Breathing exercise, continued....
- 1) Exhale, left nostril (close the right with a finger)
2) Inhale, left nostril
3) Exhale, right nostril (close the left with a finger)
4) Inhale, right nostril
Breathe down into the abdomen, but not especially deeply. Just let the air move in and out naturally, without forcing it. The effects of this exercise are surprisingly powerful, and the breathing will become increasingly deep over time, naturally, with no attempt to make it happen.
One very easy way to do this exercise is in bed, before getting up in the morning, and again at night, before sleeping. You can also do it anytime during the day, though I suggest not soon after eating. It is quite powerful, and 5 repetitions of the cycle are probably enough at any one time, at least until you’ve done the exercise regularly for a few weeks.
When you become familiar enough with the pattern that you’re switching nostrils automatically, you can incorporate the following meditation (I've condensed the 5 Precepts into 4, and added a 5th of my own). Think these words in your mind as you breathe:
Cycle #1:One very easy way to do this exercise is in bed, before getting up in the morning, and again at night, before sleeping. You can also do it anytime during the day, though I suggest not soon after eating. It is quite powerful, and 5 repetitions of the cycle are probably enough at any one time, at least until you’ve done the exercise regularly for a few weeks.
When you become familiar enough with the pattern that you’re switching nostrils automatically, you can incorporate the following meditation (I've condensed the 5 Precepts into 4, and added a 5th of my own). Think these words in your mind as you breathe:
1) "I let go all fear and worry"* | (feel these flying out, like a stream of birds, from the navel) |
2) "I am Absolute Faith" | (feel the root chakra as a basin of solid rock, which is filled by the 2nd chakra, a body of water: maybe the Earth and the Sea) |
3) "I let go all fear and worry"* | (same as 1 above) |
4) "I am Absolute Faith" | (same as 2 above) |
Cycle #2:
1) "I let go all anger and frustration"* | (feel these flying out, like a stream of birds, from the navel) |
2) "I am Absolute Peace; I welcome what IS" | (feel this in the solar plexus, like the surface of a lake that's perfectly still, silent, reflective) |
3) "I let go all anger and frustration"* | (same as 1 above) |
4) "I am Absolute Peace; I welcome what IS" | (same as 2 above) |
Cycle #3:
1) "I give thanks" | (extending out from the heart chakra) |
2) "I love All That Is" | (taking All That Is into the heart chakra) |
3) "I give thanks" | (same as 1 above) |
4) "I love All That Is" | (same as 2 above) |
Cycle #4:
1) "I am true to Self | (fulfill my purpose on Earth in this lifetime)" (feel your vibration radiating out from the throat chakra) |
2) "I am true to Source" | (feel the Source energy coming in through the crown, down to the throat chakra, down to the heart chakra) |
3) "I am true to Self | (fulfill my purpose on Earth in this lifetime)" (same as 1 above) |
4) "I am true to Source" | (same as 2 above) |
Cycle #5:
1) "I let go all sadness"* | (feel this flying out, like birds, from the brow chakra) |
2) "I am Absolute Joy!" | (imagine the feeling of angels!) |
3) "I let go all sadness"* | (same as 1 above) |
4) "I am Absolute Joy!" | (same as 2 above) |
After using these affirmations hundreds and hundreds of times, I suddenly became aware of a much simpler version of them, capturing just the essence of each one. You may prefer this one:
Simply focus on one quality through all 4 breaths of each cycle, as follows:
Simply focus on one quality through all 4 breaths of each cycle, as follows:
Cycle #1: I am FAITH (feel it in 1st and 2nd chakras)
Cycle #2: I am PEACE (feel it in 3rd chakra)
Cycle #3: I am LOVE (feel it in 4th chakra)
Cycle #4: I am TRUTH (feel it in 5th chakra)
Cycle #5: I am JOY (feel it in 6th chakra)
Cycle #2: I am PEACE (feel it in 3rd chakra)
Cycle #3: I am LOVE (feel it in 4th chakra)
Cycle #4: I am TRUTH (feel it in 5th chakra)
Cycle #5: I am JOY (feel it in 6th chakra)
Living in Hawai'i, I'm surrounded by references to the ancient culture of Huna. The ancient Hawai'ians had a deep understanding of the sacredness of breath and the effectiveness of breathing in certain ways. Deliberate breathing was always incorporated into prayer, for instance, to enhance the connection with Divinity.
The importance of breath is shown clearly in the Hawai'ian language itself. The word Ha means "breath," and is incorporated into many other words, the most famous one, of course, being Aloha -- "sharing the divine breath of life."**
The ancients were so conscious of the importance of breath, one of the first things they noticed in the arrival of Europeans was that these foreigners did not incorporate conscious breathing when they prayed. Because of that, the foreigners were called Haole -- "lacking breath." (Today, many people use the word to describe anyone not an ethnic Hawai'ian; its real meaning is no longer employed and generally unknown.)
The word huna itself is translated as "secret" or "hidden" -- and yet the teachings of huna are based on the simple truths of the universe. As with Mikao Usui's Reiki Precepts -- the "secret" medicine for all diseases -- it seems the keys to life are so obvious, "hidden" in plain sight all around us, we overlook them.
For more on Deliberate Creation, see:
* The emphasis here is on the letting go---
** It's worth noting that the Shinto religion of Japan, many thousands of years ago, identified the sound Ha as a kotodama -- one of several dozen sacred, "spirit sounds" believed to have the power of bringing things into existence. Kotodama were understood by Usui and incorporated into his Reiki method. In the Shinto understanding, Ha means "expanding the light of life," and is used with the breath in a method called hado breathing.
Mahalo (thank you) for being here! The entire universe (including this website) would not be the same without your presence!
Of all the pages on all the websites in all the world, you have come to this one at this exact moment in your life: what a miracle!! In fact, every moment of life is a miracle beyond explanation. I pray you find here the "secret medicine" of your quest. (More precisely, I pray you find here something that triggers your discovery of the secret medicine, which is eternally within you and a part of you, just waiting to be found!)
Of all the pages on all the websites in all the world, you have come to this one at this exact moment in your life: what a miracle!! In fact, every moment of life is a miracle beyond explanation. I pray you find here the "secret medicine" of your quest. (More precisely, I pray you find here something that triggers your discovery of the secret medicine, which is eternally within you and a part of you, just waiting to be found!)
I'm especially thankful to everyone who has sent gifts -- of money, books, paintings, candles, photos, astrology readings, postage stamps, pottery, figurines....and whatever else I'm forgetting to mention at the moment. And the greatest gifts of all, your love and friendship and encouragement.
A website is like a garden: it will absorb as much love and attention as we can possibly give it. Unlike a garden, though, a website is not fed by sunshine and rain and bird songs and the perpetual motion of countless trillions of organisms in the very soil of it. A garden, deprived of human attention, will continue to grow and evolve and flourish (even if not in the direction we would have chosen for it). A website deprived of human attention will merely sit and fossilize.
If you would like to help with the ongoing creation and maintenance of this site, your suggestions, comments, information, experiences and inspirations are always welcome (you can reach me via the email link at the bottom of the page). If you would like to contribute something more tangible, please click here.