you do Meditative breathing supports good mental health. Thoughts of "I am doing this wrong" or "This is not working" are simply more distracting thoughts to let go of as you meditate.

Start by finding a quiet place. A place where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Somewhere you can practice your breathing meditation technique quietly.

Then start to pay attention to your breathing. It’s something we take for granted, yet breathing gives us vital oxygen and learning some easy meditation techniques by paying attention to breathing is simple to do and very beneficial.

To learn more about Meditative Breathing, refer to the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, an excellent resource on mindfulness and meditation.

Therapists frequently say to clients, "You have to let go of it." But what does that mean? How do you let go of something? The daily practice of Meditative Breathing teaches you how to let go. In the course of each meditation, you will be distracted by many thoughts, some of which are quite compelling. In fact, some will scream at you, "Stop meditating and pay attention to me - I'm really, really important!" Each time you resist getting sucked into a thought, you are practicing letting go.