BREATHING YOUR WAY TO THE LIGHT

In a world that glorifies 'busy', taking a moment to breathe deeply has become a luxury. Furthermore, our very full lives, littered with gizmos and gadgets, have also further disconnected us from the importance of inner spiritual retreat.

Stop right now and take a deep breath... draw holy oxygen in willingly and joyfully. Breathe the air into your belly. Let your belly totally pop out without shame. Pause. Exhale slowly through your mouth to the count of five. Repeat this three times.

Well done.... You’ve just extended your life and calmed your nervous system!

Breathing truly is a MIRACLE that we undervalue. We do not often think about it. It's so involuntary and familiar that we forget its significance and our total and utter dependence on it.

It's sad that we need to be reminded of the sacredness of our every breath. It's also sad that we need to continuously be validated in the benefits of breathing by 'scientists'. Although thousands of studies have confirmed that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression etc, we still do not GET the importance of controlled breathing.

But let's go deeper! Ancient sages, saints, mystics and yogis have been promoting the benefit of breathing for centuries. Interestingly, Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism amongst many other spiritual traditions, advocate breath-related prayer and meditation as a way to connect to the divine and achieve enlightenment.

In other words, breathing is a valid pathway to activating the holy light within. So why are we attending 300 seminars and reading 5000 books to learn how to achieve nirvana when all we need to do is be still and consciously breath!? What I am about to reveal to you is that this ancient truth is not just about breathing physically. It's power is rooted in the power of breathing SPIRITUALLY.

As we have been gifted the capacity to breathe to sustain our physical survival, our breath is also a gift given to us to sustain our spiritual survival. Spiritual breathing is a heart-based breathing practice that involves using circular breathing to exhale the impure and inhale the pure... exhale the shadows and inhale the light - hence the term enLIGHTENment.

Breathing is literally the way to unlock the power of your cellular consciousness and spiritually evolve.

This sacred intentional breathing practice is something I adopted many years ago as a way of experiencing the Divine's unconditional stream of power, love, and energy in my life. Nothing has been more powerful than conscious spiritual breathing.

Spiritual Breathing is a practice of concentrating on the heart. When practiced regularly, it allows you to bypass the antagonism of the ego so you can access the stillness and resilience of your infinite soul. It essentially allows you to anchor your focus in the heart and escape the emotional roller coaster of your 5 senses and your everyday life.

Although it requires some discipline and practice, spiritual breathing is easy and incredibly enjoyable. You simply sit in stillness and consciously draw your attention to your heart. Connect with the energy flowing in and around your heart and feel it expanding throughout you and around you. Feel the energy expanding outwardly into the cosmos. Count to the power of 3 as you both inhale and exhale.

Here's how to practice it:

Firstly, “Inhale” for a count of three. In doing so feel love in your heart from the Divine enter your chest and begin to fill out to your whole body. Breath in while asking for God/ The Sacred/Divine Love to fill you and dwell in you.

Second “Exhale” on 3 counts while being mindful of any negativity sitting in your body and ask for love, forgiveness and peace to replace any darkness.

You may like to imagine breathing in light and exhaling darkness. You may inhale love and exhale hate. You may inhale the essence of a divine being and exhale any burdens weighing down your soul.

Spiritual breathing is something that requires conscious action and a readiness and willingness to “exhale” our darkness/ego, and to “inhale” Love/ the Holy Spirit/ Light. You are essentially breathing in a higher energy/frequency as a way of replacing a lower energy/frequency.

When you breathe in a spiritually coherent or circular state, you are consciously influencing signals to the brain that activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows heart rate and improves digestion, immune response and promotes feelings of safety but also allows you to develop stronger resonance in the heart-which is a gateway to the soul.

Here are some additional simple breathing techniques that bring you into coherence within:

1. Sitting upright or lying down, place your hands on your belly.

2. Slowly breathe in, expanding your belly, to the count of 7.

3. Pause.

4. Slowly breathe out to the count of 7.

5. Work your way up to practicing this pattern for 10 to 15 times a day.

Breathing for Stress Relief for when you're feeling highly strung or wired.

1. Sit up straight on the floor or the edge of a chair.

2. Place your hands on your belly.

3. As you inhale, lean forward and expand your belly.

4. As you exhale, squeeze the breath out and curl forward while leaning backward; exhale until you’re completely empty of breath.

Energising Breathing for when you feel flat and want to wake up your mind and body.

1. Stand up tall, elbows bent, palms facing up.

2. As you inhale, draw your elbows back behind you, palms continuing to face up.

3. Then exhale quickly, thrusting your palms forward and turning them downward, while saying “Ha” out loud.

Spiritually speaking, when you breathe deeply you are actually claiming you right to be HERE upon Earth! You are claiming your RIGHT to be healthy, vital and energised! You are claiming your right to ABUNDANCE. By breathing in deeply and gracefully, you are saying YES to life and living! You breath syncs you to universal flow and allows the universal life force energy to effortlessly move through you. In doing so, you also vibrate at a higher frequency and are able to channel more of divine intelligence into the material realm, accelerating your powers of manifestation.

It is essential that you become more mindful of how you breathe. Watch how you hold your body, your chest and shoulders. Be mindful of your posture. Your physiology affects your psychology and often sitting slumped or with your back hunched over sends a signal to your body that you are depressed or lethargic. It is also stifling your energetic flow and killing your spiritual vibes.

Furthermore, embrace the benefits of spiritual breathwork and integrate it as part of your spiritual practice. The practice of breathing spiritually aids in weakening the ego and developing Divine Consciousness, which in turn serves to keep the revived heart spiritually focused and less susceptible to ego traps.

As such, your spiritual development does not have to feel like such a battle. This breathing technique will become your spiritual defence against life's triggers.

You don't have to do it alone! God/Universe/Live has your back! Walking the spiritual path no longer has to be about self-effort. It's about consciously and gratefully allowing and accepting the Divine Spirit to permeate your being and enlighten every area of our life. Though spiritual breathing may at first require conscious effort, the more you choose to practice and benefit from it, the more it becomes second nature. Love is literally spiritual oxygen for your soul. It attracts grace to enter your heart and life, transforming your inner and outer world in magical ways.

ERYKA STANTON

www.empoweredliving.com.au