SGM Feb 2017 Weekly Message Four: “Profound Peace & Guidance Hiding Right Under Your Nose!”
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Welcome to this week’s edition of Spiritual Growth Monthly. I’m Kevin Schoeninger. It’s great to have you with us here at SGM.
Sensory Signals
Have you ever felt an unexplainable pain or tightness that persisted for a minute or two, or maybe an hour, a day, or a week, then it subsided on its own? Have you felt heat, tingling, itching, or twitching that arose for no apparent reason, then, disappeared as mysteriously as it came on? At these moments, have you wondered if something was wrong with you and why your body was doing this?
Our bodies are incredibly-intelligent, self-monitoring, self-healing, bio-energetic systems that are constantly going through momentary, daily, monthly, and seasonal cycles to maintain inner balance, energy, health, and well-being—and most of this goes on beneath our conscious awareness. If there is something we can do or change to support this process, our body sends us signals.
For example, you might feel “heat, cold, pain, numbness, soreness, swelling, itching or twitching.” According to centuries-old practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine, these represent the “eight sensory phenomena” that tell you about the quality of life energy flow through your body. (Qigong Master Tianyou Hao in his Qigong Meditation Instructor Training Manual p. 12) These are signals that alert you to the felt experience of the life-force within you—and, if you tune in, they can give you vital information to support your well-being.
The fact that life is more than what we see with our five senses in the material world has long been acknowledged in the great spiritual traditions of the world. Called “Qi” (“chee”) in China, Ki (“kee”) in Japan, Prana in India, Ruach in Hebrew, and Pneuma, Spirit of God or Holy Spirit in the New Testament—all these names acknowledge an invisible life force that is the source of our life. This Life-Force is the Divine matrix that animates and connects us all.
As described in the eight sensations above, you can experience the movements of this Life Force for yourself. In fact, you do experience this all the time, yet you might not label it as such. You might just think, “What’s that weird feeling? Why am I feeling that?” or “Hmmm, that’s odd.”
And, your energetic senses, give you much more information than just about your own body and how you can support it.
Have you ever felt the presence of someone walk into a room, thought of someone just before they called you, or felt at ease or uneasy entering a space and feeling the atmosphere of the room? Do you get a feeling about a person when you meet them, without even knowing anything about them?
Do you pay attention to these sensations? Do you inquire about them and test them out? Do you allow them to guide you in what you say and do? Or do you brush them aside and ignore them?
There’s a part of you that is tuned into the energetic layer of reality and can sense the quality of energy and information available there. You have an energetic sense which you can cultivate to receive astounding inner guidance. This week, we explore a powerful technique that will enable you to tune into this energetic layer of your being.
In addition, this technique also brings calm, clarity, and balance into your body, brain, and internal energy system. In this peaceful state, you are able to pick up the subtle energetic signals that your body and life are constantly sending you. This energetic awareness sets the stage for you to consciously work with the information available on this level of your being which can serve as a sure guide forward into greater health, abundance, peace, love, and purpose.
Those who have investigated the nature of life-energy over the millennia have discovered that the life-force presents itself in an infinite number of different frequencies and patterns. They’ve also discovered that through specific practices it’s possible to refine your life-energy system, so that you not only feel more deeply peaceful, you are also able to receive and express higher and more-refined energetic frequencies.
One of these traditions is Qigong, which translates as “the practice of cultivating life energy.”
In Qigong, three primary energetic layers of your being are recognized. These are called the Three Treasures. They are “jing,” which is the genetically-inherited foundation of your physical health and longevity; “qi (“chee”),” which is the breath of life, the animating life force and the source of energy, emotion, and movement that circulates through the meridians of your body; and “shen,” which is higher consciousness or Spirit.
Shen is the refined, all-encompassing awareness that results from the balanced cultivation of jing and qi. Well-cultivated shen results in peace of mind and is characterized by the virtues of love, wisdom, patience, kindness, acceptance, appreciation, tenderness, forgiveness, generosity, and tolerance.
(Source: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Jing_Qi_Shen)
In other words, these qualities are virtues that can be cultivated through practice. One simple and powerful way we can cultivate jing, qi, and, ultimately, shen is through paying attention to the most fundamental cyclical process that maintains our life—breathing. Breathing is the most primary event happening in the present moment that is keeping us alive.
Through Conscious Breathing we cultivate awareness (shen) of the breath (qi) in the sensations of the body (jing).
In this way, we attune to the life force within us, support the relaxation, balance, and self-healing of our body, mind, and spirit, and become better able to discern its guiding signals in all areas of our lives.
The practice begins by consciously tuning into the felt sensations of breathing. Breath awareness is foundational in many spiritual traditions. And, it is used in more secular settings for stress and pain reduction, for calming anxiety, and for helping us become peacefully centered in the present moment.
If you investigate conscious breathing, you’ll find there are many different methods. Some have you focus on specific areas or pathways through your body, some have you count a certain number of seconds for your in-breath, pause, count a certain number of seconds for your out-breath, pause, and so on.
In the tradition of Qigong it is said that, during Breathing Meditation, the breath becomes “slow, long, thin, even, and soft.” (Master Tianyou Hao in his Qigong Meditation Instructor Training Manual, p.23). “Slow” is the speed of your breath, “Long” is the duration, “Thin” is the amount of air inhaled and exhaled, “Even” refers to the pace of the breath, and “Soft” is the intensity or quietness of the breath.
However, it’s also emphasized that it’s important not to force your breathing to be a certain way or make it conform to any specific pattern. These qualities of breathing arise on their own as you observe your breathing and relax deeply into its peaceful rhythm.
The key then is being able to sense, observe, and relax into the natural flow of your breathing. By doing this, your breathing entrains itself into a beneficial rhythm.
Now, paying attention to your breathing may sound pretty simple or even mundane, boring, and unimportant. After all, your breathing happens naturally, why bother with being aware of it?
True, breath awareness is simple—in fact, the simpler you keep it the better—yet that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. For many of us, when we pay attention to our breathing there is a tendency to want to control the breath or to “breathe the right way” and this can actually interfere with the process. “Trying to breathe correctly” can inhibit your ability to relax and sense the subtle sensations and insights of your breath as it is naturally.
As for breath awareness being mundane, boring, or unimportant, I’ll leave that to your own experience. To understand the profound results and benefits of conscious breathing, you’ve got to experiment with it for yourself. Before you “pooh, pooh” this, think you know what it’s about, think you’ve done plenty of this already in your life, or think it’s unimportant to you, I encourage you to try it again, fresh, right now, in this moment. You may be surprised at what you discover today.
So, with that thought in mind, here are some basic instructions for how to practice Conscious Breathing, so that the gifts of this practice come to you naturally and easily. I encourage you to follow along with the following guided practice for a few minutes now.
1. Find yourself a quiet private environment in which you can relax and be undisturbed for at least a few minutes. Once you have become adept at conscious breathing, you can do it anywhere, anytime. But, to begin, a quiet private space will help you focus.
2. Sit comfortably upright, with the soles of your feet flat on the floor, and your hands resting palms up and open, on your legs. This position naturally opens your Lung meridians, which run from points in your upper outer chest down both arms to your thumbs. Resting your hands in this position facilitates open, full, relaxed breathing.
3. Begin by lightly closing your eyes and focusing on the sensations inside your body. Scan your body and notice if you feel any tensions or pains. Just make note of those sensations. Go ahead and notice any body sensations for a few moments now. . .
4. Become aware of the sensations of breathing inside your body. For example, you may notice the air entering your nostrils, moving up through the bridge of your nose, moving inside your sinus cavity in the middle of your head, through the back of your mouth, down your throat, and into your lungs. You may notice the expansion of your abdomen and or your chest as you inhale and the relaxation of your chest and abdomen as you exhale.
You may find yourself wanting to focus on one of these areas of sensation or on the whole chain of them in sequence. Allow your mind to rest on any sensations that draw your attention. See if it’s possible to simple be aware of how your breathing presents itself, without trying to feel anything specific and without trying to make anything happen. Just pay attention and notice any sensations of breathing. . .
5. See if you can notice the moment you begin to inhale and follow your whole in-breath until it naturally pauses. Then, notice the moment you begin to exhale and follow your out-breath until it naturally pauses. See if it’s possible to stay present with this whole cycle of breathing—in and out, in and out.
See if you can maintain an attitude of waiting on your breath and following it—just as it is.
If you notice that your mind has wandered, that’s O.K. When you recognize that, simply acknowledge it, and return to following the cycles of your breath again.
6. If you find it close to impossible to stay present with your breathing, you may want to use an anchoring word or phrase. For example, you could mentally repeat “Breathe In” as you focus on the sensations of inhaling and the words “Let Go” as you focus on the sensations of exhaling. Or you could use a two-syllable word such as “Relax” and silently say “Re” during inhalation and “lax” during exhalation. Many people find an anchoring word or phrase is soothing and helps with focus at the beginning.
With or without using an anchoring word or phrase, continue to pay attention to the natural ebb and flow of your breathing. Make note of any ways that your breathing naturally changes as you go along. Perhaps it speeds up or slows down, deepens or becomes more subtle. . . Just pay attention, observe, and notice. . .
7. To deepen the meaning and significance of your practice, you might imagine and feel that you are breathing in the energy of life, the Divine Life Force, as you inhale, and imagine that you are breathing out appreciation and gratitude for this gift of life as you exhale.
Pay attention to the natural ebb and flow of your breathing—and be aware of how this mirrors the natural giving and receiving that is the essence of life.
In this way, your breathing practice takes on a whole new layer of purpose. It attunes you to the flow of life energy into and through you. You experience yourself as part of One Life, One Breath that we all share. All beings everywhere have breathed in this same breath of life as you are now. We are all doing this together.
Continue to enjoy the sensations of breathing for as long as you like. . .
When you are ready to finish, check in with your whole body again and notice how you feel.
Do you feel any differently than before you began? How about those areas of tension or pain? Has there been any shift in those sensations?
While practicing Present Moment Breath Awareness may seem mundane at first—the results and benefits can be quite enlightening and profound.
First, this is a fantastic way to relax quickly—anywhere, anytime. Just close your eyes and take a few conscious breaths to dissolve stress, release worries, and find deep inner peace in the present moment.
Going a bit deeper, you can become more sensitive to the subtle flow of breath and the energy it provides. You attune to the essential rhythm of life. Expanding from there, you can become more appreciative of how the act of breathing embodies the gift of life you are receiving every moment.
What if you were able to relax and trust the flow of life through you, rather than trying so hard and forcing things because you believe it’s all up to you and/or that you’ve got to do it on your own?
What happens when you are able to rest deeply into the natural rhythm of breathing and simply be present, without an agenda—letting go and trusting life completely?
What if, in this peaceful, clear, quiet state, your body heals itself as it is designed to do?
What if, in this state, you download energy and information from the Source of your life that will guide you every step of the way? What if this state of attention enables you to listen more clearly and follow with less resistance? What if it opens you to gifts life is continually offering you that you’ve never noticed before or even imagined possible?
I would love to hear your experiences, questions, and comments with Present Moment Breath Awareness in our Discussion below.
Next month here on SGM, we’ll enter the fourth phase of our enlightenment journey, as we take the deep inner peace found in the center of our being and bring it into every moment of life.
Until next time, take time to pay attention to the sensations of breathing.
Enjoy your practice,
Kevin