5 Powerful & Easy Ways to Use Your Breath for Spiritual Awakening

When learning to meditate, we are usually taught to focus on our breath.

We are asked to notice our breath going in and out. To feel our breath, and to slow down our thinking until it becomes one with the breath, relaxed, fluid, formless and rolling like waves.

​One of the reasons we follow our breath to meditate is because it's the easiest way to relax and focus the mind. The other reason is because breathing is life. When we tune into our breathing we tune into our life force. If you ever want to feel how deep the connection between your breath and your existence goes, try holding your breath for a few minutes.

Sitting quietly and focusing on your breath is a simple yet profound way to connect to your spirituality. You can just sit and focus on your breath, or you can use the guided visualizations below.

I suggest trying these breathing meditations for about 5 - 10 minutes each. A wonderful tool to help you with this is the Insight Timer App for your smartphone (it's free and available in the app store). It's a meditation app that rings a soft bell at the end of your meditation. You set the time, and you can also set bells to ring each minute to bring your focus back in. You may choose one breathing exercise that you feel most drawn to, or rotate to a different one each day.

When you are caught in a moment and need to center and get clear, recall your favorite one, and take a few breaths with the in / out pattern described. It really can be that quick and simple to shift your energy! 

1. Use your breath to remember your connection to the Universe. 
   Sit or lay quietly. As you breathe in slowly, think to yourself I am the Universe. Breathe in the energy of the stars, the solar system, the galaxy, and allow your mind to open and drift as far as you feel comfortable. With an equally slow out breath, think the Universe is me. Breathe your energy out, and imagine you are breathing out to the stars and beyond. Breathe in the Universe, and breathe out to it.
   
   
2. Use your breath to connect to your heart space
   Put your hands on your heart. Close your eyes. Breathe in deep, and imagine that you are pulling in pure, white, loving energy. Breathe the air in as if there is a cloud of this beautiful, soft, loving energy around you. With each breath in, see your heart glow brighter and brighter with this divine white light, allowing it to saturate your heart so fully it pours out of you. As you breathe out, notice how calm, peaceful and safe it feels when you are tuned in to your heart. 
   
   
3. Use your breath to commune with your body & feel the connection between mind, body & spirit
   Learning to love our bodies can be an ongoing struggle. Sometimes the best way into it is to bypass the mind and feel how your body is the temple that holds your soul. As you breathe in, follow your breath into your lungs. Imagine seeing the nutrient-rich oxygen flow into your heart, and then out to every corner of your body. Breathe into all parts of your body, going from your head to your toes. Breathe out any feelings of disharmony, and allow yourself to remember that every part of you is an essential part of the whole. 
   
   
4. Use your breath to connect to the new and release the old
   Breathe in a new day, and breathe out everything that is behind you. Breathe in what you want, and breathe out what is done. Use your breath to remind yourself how natural it is for you to let go of the old. With each breath out, you release. With each breath in, you renew. You are doing this all day, and becoming aware of it can shift your entire perspective. 
   
   
5. Use your breath to easily shift your energy to love 
   When you're in a place of love, you are in a place of flow. Breathing in love will help you to make inspired choices that move you forward, rather than fear-based choices that hold you back. As you breathe in, repeat the phrase breathe in love in your mind. As you breathe out, hold the thought breathe out fear. Remember to take long, nourishing breaths. Low levels of oxygen are directly related to anxiety, and the simple act of breathing deeply can do a lot to shift you out of fear. 

Photo by Elijah Hiett on Unsplash