Breathing is the MOST important part of meditation and Kundalini Awakening. It's the foundation of all the exercises and skills that come after, so taking the time to learn it now will make things much easier.
From our birth until death we breathe more or less continually, yet for the most part we do it without any awareness of our breath and its effects on us, and believe it or not most people in the western world do it wrong!
Breathe in through your nose and draw your breath down into the area just below your navel, allowing your stomach to expand as you breathe (Baby Breath) and filling your lungs entirely with each breath before exhaling through your nose.
Take a moment right now and feel your breath. Pay attention to the air as it flows in through your nostrils and down into your lungs. Don't think about anything or do anything other than just breathe.
1. Are you taking a relatively shallow breath and just filling the upper lobes of your lungs?
2. Does your stomach move out as you breathe?
3. Do you feel the bones of your ribcage expanding and opening with each breath?
For most people the answer to 1 is YES and the answers to 2 and 3 are NO so lets expand this exercise a bit.
This time draw your breath down to a point about 2 inches below your navel (the body's center of gravity). When you do this you'll feel your stomach expand and push out in front of you. Most westerners usually keep their stomach pulled in and their chest out, so when you do this you'll have to relax all those muscles. Just take a moment and be aware of your breath as it flows down into your center.
Now as you inhale and draw your breath down, also let your ribcage expand. You'll feel your floating ribs at the bottom of your ribcage spread and move, and you may get a few pops out of your spine also. Just take a few moments and breathe this way. Don't think or let your mind wander, just breathe. If you've never meditated before then congratulations, you just did! It's exactly that simple.
There are many benefits to proper breathing. The extra oxygen in your system means that your heart doesn't have to beat as fast, lowering your pulse and your blood pressure. Drawing the breath down into your center also helps to massage your internal organs, providing more oxygen to them as well as helping to release the accumulated stresses that build up there. The long term health benefits are immeasurable and have been repeatedly proven for thousands of years.
Breathing is by far the most important part of the kundalini awakening exercises, although it sounds so simple. Paying attention to the breath is the beginning of opening up your awareness and it's seen in every meditative culture on the planet.
Take some time to practice this, as it's the foundation for everything that comes next. If you have to dedicate your meditation time to breathwork for awhile then that's good, as we all proceed at our own pace.
I recently read a translation of some of Jesus' teachings from the original Aramaic (the language he actually spoke, although he apparently wasn't literate) and it was very interesting to me that in Aramaic they used the same word for "wind", "breath" and "spirit". Those with a Chi Kung background might find it interesting to take another look at the New Testament and insert the word "breath" every time you see the word "spirit".
It's funny that something as simple as proper breathing can have such a profound effect on the rest of your life, but don't take my word for it, you can find out for yourself beginning with your next inhale.
Related Articles
Establishing A Daily Meditation Practice
By: Robert Morgen | 11/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
It's important to establish a daily practice and then stick to it. This doesn't mean dedicating 12 hours a day to meditation, it just means creating a space in your home where you can take a few minutes and meditate and do the exercises. I advise people to start with some of the basic exercises and devote 10 -20 minutes a day as they develop their physical and mental abilities.
Drawing and Moving Energy
By: Robert Morgen | 12/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
During various exercises we'll be drawing energy in through our chakras, into our organs and even through the entire area of our skin. Drawing energy into yourself is fairly easy to do and simply requires a heightened sense of self-awareness to feel.
Meditation Exercise - Full Body Awareness
By: Robert Morgen | 16/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
Developing full body awareness is very simple and easy to learn.
Basic Meditation Exercises
By: Robert Morgen | 16/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
The following exercises range from pretty simple to pretty complicated, but as you develop your abilities you'll eventually find that you can do them all at once and effortlessly.
Meditation Exercise - The Brain Scrub
By: Robert Morgen | 25/10/2007 | Non-Fiction
The Brain Scrub is designed to help you overcome the "monkey mind" which leaps and bounces around from subject to subject in an uncontrolled manner.
7 Steps to Becoming a Master Martial Artist
By: Robert Jones | 20/10/2006 | Health
You owe it to yourself to be the very best you can be in everything you do...Why not in the martial arts as well?
How to Fortune Tell By Interpreting a Persons Face
By: Paula Haworth | 21/09/2006 | Home Business
People love to have their fortunes told or characters read. We all read faces in one way or another throughout our daily lives. By applying some tried and tested techniques it's relatively easy to learn the ancient art of Anthroposomancy. Once you've mastered the basic system its quite acceptable to charge between £25 and £30 ($50) for a face reading.
The Secret about "The Secret"
By: Craig Howell | 24/04/2007 | Religion
The Secret DVD and book are all the rage now, having been trotted out for big talk shows and news programs, with the supporters and the critics both lining up to say their piece. So here we sit in the middle of it all. How can we know the truth about The Secret?
Latest Non-Fiction Articles
Teena
By: SreeLakshmy | 11/05/2008
Teena had a bad life from her birth. none cared her. everybody ran behind money, even her parents. when her husband died, she decided to live a life like her wish.
How to Stay Motivated While Writing Your Great Book
By: Joan Clout-Kruse | 09/05/2008
Get acquainted with some important elements that can help you keep motivated to write. These elements include, but are not limited to: being in a positive environment, listening to music, writing in a clean work area, having a plan, limit distractions, and attending a writer's retreat. With this in mind, and writing about what you love, you will be sure to stay motivated to finish your book.
Scribbles and Margins
By: Elea Almazora | 09/05/2008
Even though it may not seem like it, the times wherein I have the opportunity to write – simply write! – for my own pleasure, for the sheer love of it, have been getting fewer and fewer as the days go by. It used to be that I had the time and the energy skip over to the nearest coffee shop (Starbucks is a preference, of course) with a pretty hard bound brown paper journal and my trusty fountain pen with brown ink.
The Camping Trip
By: Tahtimbo | 24/04/2008
This is a true story of what occured on a camping trip.
How to Write a Best Seller
By: Joan Clout-Kruse | 18/04/2008
Learn the formula for a best seller. Some of the tips are: Have an attention-getting title, attractive book cover design, sales information on back cover, testimonials, terrific titles for your Table of Contents, and of course good content. You'll see that you too can write a best seller by simply following a few key writing tips.
Write an eBook - Make Money
By: Joan Clout-Kruse | 18/04/2008
There are thousands of articles on the Internet that show you how to write an eBook, but very few that tell you what you need to do to market and sell your eBook online. Some marketing tips include: Doing research, building a website, building a list, writing a sales page, having a Paypal account, promoting online, writing articles, and joining joint ventures.
Why Clear Writing Means Aiming for the Lowest Common Denominator - and Then Some
By: Philip Yaffe | 11/04/2008
Someone once said, "Nothing is so simple that it can't be misunderstood." Thus, when conveying ideas and information, you should always aim for the lowest common denominator. Far from "dumbing down", recognizing and applying the truth of this dictum is the only sure path to successful writing and speaking.
Columbo: What Can a Bumbling, Inarticulate Los Angeles Cop Teach Us About Effective Communication?
By: Philip Yaffe | 11/04/2008
Columbo, the apparently bumbling, inarticulate Los Angeles cop of the popular 1970s television series, always cornered the criminal. While obviously fiction, the show's structure and Columbo's methods have important lessons for expository (non-fiction) writers and speakers.
More from Robert Morgen
Meditation Exercise - The Brain Scrub
By: Robert Morgen | 25/10/2007 | Non-Fiction
The Brain Scrub is designed to help you overcome the "monkey mind" which leaps and bounces around from subject to subject in an uncontrolled manner.
Basic Meditation Exercises
By: Robert Morgen | 16/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
The following exercises range from pretty simple to pretty complicated, but as you develop your abilities you'll eventually find that you can do them all at once and effortlessly.
Meditation Exercise - Full Body Awareness
By: Robert Morgen | 16/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
Developing full body awareness is very simple and easy to learn.
Drawing and Moving Energy
By: Robert Morgen | 12/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
During various exercises we'll be drawing energy in through our chakras, into our organs and even through the entire area of our skin. Drawing energy into yourself is fairly easy to do and simply requires a heightened sense of self-awareness to feel.
Establishing A Daily Meditation Practice
By: Robert Morgen | 11/04/2007 | Non-Fiction
It's important to establish a daily practice and then stick to it. This doesn't mean dedicating 12 hours a day to meditation, it just means creating a space in your home where you can take a few minutes and meditate and do the exercises. I advise people to start with some of the basic exercises and devote 10 -20 minutes a day as they develop their physical and mental abilities.
Writing 
