Samya Yoga Healing

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Part One: The Inhale

Mar 24, 2019

The breath is the bridge between the mind and body. If our mind is racing, our breath is usually short and shallow.  If our mind is relaxed, our breath is usually slow and more into the belly.  By working with the breath, we can change the mind state.

I want to focus on looking at the meaning of the inhale in our lives and in another blog I will focus on the exhale.

LARGER MEANING OF THE BREATH

When I think of the inhale, I think of the SO HUM mantra and meditation.  ‘SO’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘That’ or True Nature. ‘HUM’ means ‘I Am.’ A common meditation practice is to observe the breath; When aware of the inhale, say in your mind ‘SO’; When you exhale, say in your mind ‘HUM.’

By practicing this meditation, it is an invite on the inhale to bring awareness to ‘That’ is permanent, which is divine, love, God, the infinite.  On the exhale, it invites the awareness that ‘That’ is within us. This mantra is the essence of the goal on the path of yoga, to realize ‘I am the infinite’. The inhale invites us to go inward for this Self-realization.

WHAT THE INHALE CAN REPRESENT

 

There are  many ways of using this amazing world around us, though impermanent, to help us find meanings for the inhalation. Looking at the sun, the inhalation might represent the sunrise, the beginning of moving from dark to light to see truth, or inviting the new day which supports our journey of Self-understanding an experience giver.  

 
The changes of season.  In moving from the hibernation and pause of winter, spring is that ‘breath of fresh air,’ drawing in the changes that are bringing new life and renewal, movement.  This just made me think of one of the last scenes in the movie, “Gravity,” when Sandra Bullock’s character has reentered earth’s gravity, plunging into the water and then after escaping her pod she surges up, breaking out of the water’s surface with a full breath of renewal, desire to live, reborn.
 
The inhalation, when thinking of movement or activity, is the drawing in before the release of energy out.  In that moment, one can visualize the outcome desired with the movement to prep the body to move towards a goal.  I think of being out rock climbing.  When I’m about to move through a more challenging section, I breath in to create focus of where I want to go, then I exhale (usually more forcefully) with the action.  
So, inhalation can also be synonymous with focus and concentration (though for this to fully be realized, the exhale must also come).  The breath in draws us inward towards clarity before the action happens to realize the clarity. 
 

YOUR OWN REFLECTION

Take a moment to step outside. Breath in, drawing life inwards.  Notice what is going on when you draw the breath in more slowly versus forcefully. What do yo notice? What does awareness of the inhale bring to your mind? Enjoy this gift of the inhalation.

Shanti.

P.S. Learn more about your amazing breath as a practice to calm your mind with this free resource: The Power Of The Breath: Your Most Important Tool.