Conscious Breathworks™ group meditation class, what we do and why we do it.
Here is a link for definition and meaning of meditation, benefits, why it works .
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/meditation.
Our main focus is upon breathing. This is where we focus down to our centre, in traditional Tai Chi it's called the Tan Tien other systems name it differently but it is based on the same spot whether you're doing Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong. Mine is a little bit more personalised and for some reason I call it Arthur, don't ask me why it was just a name that came to me and that's it, but it evokes an inner strength, balance and grounding when needed.
Coming back to the breathing there is a point 3 fingers width below your navel and it is a pressure point called the Sea of Chi, from there mentally move halfway in towards your centre line and this is where you can make your cauldron of energy grow and glow. Your internal furnace in the winter and cooling lake in the summer. So when you're breathing you can feel and sense your breath descending like smooth soft trickling honey. Another way I like to think of it, is the visualisation of the pebble in the pond and the gentle ripples it makes, with the rings forever expanding and moving outwards, so with your breathing this is, forward, back, left and right, all round, feeling the expansion from within, sensing with your breath. The ebb and flow of your breathing being felt so you may even think about the Sea of Chi and the relaxed rhythm of the ocean upon the shore.
Because of the natural expansion of the abdomen this feeling will, and should, slowly raise up to help and engaged the lower rib cage expansion and then release and relax off, inflate deflate, rhythm. With the focus on harmony of your breathing, the descending flow, all your internal organs start to get a gentle massage, it is not difficult to understand this as long as you're sitting straight and keeping the ribs separate from the hips so the abdominal cavity and the organs that are contained within are enjoying the time that you are giving them. The upper cavity, as the diaphragm descends, starts to let the lower lobes of the lungs fill up and then contract with a gentle bellows of fluid movement, the heart is now getting some attention from the lungs and diaphragm with the space they are creating. The inter-coastal rib muscles are awakening themselves and the lower back muscles appreciating the connection. That lovely fulfilling flow of your breath doing all its wonderful work, Know as Buddha breathing.
We also practice reverse breathing, this is known as Taoists breathing and the process is where you gently pull in the point known as The Sea of Chi as well as pulling up the perineum as you are breathing in the diaphragm is desending.
Now a bit about the perineum which is a transverse web of muscles, a net and forms a diamond like shape. This is the central part of the Urogenital diaphragm which goes from the base of the vagina/scrotum to the anus. Most people know this as the pelvic floor but I prefer the proper name, The Urogenital diaphragm, therefore we now have three bow shapes, one being the diaphragm, two being The Urogenital diaphragm and three being the front abdominals, so all three of these harmonise together, the spine acts as a natural barrier/wall and all of these actions help to tonifiy, its a term they use in pressure point work and not a play on my name, the abdominal cavity and its contents. When you pull up the perineum you only need to do it about 10 or 15% just enough that you begin to feel and engage the anal sphincter and the base of the vagina/scrotum. If you are not sure pull up 100% percent and release off 85%.
The inner smile is where you can think of something that starts to put a smile on your face. Where the corners of your mouth begins to move along with the corners of your eyes. The smile is trying to break out on your face but you keep it within. Harnessing the positive feelings it brings. It could be a picture of a love one or a scene of a beautiful place, a joke or funny situation that puts the smile on your face.
Carry it with you and share it with others, when your out and about, then you will find out how it works when people comment on how happy you look.
At Conscious Breathworks™ meditation group we work on Buddha breathing and Taoist breathing alternating between the two so the mind is engaged with the flow of the breath.
Buddha breathing (BB) Taoists breathing (TB) Inner smile (IS)
5 minutes BB
5 minutes TB
5 minutes BB
5 minutes TB
5 minutes BB
5 minutes TB
5 minutes BB
5 minutes IS
"Smile, breathe and go slowly.”
Thích Nhất Hạnh
The other benefits about meditation have been described and researched in this article from the Harvard Medical School.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/02.02/11-meditate.html
all this information is to help you grow your meditation practice, your mindfulness, you're being in the now.
