May 3rd 1998
BREATHE YOUR WAY INTO ECSTASY PART TWO
Last week I introduced connective breathing as a way of reaching states of ecstasy in a natural way. But in the beginning it should be practised with an experienced helper. It also usually takes a lot of sessions where people can experience pain, strong emotions and remembering of child and past life experiences. Some of you will not feel anything at all or go to sleep most of the time. Then you should leave it and try something else - for example have deep rolfing sessions or practise bioenergetics,
Being in balance also means to breathe in a balanced way. I am a jazz-pianist and I love playing New Orleans Jazz. I experience "Swinging" as a phenomenon where the rhythm is not as accurate as an electronic beat."Swinging" for me is a natural rhythm where the heart and the consciousness are alert.
The point of stillness between inbreath and outbreath where we are one with the earth energy needs to be consciously experienced by each musician. Then the musicians are present with all their energy. They are not distracted by thoughts or feelings of fear, false pride, boredom, anger or others. They are not impatient but they seem to have all the time of the world. They are in touch with their own inner time that has nothing to do with clocks and watches. Children are like that and and so are people from primitive cultures. In the west most of us have to learn it again from scratch. That is the only way to become a truly creative person.
Breathing and sex go closely together. Energy can be exchanged in a circular movement. To get to this experience you need to be "in touch" with your partner, breathe in a little bit later then your partner and breathe out just a split of a second later than your partner. Thus you can enter the circular breathing which can move through the whole body in a wave of ecstasy. This experience can also occur when we are feeling one with nature, with the moon, the sun, the sea or with a tree.
In his book "Orgasm" Jack Lee Rosenberg writes that the way we move can influence the way we breathe and the way we feel vice versa. With different bioenergetic exercises for both individuals and partners he helps people to increase their energy level and work on sexual problems.
Whenever you try to control yourself you automatically limit your body movements. You keep yourself rigid to avoid any movement and this rigidity will also stop you sensing your feelings.
Felix Riemkasten in his book "The Alexander Technique" recommends one not to draw the shoulders up and to breathe out as completely as possible. We usually do not take enough time to breathe out properly. But we should not push ourselves in any way during this expanded outbreath. And once it is out he recommends we should have a little rest in between and wait until the new breath really wants to come in again. Only then we give way to the new breath and thats all. In our time many people suffer from impatience and nervousness. Thus they never breathe out properly and they always breathe in far too early.
John Diamond describes the lung meridian as the meridian of humility. A balanced meridian implies tolerance, humbleness and modesty in an indivual. Intolerance, disdain, contempt, false pride and prejudices occur when the meridian is unbalanced. The lung meridian is our prime meridian. It is involved in early child development.
Thorwald Detlevsen in his book "illness as a way" sees breathing as tension and relaxation - in german "Spannung" and "Ent-spannung". Breathing is giving and taking. In Latin "spirare" means breathing. We feel "inspired" by something as if we have received an idea together with our breath.
In breathing we have to exchange the air with other people. We are thus forced to share. Some people develop asthma because they are too sensitive to share the air with others.
If we cannot breathe freely any more, we feel trapped and imprisoned. Too much freedom and responsibility can create fear of breathing in and out. The breathing muscles contract with fear. As soon as they begin to keep the tension our breathing becomes inhibited. Our breathing becomes more shallow and the body does not any longer receive enough breath to be vital amd alive. Thus it slowly starts to disintegrate and go numb or ill.
In her book "To the light" polish clairvoyant Lilla Bek describes various breathing exercises to use for balancing the different chakras.
Lilla is a friend of mine and she has taught me many things during her courses in Tekel's Park, a nature's trust park in Camberley, Surrey. She can see auras and tune in with whales and other animals.
Next week I will write about Flower and Gem essences and stones that can help you with your breathing.
The next "Energy in Balance" workshop will start on Monday 11th of May, 1998 7-9pm . More information on 0171 735 4513.