Meditate and breathe or the art of reprogramming oneself…
Practiced every morning on an empty stomach right after getting out of bed, meditation and breathing exercises truly allow one to reprogram their mind to open up to more love and peace. This ritual is also a privileged moment of intimacy with one’s body to relearn how to listen to what it tells us and interact with it. The varied trainings that follow originate from Buddhist teachings, shamanism, and Taoism. Most of them have been extracted from the works whose covers are displayed in this article. They are practiced in a seated position for meditations and lying down for breathing exercises. These morning sessions transform and enrich as practice continues. This is just a path of exploration; it is up to you to create your custom ritual without turning your back on a multi-millennial wisdom whose beneficial effects are now recognized by science.
Other reasons to spend time meditating when I am already so busy?
Living without meditating is like walking without looking at your compass: there is little chance you will reach your destination, that of happiness and a fulfilling life. Where we all want to go… Because when you meditate, your brain shifts from beta waves (12 to 45 Hz, characteristic of analytical functions, reasoning) to alpha waves (8 to 12 Hz, like those of the Earth, characteristic of calm and access to our intuition), which opens a bridge to the unconscious. This allows for reprogramming, learning the language of the body, feeling the circulation of energies, sensing the birth of emotions, and then learning to manage them. Or even developing intuition, gaining perspective on events, and disconnecting the mind. Or even taking conscious control of the functioning of one’s body and physiological parameters.
Other reasons to do breathing exercises?
Focusing on something like the breath reduces the activity of the amygdala involved in emotions and stimulates the vagus nerve, which contributes to the relaxation of the body. Specifically, conscious breathing dispels dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, fears, nervousness, and irritations. And if you practice hyperventilation, they are also deacidifying and detoxifying. This means they will reduce inflammatory states and pain in addition to accelerating the regeneration process. Moreover, if done correctly, conscious breathing helps retrain the unconscious respiratory function, meaning you breathe better in daily life, even without having to think about it. Just that, yes!!
Example of rituals combining guided breathing and meditations to start the day
Gratitude: Wake up with the first thought: “Thank you for this day. Thank you, life.” while smiling.
We start the session with breathing
About 30 minutes of breathing exercises lying down, one hand on the belly, the other on the heart:
- Hyperventilation breaths: 30 powerful breaths (inhaling through the nose: belly + chest, exhaling through the mouth relaxed, sudden and without forcing) followed by an apnea, empty lungs (option 1) or full lungs (option 2), held until the reflex of suffocation. Then, a deep inhalation followed by a short apnea of about 20 seconds. During this time, focus your attention on the sensation of warmth that arises in places and diffuse it throughout the body through thought. Several series.
Please note: theses videos are currently in French, but you can activate YouTube’s auto-generated subtitles in English while we work on providing a dedicated English version.
- Square breathing: For 5 seconds (or the equivalent in heartbeats) inhale while expanding the belly and chest, 5 seconds of retention with full lungs, 5 seconds exhale completely, 5 seconds of retention with empty lungs. Repeat the process for a minimum of 3 minutes. Option 1: During inhalation, breathe in all positive elements like love, trust, energy, etc., and during the following retention, imagine it spreading and being absorbed by all your cells. Note the different sensations based on the element you chose to inhale. Option 2: During the retention with full lungs, accumulate all negative elements like anger, fear, doubt, fatigue, etc., and during exhalation, imagine it leaving your body. Note the different sensations based on the element you chose to exhale.
We continue with different types of meditations
They are preferably practiced sitting cross-legged or in lotus position, otherwise sitting at the edge of a chair with a straight back. All phrases in quotes are to be pronounced mentally and are there only as a guideline. It is up to you to personalize them!
Setting positive intentions:
- “I dedicate the benefits of this practice to the happiness of all beings.”
- “May this day flow in peace, joy, love, sharing, understanding, etc.”
- “I am a unique and magnificent being.”
- “I am getting better and better on all levels.”
- Express an intention about the changes one wants to make in oneself by banning any negative formulation like “Not…”. It is about transmuting the negative into positive to attract what one desires.
Connecting with one’s body:
- “Thank you to my sight, my hearing, my smell, my taste, my sensitivity, my intuition, and my inner knowledge [focus your attention successively on each of these senses] for the universe they create.”
- “I greet within me the earth element [become aware of the firmness of the ground where you are sitting], the water element [become aware of the moisture inside your mouth], the air element [become aware of the air going in and out of the lungs], and the fire element [become aware of the warm and cold areas in your body].”
Connecting with Nature:
- “The Universe is my home: the sky, the sun, the clouds, the air, the water, and the earth [focus your gaze on these elements and feel them].”
- “All living beings want to be happy; that is our common point. We form a big family.”
Meditations:
About 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation with the breath as the object of attention and visualization exercises. Intrusive thoughts should pass like birds in the sky, fleeting and leaving no traces:
- With eyes closed, inhale thinking “I am Love” and imagining this love entering through the plexus, exhale repeating “I love” and diffusing this love through thought into one, several, or all parts of your body.
- With eyes closed, review each of your main organs, focusing your attention on them, smiling at them, and saying “I love you.” Feel their different vibrations and thank them for their work.
End of the morning ritual
Other meditations:
- Before a meal, thank the Universe for the food it provides you. “Thank you to the rain, the sun, the wind, the clouds, the air, the rivers, the oceans, the forests [feel them as you mention them]. Thank you to the ozone layer, the moon, the stars, the galaxies, the Universe. Thank you to the big bang, the miracle of life, the energy of life. Thank you to the bacteria, algae, fungi, and yeasts for enabling life. Thank you to the animals that work the soil, disperse seeds, and pollinate. Thank you to the humans who invented agricultural techniques and who have selected these varieties of fruits and vegetables for thousands of years so that we have rich and abundant food. Thank you to the farmers and vendors. Thank you for this life that is offered to me.”
- At the end of the day, thank for everything you have received over the last 24 hours: smiles, thoughts, help, love, food, for all the energy you have received. Recall each special moment of the day when life has been generous with you, including in the trivial acts that we mistakenly consider as given.
Another breathing exercise:
- For 1 hour or more, lying on your back with relaxing music, breathe through the mouth without pausing between inhalation and exhalation, at a slightly higher rhythm than your usual breaths. The exhalation should happen as naturally as possible with total absence of control, sudden and relaxed. The breaths are complete (belly + chest) and deep. This powerful exercise allows for the release of emotional blockages and the release of traumas, but also to taste an ecstatic state.
Rituals to close the day:
- Square breathing with option 2 (see above).
- At bedtime: “Good night to all and thank you for this day!”
