DoaD #16 - Breath
[Breathing Intro]
This is Episode 16 of Diary of a Daoist and this is all about Breath.
Watching a video of C Freeman L from 1997, the first time I’ve seen him talk about Dao and elements in terms of this body and the energies in this body. He broke it down so simply. There was one thing that he said when he was talking about Air. He was saying that;
the rhythm of your breath
determines your state of mind
So I wanted to sit here and practice breathing, and bringing that rhythm into full focus.
He was talking about, if you can master your thoughts then master your mind and then master your imagination you have mastered your body.
[One element of it]
By simply focusing on Air, the awareness of the air leaving, and that new fresh oxygen coming in.
I get these shallow chest breaths when I am caught in my head trying to think too much about something or plan something that I want to say intellectually. When I’m thinking about articulating too much my diaphragm forgets to expand and I use my chest.
That makes it hard to speak.
Wow, this is such
a simple way
of settling
the thoughts
and
calming the mind.
Been a little bit out of practice recently with meditatin, maybe because it’s become something separate in my head from what it actually is, which is simply breathing. Refilling the body with clean energy.
Inhaling the new,
expelling the old.
Tu
Na
Tu
Na
In no rush.
My joints have been *really* achy recently, my hips, and my knees, so whenever I sit in this cross-legged position I can *really* feel it. I’m not sure what it’s from. Lack of water maybe. I haven’t been drinking a lot of water so my glands have not been well lubricated and I’ve dried up a little bit.
[breathing interlude]
Again, just then, when I took my focus off simply breathing, I was trying to think and got swept away in my thoughts I don’t even know what I was thinking about, I became a slave to my thoughts in that moment.
Which is not bad
or good….
it just was.
Now all that matters is bringing my awareness back to the breath. The length of each breath. Noticing the rhythm. The depth. I’m allowing myself to sit here even though I can feel my hips and legs aching. I’ve had a busy few days and they’re recovering so taking it slow, filling them with some good old oxygen. Now stretching my legs out not trying to be anything, holding myself in a position just because. Allowing my body to move and stretch. Becoming a little bit more elastic.
The breath is interchanging between two extremes. Two dynamic forces. That move at different rates. Even when you’re holding your breath, there is still energy in motion. There is still vibration.
Not being ignorant and ignoring the body’s call for movement. Give yourself a balance of stillness, and calm and then ease into some movement. Getting these ankles out of whatever the fuck…..
I am so tired damn.
Wow that stretch was so nice
I can feel my breath losing its rhythm so I try and bring it back to a more still….
body…..
so my focus can be brought back to my breath...
breathing in
breathing out
breathing in
breathing out
breathing in
breathing out
peace
