{"id":4470,"date":"2020-10-30T17:28:21","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T17:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=4470"},"modified":"2021-09-19T15:25:37","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T15:25:37","slug":"breath-and-mind-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/breath-and-mind-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Breath and Mind Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thoughts crowded into my head, demanding attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was living in Berlin; anxious, jobless and unsure what to do next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to change career, but didn’t know how to do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, the future seemed full of potential and possibility, while on the other, it appeared a scary, hostile place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, in that time of transition, I had one thing I could rely on\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts and emotions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the run-up to Berlin, while bumbling around dazed and confused, I stumbled on meditation<\/a>, which I’ve banged on about at length previously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most mindfulness practice<\/a> focuses on the breath as its constant. The reason? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s synonymous with life, an automatic process and companion, happening with and (as often is the case) without our conscious intervention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s regular and (hopefully) reliable, while also subject to minor variation, making it the perfect object of attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, meditation, at its core, is about training our attention to understand the true nature of consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s predicated on the realisation that we’re not<\/em> the sum total of our thoughts through association; instead, they’re simply transient, identity-independent mental phenomena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts, by their nature, are part of a cascade, ushering feelings and emotions in their wake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By using our breath as an anchor we can simply observe these psychological processes as content within consciousness, without becoming triggered or engaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, the breath and mind connection are bound and paradoxically, if we want to alter our mental state, we must focus on the physical process of breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breath and mind connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So it was that I turned to my breath in Berlin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, I would attend to the physical sensations of inhalation and exhalation, feeling air entering and exiting my nostrils. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d become aware of the subtle sensations of chest movement and place awareness in the rising and falling of my stomach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invariably, stressful thoughts would soon arise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often they would magically transport me into future mental narratives, with long intervals passing before the realisation that I was lost in fantasy land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I woke up to this, I gained important mental distance from these thoughts, which would invariably peter out, becoming a background echo rather than an all-consuming beast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each time this happened, I was training to recognise the psychological illusion of thought, using my breath as an anchor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also a lifeline, serving as a navigational reference in times of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infusing this practice through my day became essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While formal meditation sessions are vital, life is messy and overthinking strikes at any time, day or night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s imperative, therefore, to intersperse the daily quotidian with your breath and mind connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making a cup of tea? Rather than replaying that relationship argument, return to your breath, that faithful friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of conscious breathing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over time you’ll start to notice changes, albeit subtle ones, in your state of mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where one innocuous thought might have once sent you into a depressing spiral of anxiety and overwhelm, you’ll regard it as a harmless feature, rather than a bug, of consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll notice the thought arise, before falling away of its own accord, with the help of your breath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utilising the breath and mind connection in this way has multiple uses and benefits, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n