Meditation Project: Labored Breathing
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| The Muscles of the Sky by Rene Magritte |
This week I returned to my normal routine at home and my normal meditation practice (with my bonus minute). The only thing that came up for me was noticing how labored my breathing is when I'm meditating in a seated position. I wondered at first if this had to do with silently reciting my mantra, which I can't help but time with my breath (one recitation per breath). So I took one day to just practice breath awareness to see if that made a difference. To my surprise, I still found my breath felt labored. Obviously just observing my breath is changing it and changing it in a way that feels a bit uncomfortable. I'm not really sure what to do about it.
I have also observed that practicing in Legs Up the Wall pose rather than practicing seated meditation (in Hero pose) allows me to breathe more comfortably. That's good to know but I don't think I'm going to switch to that way of practicing on a daily basis.
Right now I'm just recording these observations; I haven't figured out what I'm going to do about it yet.
by Nina Zolotow
I've noticed this issue as well. I have been going through "The Chakra Workbook" by Anna Voigt
ReplyDeletewho recommends focusing on not making any sound when doing pranayama exercises, which is hard! I do notice that when I do, my breathing is much slower and more natural and takes me deeper into the meditation.