Breath & Mind
Have you ever imagined what the mind is? What is the difference between the mind and the brain? Well for one, the brain is a physical organ while the mind is a process. When the same Brain starts to think, the Mind comes into existence. A broad exercise will help you getting the perspective. Sit alone and try to spot where the mind is located physically? Is it in your legs, in your head, in your eyes? Where exactly is the mind located?
Our thoughts govern our feelings and our response to our life in general! And its now known that the breath that we take so un-knowingly and voluntarily influences the thoughts in our mind. The same mind breath, phenomenon has been pursued and published under the discipline of Yoga, which originated from India, thousands of years back! There are also multiple disciplines, martial arts and exercise which aim at increasing the awareness towards the breath which one takes voluntarily.
Since modern day science is based upon experimental knowledge, and is typically left brain oriented, it becomes very difficult to prove the experiential knowledge, most of which spurns from the right brain! The breath mind correlation is also an experiential knowledge largely intrinsic and introvert to the individual!
Following are some leads in breath observation:
• If you observe your breath, when you get angry, you will realize that the outflow is high and the intake is low.
• When you are sad, the breath is shallow and exhalation is way longer than the inhalation.
• In instances of happiness, it’s the frontal part of the brain which I active, the breath is full and energetic
• When you are calm, the breath is long and deep up till the abdomen and is very nourishing and healing
This might be happening with you also. And if its happening with you, it does not require much proving, does it? A lot of saints & ascetics in India keep pursing breath control exercises so that the mind can be controlled and kept under a check! Of course such practices take you to higher levels of experiences but that aspiration is a choice.
Closer to daily routine lives, it will be a great help to keep in mind the fact that the breath that we are taking is more than oxygen intake for the lungs, as we understand. It is quietly nourishing the subtle systems of our being also. Just this awareness will do wonders for us.
Our thoughts govern our feelings and our response to our life in general! And its now known that the breath that we take so un-knowingly and voluntarily influences the thoughts in our mind. The same mind breath, phenomenon has been pursued and published under the discipline of Yoga, which originated from India, thousands of years back! There are also multiple disciplines, martial arts and exercise which aim at increasing the awareness towards the breath which one takes voluntarily.
Since modern day science is based upon experimental knowledge, and is typically left brain oriented, it becomes very difficult to prove the experiential knowledge, most of which spurns from the right brain! The breath mind correlation is also an experiential knowledge largely intrinsic and introvert to the individual!
Following are some leads in breath observation:
• If you observe your breath, when you get angry, you will realize that the outflow is high and the intake is low.
• When you are sad, the breath is shallow and exhalation is way longer than the inhalation.
• In instances of happiness, it’s the frontal part of the brain which I active, the breath is full and energetic
• When you are calm, the breath is long and deep up till the abdomen and is very nourishing and healing
This might be happening with you also. And if its happening with you, it does not require much proving, does it? A lot of saints & ascetics in India keep pursing breath control exercises so that the mind can be controlled and kept under a check! Of course such practices take you to higher levels of experiences but that aspiration is a choice.
Closer to daily routine lives, it will be a great help to keep in mind the fact that the breath that we are taking is more than oxygen intake for the lungs, as we understand. It is quietly nourishing the subtle systems of our being also. Just this awareness will do wonders for us.
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