Discovering an Unexpected Stillness

Two wonderful things happened to me recently. The first was a number of weeks ago. I woke up in the middle of the night, as I am prone to do and have written about, and began doing some breathing exercises, which I find is the best way to pass the time until I fall back asleep. I try to keep my mind as empty as possible, but thoughts, worries, and memories inevitably make their way in. I have learned to mostly let them pass away. Up until now this breathing has been body-breathing routines. I focus on directing my breath to various parts of my body that need attention, like a sore joint, or I progressively work my breath up or down my body, breathing into those areas. But this time, at a certain point, my breath and my body seemed to merge into a whole, and with each breath my entire body felt like it was one with my breathing. There was nothing on my mind except this awareness. I stayed in this state for at least 15 minutes. I realized I had been meditating in a way that I never have before, on a deeper, more complete level.

In truth, I have been attempting to meditate like this for 30 years, since I first started doing yoga. My teacher and others told me about how they could meditate for hours on end. I was lucky if I could do it for 5 minutes in a yoga class. I put it down to an overactive mind and impatience with sitting still. I’ve always been a person who “acts” or moves, and this stillness was not in my wheelhouse. And so, I’ve contented myself with these kinds of body-breathing routines and other breathwork. But now, in the middle of the night after all these years, meditation had found me. And I have since been able to recreate that experience and find it more accessible. It is a very enjoyable, peaceful, and healthy way to spend time.

The second wonderful experience happened about a week later. I had this new feeling in my chest and abdomen of completely exhaling my breath, without pushing, as if something in there relaxed in a new and profound way. My tongue and jaw relaxed at the same time. I felt an extraordinary “softness” in that area, and realized that I was probably clenching my jaw most of the time.

It was so powerful that I remember saying to myself “there is truth in this” and “stay with this.” Like the meditation above, I am now able to access this new, profound feeling of relaxation and “let go” whenever I need to. It has become a great friend and inner guide, a new and unexpected presence in my life. It was something I never “got” in the same way in all my years of yoga practice. It has been a wonderful and unexpected bonus resulting from all my years of health and quality of life practice and a remarkable signpost that I am on the right road to being healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

I can now take both of these wonderful feelings with me everywhere, everyday!

Breathing Is a Proven Health Tool—With Some Surprising Benefits!

Breathing and meditation have been around for well over 3,000 years. In Hindu and Buddhist cultures practitioners believe it is the font of universal energy within us, a way of recognizing, honoring, and “being with” the infinite within our mortal bodies. The breath echoes the rhythm and timing of the universe that created us. Meditating is a form of prayer to that universal power, the source of all being, no matter what your religious persuasion is. It is a way to connect with “the God within you” as B.K.S. Iyengar put it in his great book, Light on Yoga.

But let’s leave all that aside for a bit. Even if the cosmic element isn’t for you, breathing is also a great health tool. Meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure as well or better than any statin drug. The breathing exercises I do—like the Wim Hof method, the Buteyko method, and the ones in Patrick McKeown’s science-based book, The Oxygen Advantage—have been shown to significantly boost immune function.

Personally, I have found additional advantages. On many occasions when I was anxious or had a headache or was recovering from a particularly hard workout, guided deep breathing helped me relax, feel more content, and find a way through whatever was bothering me, which usually led to the issue dissipating or at least on its way to being resolved. Vietnamese monk, peace activist, and author Thich Nhat Hanh, in all his teachings and works, says that mindful breathing is the pathway to health, awareness, energy, and love.

So, however you approach your health and whatever you already have in your health toolbox, make sure that breathing and the many powers of the breath are part of your practice and your life. Not sure where to start? The books and resources mentioned in this post are good places to start if you are new to breathing practices.