Breathwork Meditation for stress, tension, and anxiety
Why is this important?
Breathing is the most important part of staying alive. Even more important than food and water. Without breath, we will die in minutes. It is also critical in times of stress and maintaining health and the immune system.
So, why do we pay so little attention to our breath through out the day? We get busy with so much to do. Situations stress us out emotionally. We don’t find time for self-care and introspection to align our lives with our purpose. Modern medicine doesn’t value the importance of breathwork. Our breath is thought of as something we don’t need to pay attention to. Like exercise and eating well, breath work can transform our mind, body and soul.
In Chinese Medicine there are three main energetic layers to our body that help us deal with the world in times of stress and maintain health and homeostasis. All three of these systems need to be engaged to manage stress and “thrive” instead of “survive” in daily living. Each layer will be discussed with a specific breath work exercise and intent for the exercise. Do these exercises in the morning before rising and at night before sleep or anytime you need it based on your daily situation. Do 3-5 sets of each exercise. Consistent practice will transform your body, mind and spirit. Keep a journal to track changes in how you handle stress in your daily life with these breath work exercises.
The Wei Layer
The Wei Layer is like the autonomic nervous system and the reptilian part of our brain that automatically controls the body’s vital functions without any conscious thought. This is where you may feel the “fight or flight” response due to a perceived threat with increased heart rate, shortness of breath, vagus nerve excitement, and an inability to relax. This provides a safety measure to get us out of situations that may harm us. Many people are stuck in this layer with constant agitation and tension around situations in life even if the threat is long gone. The long exhale helps the body to recalibrate to the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system that decreases heart rate, allowing for deeper breath, improved digestion and sleep. In order to access the deeper layers, the Wei layer must be cleared so the body can relax and unwind opening to deeper breath and relaxation. The intent during this exercise is to check in with your body and relax any tension you feel starting at your head and moving down to your feet. Feel your body unwinding tension wherever it feels tense and letting the energy move out of your body through the feet and into the earth. Feel your breath and chest cavity expanding into deeper breaths.
EXERCISE: The long exhale is important for this exercise to clear the Wei layer. Inhale for a count of 3, hold for 2 and exhale for 6-8 counts.
The Ying Layer
The Ying Layer is where our emotions/feelings course through the blood of our body and is associated with the mammalian part of the brain where emotions are processed. We are emotional creatures that desire inter-relational experiences. Memories of past negative experiences can stay with us for a long time that need to be released. Disease can arise from stagnant emotions and memories. Chinese medicine acknowledges that emotions cause internal disease so it is of utmost importance to allow emotions to move through the body and not get “stuck” emotionally creating physical disease. Each organ in Chinese Medicine is associated with an emotion. For this exercise, the focus is on the lung which relates to sadness, and certain kinds of anxiety and fear. When we experience the negative emotions of the lung, the energy of our lungs contract and doesn’t allow for full breath to discharge the energy in the body and nervous system (The Wei layer). Specific sounds for each organ helps to clear the emotion out of that organ. The intent at this level is to clear the emotions in the lung allowing for full and deep breath to further relax the nervous system and calm the mind and to allow us to feel the emotions and then release them. As you exhale, think of releasing sadness and anxiety and bringing in courage, confidence, inspiration and peace to the stressful situation you feel.
EXERCISE: Sound is important for this exercise to clear the Ying layer. Take a deep inhale and upon exhale make the “s” sound like you make saying snake to clear emotion from the lung.
The Yuan Layer
The Yuan Layer is where the essence, life curriculum and genetic gifts of you live. Not only does this relate to the physical genetic gifts of your parents and ancestors, this is where your belief systems have developed over time and relates to the pre-frontal cortex of your brain and critical thinking. This is where you can change programming that no longer serves you and tap into your own innate gifts that you bring to this world and use stress as transformative experience. This is the place where stress cannot enter. This is where you are calm in the storm. There is a lot of resistance getting to this place and you cannot access this part of you without clearing the previous two layers. Breath is an excellent way to get there. When this layer is accessed, the Wei layer response to external stimuli becomes more manageable and the emotions of the Ying layer flow through you like water. Think about someone you know who seems to stay cool as a cucumber under stress. The person is accessing this layer. The intent for this exercise is focus on becoming the observer and finding the stillness with-in you to see your life and experiences clearly outside of preconceived perception and belief. Deep belly breathing allows you access the stillness with-in. Before beginning this set, ask yourself to bring clarity to something you may be struggling with. You might be surprised what comes up. Remember, you can’t solve a problem at the same level it originated and often our problems are not really problems at all. They are opportunities for further self-cultivation and understanding.
EXERCISE: Belly breathing is important to tap into the Yuan layer where stress can’t affect us so we can see ourselves and situations differently. Inhale and fill your belly like a buddha. Exhale until you have no breath left and the belly button touches the spine.
