(The School of Breath) Breathing techniques (and bandhas or chakra locks) to activate pineal gland and open third eye (with instant results).
A bandha (Sanskrit बंध) is a kriyā [simple action] in Hatha Yoga, being a kind of internal mudra [disposition or pose] described as a "body lock" [1][2].
It is done to seal or lock the vital energy (prana) into a particular part of the body, such as the area of one of the spinal chakras or energy wheel centers. Bandha literally means bond, fetter, or "catching hold of" [3][4][5]. More
Mindfulness of breathing is letting go of control
Mindfulness in Plain English
It is easy to misunderstand and mistakenly think that we are being "mindful" of the breath by controlling (holding it in, exhaling out, making it long or short or like a bellows). This is completely wrong. To be mindful, we radically allow, accept, and observe it as it is, however it is. There is no attempt to control it. By watching it with great interest but noninvolvement, not wishing for it to do anything different than it is doing, we radically accept it and remain observant. This kind of watching, observing, keen interest will bring us to stillness (right-concentration, samma-samadhi, coherent all-togetherness of mind, super consciousness).
Uddiyana bandha in a Western yoga class (wiki)
Breath work, on the other hand, is manipulation of the breath (retention, expulsion, tightening, speeding up, bellowing, etc.) for some other purpose, such as wrestling it, forcing it, extending it, and so on in the play/work of yoga (union with spirit or spiritus, the "holy spirit" that is the subtle breath sometimes called pneuma or prana).
When it is time to practice mindfulness (satipatthana) of it, just watch. But keep watching no matter how fine it gets, even when it seems to disappear for stretches. Remain at the tip of the nostrils waiting for it, like a shepherd who has no need of going out to find wandering livestock, knowing that simply waiting by the waterhole, such livestock will surely return of their own accord. This sort of watching of the breath is then broadened to other parts of the
body
feelings
mind
phenomena (dhammas, not the Dhamma or Dharma).
All of this is spelled out in detail in the "Discourse on the Fourfold Setting Up of Mindfulness," popularly known as the "Four Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra" (Satipatthana Sutta), of which there are two, one a little longer than the other.
The School of Breath, YouTube; Yogi Dhr. Seven and Yogini Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly
(Solace Owl) What if I were to say that the key to shifting "reality" [timeline, position in the universe, psychophysical health] lies in something as simple as breathing?
As crazy as it may sound, we’re inhaling the essence of the universe with our every inhalation (prana). It’s the most fundamental act of life, something we do unconsciously every moment of every day, yet 99% of people don’t know the truth about breathing.
This simple action has the power to transform our entire existence, but only if we know the secret behind it.
Let’s discover the long-kept secret of ancient breath masters, something so powerful that it had to be kept hidden for centuries.
Issues about video? Feel free to contact: bizemailyt@gmail.com. Thanks for joining in on this journey. Subscribe to the channel: @SolaceOwl. Buy a coffee (and support the channel): https://ko-fi.com/solaceowl. Music by: @ironcthulhuapocalypse.
Solace Owl, 9/13/24; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath by Yogi Ramacharaka (1903)
(Master Key Society) This book explores the principles and techniques of yogic breathing, highlighting its benefits for physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual development.
SUMMARY: The book The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath was written by Yogi Ramacharaka, first published in 1904. It is a study of the "science of breath" (pranayama) and the ways in which it affects body and mind.
At the core of the book is the idea that breath (prana, pneuma, holy spirit, animating principle) is the key to physical and mental well-being and that by learning to control and regulate our breath, we can improve our health and achieve a higher level of consciousness.
The book explores a range of techniques for controlling and regulating the breath, including pranayama, the practice of controlling the breath through specific breathing exercises.
Throughout the book, author Yogi Ramacharaka discusses the science behind the various techniques for controlling the breath and offers practical advice for incorporating these techniques into daily life.
He also explores the role of breath in spiritual development and offers guidance for using the power of the breath to connect with a higher power.
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Book Shelf
00:45 - I. Salaam
06:32 - II. “Breath Is Life”
13:10 - III. The Exoteric Theory of Breath
24:53 - IV. The Esoteric Theory of Breath
34:27 - V. The Nervous System
41:41 - VI. Nostril Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing
50:48 - VII. The Four Methods of Respiration
01:03:28 - VIII. How to Acquire the Yogi Complete Breath
01:10:02 - IX. Physiological Effect of the Complete Breath
01:19:48 - X. A Few Bits of Yogi Lore
01:27:11 - XI. The Seven Yogi Developing Exercises
01:38:02 - XII. Seven Minor Yogi Exercises
01:44:11 - XIII. Vibration and Yogi Rhythmic Breathing
01:53:46 - XIV. Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing
02:08:33 - XV. More Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing
02:27:45 - XVI. Yogi Spiritual Breathing
Credits: Text by Yogi Ramacharaka. Audio narration by Adam Hanin.
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We all gathered in the Valley (1/27/24) in a spacious home with wood floors. Cacao was brewing on the stove as vegan dishes were brought in and spread all across a large table. Lisa opened the event with a circle of introductions by each person, city traveled from, and the nature of the dish brought for the potluck. Then we ate, socialized, got cozy and, finishing up, prepared for a meditative experience. This was no lecture but a sensual, in-the-body experience of profound relaxation, staying with the present moment, and trying not to anticipate the wonderful chocolate (xocolatl, Theobroma cacao) about to be served. Using deep breathing and complete letting go, staying awake and alert of all that was going on right here right now, we opened up, became vulnerable, felt our feelings, experienced our sensations with what the Buddha taught was mindfulness: dispassionate awareness of all that was going on. It is not enough to be aware. It is awareness, watching the experience. Seeing sights, hearing sounds, feeling tactile sensations, perceiving scents and tastes and mind object and letting them be. Radical acceptance of what is without fixing it, altering it, distorting it, or resisting it. In that moment, everything was okay. Everything was acceptable. Everything was impersonal and passing away, repeating or not as alluring as it previously seemed to be. Smiles sprouted on faces all around.
This is the plant helper Theobroma cacao
Everyone sat in a circle, on soft sofas, chairs, the wooden floor, with Stephanie on a yoga mat as the demonstration, Seven led us through letting go and consciousness-expansion. Then came the creamy vegan chocolate and an intention setting exercise, as we placed our intentions into the drink by some shamanic alchemical Dr. Emoto alteration of water by consciousness, as Indian genius Jagadish Chandra Bose (who discovered The Secret Life of Plants) taught was happening all the time as we interact with our environment.
Then we mindfully drank, experiencing the cacao with all six of our senses. Then solid pieces of chocolate were distributed, rich in the alkaloid theobromine, and savored in a way that brought out all its richness -- aware of craving, desire, or grasping arising for flavor and comfort -- so as to make it both delicious, opening to our lives (because this is not a rehearsal for some future time when we'll be alive) and a lesson that mindfulness is possible every waking moment. Meditation is one thing, sitting in a stillness approaching samadhi, and mindfulness is possible once an attitude adjustment makes us aware what we are doing, what we have been doing, and what is possible to do. Rather than abandoning ourselves and the present moment, we can be fully in the moment like a peak experience. We can enjoy all that human life has to offer and not mindlessly cling to it, making ourselves susceptible to misery when it alters, as it certainly will. We can see things as incapable of fulfilling and satisfying us and behave accordingly. We may even glimpse how impersonal it all is. Then we met ourselves with a partner, standing face to face, practicing being present for our experience and being present for another person. Everyone met, embraced, shook hands, introduced themselves to one another. There was a memorial for great vegan Buddhist Alan, who recently passed away, as his caretaker Christina was present. Then more socializing and storytelling took place, having gone up a few levels, as everyone was suddenly on very intimate terms and open with everyone else. It was a meditative, mindful, and gastronomical success.
Dr. Andy Huberman, Tom Bilyeu, 9/23/21; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Dopamine detox: Take back control of life and stop laziness! | Dr. Andrew Huberman
(Tom Bilyeu) As for dopamine, people have been obsessing and hearing about this neurochemical and its role in human behavior for years. We may think of it as the "feel-good happy hormone," or we may associate it with addiction, love, lust, and sex.
As our lives convert over to a totally digital experience that is with us everywhere we are in the form of a cell phone, dopamine detox has even started gaining in popularity.
Dr. Andrew Huberman from the Huberman Lab is here again to unpack some of the more surprising discoveries and uses of dopamine. He compares dopamine to a biological "currency" that plays a role in human desire for more and more (Buddhist craving and clinging, not being able to let go even in the face of suffering/disappointment).
Dopamine is the catalyst pushing humanity forward exploring things like cryptocurrency and pushing our limitations and what is possible, but is all of that for the sake of pleasure and feeling good?
Dr. Huberman breaks down the balance of pain and pleasure, arousal and relaxation, and gives us the insight we need to start regulating our body’s dopamine release.
If we thought dopamine was all about feeling good, Dr. Huberman is about to reveal why it’s more about what motivates us in the pursuit of something greater.
“When I say dopamine is the universal currency of everything, what I mean is, it's driving the motivation to develop new currencies.” [3:08]
“Celebrating the win more than the pursuit, it actually sets you up for failure in the future.” [16:00]
“If you can start to register that craving, and that friction and that desire, that almost kind of low level of agitation, sometimes high level of agitation...that's dopamine” [17:54].
“Your capacity to tap into dopamine as a motivator, not just seeking dopamine rewards, that is infinite.” [19:34]
“It's the craving that makes me feel alive. So it's the state of wanting that is in and of itself, the pleasurable act.” [22:37]
“It doesn't matter if it's Bitcoin or Ethereum, it doesn't matter if it's putting rockets on other planets, it doesn't matter if it's building the first automobile, it's the same currency.” [25:27]
And so we go back to this example of the person who's not motivated and can't get off the couch and doesn't want to do anything. Well, this is the problem. Remember the rat experiment? They are effectively the rat with no dopamine..." [27:47]
“Dopamine itself is not the reward. It's the buildup to the reward, and the reward has more of a kind of opioid bliss like property.” [29:51]
“The more pain you experience, the more dopamine you can achieve. If you get back on the avenue of pursuit.” [30:58]
“I would say addiction is a progressive narrowing of the things that bring you pleasure, and I don't like to comment too much on enlightenment...but a good life is a progressive expansion of the things that bring you pleasure, and even better is a good life is a progressive expansion of the things that bring you pleasure and includes pleasure through motivation and hard work.” [32:55]
“If you think about most of the growth in life comes from these rigidly externally imposed schedules and we hate them. But they are where we learn restraint.” [52:42]
Join Tom Bilyeu's Discord community to catch all the amazing things being worked on (impacttheory.com/discord). Get direct access to Tom and the team PLUS exclusive content, offers, and much more. Jump on in and get started on becoming legendary.
Yogini Stella Han leads us in Meditation and Breathwork on Saturdays.
Meditation is a practice where individuals use mindfulness techniques (presence of mind, staying in the moment, full awareness and acceptance of what is) to focus the mind on objects, thoughts, or activity to help cultivate attention, expanded consciousness, and heightened awareness.
This is done in an effort to enjoy mental clarity, decrease stress and worry, and return to balance. It is the higher training of the mind following the higher training in ethical conduct and stillness.
ABOUT: Stella Han (stella4yoga@gmail.com) is a passionate full-time yoga instructor and former social worker from Los Angeles She earned a master's degree in social work degree USC) and has many years of experience in the fields of social work and psychology.
This is a question that doesn't get asked nearly enough. It is not mere "awareness." It is paying attention to the present moment without giving in to the habits of
being fond and attaching to the pleasant,
being dejected and rejecting the unpleasant
being bored and inattentive to the neutral (neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant).
Mindfulness is therefore a special kind of awareness or presence of mind, wakefulness, vigilance that gives attention to whatever is in the present moment with radical acceptance, letting it be, and letting it go (just for the moment).
Simply being aware in the woods in not being mindful at all. Mindfulness (Sanskrit smirti, Pali sati) is remaining mindfully aware, dispassionate, detached, fully attending to without being entangled in that of which one is aware.
If lust or greed come up, be with them as a watcher without getting sucked in. If annoyance or anger creep up, be with them without becoming hostile. If boredom or mental-wandering arise, note them. That noting, that sudden awareness that the mind has wandered, is mindfulness.
Now it all becomes clear to me.
Now, bring it back to the present moment -- without becoming angry, frustrated, or dejected that wandered off, as mind by its nature will do.
Casting back to the past or forward to the future is the habit of the mind that mindfulness remedies. As Ram Dass famously said: "Be here now."
There is something magical about remaining in the moment. But we'll never know it if we never practice it until it becomes habit.
It is the way to happiness, contentment, and peace -- if done correctly, dispassionately, softly. It leads to clarity and vision, to knowing and seeing, and is essential for awakening.
The Buddha, in the famous "Fourfold Setting Up of Mindfulness Discourse," gives the four groups of things of which to be mindful:
Time is running out to watch this video FREE on Gaia. It's titled "Using Breathwork to Make You Stronger and Calmer with Wim Hof." The "Ice Man" in an exclusive extended interview shares his knowledge from a journey using breathwork [yogic pranayama] coupled with cold therapy. The combination has made him mentally and physically super strong -- reaching to find the limits of human potential.WATCH
Back by popular demand: Ecstatic Breathwork combines breathing and meditation to reset body and mind. Focused intentional breathing disciplines overactive thinking, clears toxic thoughts, moves energy, and releases emotional blocks.
After setting a clear intention to allow bliss, a special breathing technique is employed to tune in (to the present), turn on (the body's healing ability), and drop out (of old habits) to finally be able to meditate.
Pranayama is an ancient practice.
Ecstatic breathing aids in the release of unnecessary judgments, fears, and expectations to open the doors of perception and ecstasy. It re-balances the nervous system, oxygenates the body, and releases endorphins.
With the temporary experience of greater mental clarity, deeper relaxation, and bliss, meditation takes on an effortless quality. It is a fast and effective way of bringing us into a fully present state. Dress comfortably. Optional: bring towel or yoga mat and water.
*Free to volunteers who apply. Space at the Center is limited. Price ($20) includes all activities, lunch, massage, drinks, and snacks. Everyone welcome. No experience
necessary.
We begin the summer in the foothills of the Angeles
National Forest.
Magic bowls, crystals, plant oils...all help.
This is a relaxing retreat of meditation, massage,
essential oils, guided visualizations, crystals, yoga, community hugs,
vegan lunch, Q&A and group sharing.
We will have more time
than Thursday evening meditations:
This day-long spa treatment is a
chance to sit, recline, relax, eat, enjoy, and move.
Can breath-control lead to ecstatic states?
We will laugh and
breathe ecstatically. Bliss guaranteed. Direct experience of serenity with
singing bowls, pyramid energy, mindful movement, and boundless
loving-kindness.
TALK: "How did Prince Siddhartha let go and gain
Enlightenment?" with American Buddhist nun Ven. Aloka and an Irish-Native
American guide. RSVP(FREE)
Clockwork Orange County: The Rise of West Coast Punk Rock!
This is a documentary about punk rock on the west coast starting in the 1970s. It features concert clips from Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Dead Kennedys, T.S.O.L., The Adolescents, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and more. They helped launch the careers of many legendary bands. Explore the history of Southern California punk rock as witnessed from the perspective of an infamous nightclub called the Cuckoo's Nest. Interviews with owner Jerry Roach, Henry Rollins, Chuck Dukowski, Jello Biafra, Jack Grisham, Keith Morris, Henry Rollins, take us back to the flashpoint of a vital and exciting new music scene suffering during the Reagan era.
Let the breath help. Breathwork (pranayama, "breath control") is a great preliminary or preparatory practice.
"Doing" is not meditation, but it can indirectly bring about meditation. It can clear the mind, cause bliss, awaken the pineal gland/third eye to produce DMT and/or endorphins. HOW?
Inhale long and hold the breath. The mind suddenly stops. Exhale. Do it again. Hold it longer. While holding, there is no thinking. It is like applying the brakes on the Monkey Mind. Do three times, which gives a respite, then resume attention to normal breathing (anapanasati).
Breathe in to the count of 4, breathe out to the count of 6. Breathe in to the count of 5, breathe out to the count of 8. (Whatever the count, keep the approximate ratio between inhalations and exhalations). Do this pattern for a few minutes until calm overcomes you. (When excited we unconsciously hyperventilate shallow breaths and stay stressed out. This techniques calms the body, which in turn calms the mind).
If nothing is working, let's get heavy duty: bellow-breathing. Breathe in through the nose in a huff (with a sniffing nose), exhale through the mouth in a huff (with a ha noise). One-second in, immediately followed by one-second out (whole cycle takes two seconds). Use the belly like a bellows. Go faster. Keep this up until the endorphins flow or exhaustion sets in.
An excess of nervous energy can be worked off with yoga postures or soothing mindfulness of walking.
(Don't overdo it). We're just making an effort to calm body-and-mind. After one to three minutes, take a long, deep inhalation and completely let go. Bellow-breathing is like a fiery cleanse, expelling old stale air, flooding the body with rejuvenating oxygen and prana. Now relax. Bring full attention back to the nostril area as the body resumes natural breathing.
If worse comes to worse, pick up this popular book and read instead. How To Meditate...
2. Soothe the mind
If directly working with the mind is more appealing than working directly with the body, here's something to DO. Utilize a mantra("thought instrument").
Group meditation is where we learn what to try.
Chant. Utter an extended "ohm" (om, aum) on each exhalation. Let each utterance grow longer. Repeat until the mind is calm.
Breathe in "bu," breathe out "dho." Repeat budho in sync with the natural breath until the mind is calm.
Turn the mantra"Om mani padme hum" into a japa (the repetition of a sacred sound). Repeat until the mind is calm.
Here's a BONUS from the Monroe Institute: a guided visualization to induce meditation
3. Binaural Beats
If doing is to much to do (taking too much effort), do this to yourself. Put on some headphones, and just listen.
Utilize binaural beats (acoustic phenomenon). When two different tones -- one in each ear -- are played, they combine in the brain to create an acoustic beat. It is not heard by the ears but by the brain making sense of the two frequencies.
Frequencies are measured in hertz (Hz). They combine to produce an otherwise inaudible but perceptible thing. The sound does the work to bring the mind into a coherent state, which is calm, concentration, and samadhi. We recommend binaural products by the Monroe Institute. There are many free neural oscillations on YouTube of varying quality that may induce calm and clarity:
There are preliminary and preparatory practices that come down to us from the time of the Buddha and the first enlightened disciples (monastic "elders," theras and theris) to get one set for meditation to sprout and blossom into its fullness.
Noise is the enemy of undistracted-attention (unflappable concentration), so if solitude is impossible, at least find silence. Put in some earplugs. Resort to the closet. Rest in the bathroom with a warm tub in the dark or by unscented candle.
Cultivate boundless loving-kindness (metta), which breaks down the barriers to meditation.
These things help meditation happen when just sitting (dzogchen) there isn't cutting it. It is like making the soil ready for cultivation (in the kammaṭṭhāna or "field of work") by adding amendments.
Make sure virtue (sila), which is the basis of everything else in Buddhism, is in place because this is the foundation of coherence, calm, collectedness, concentration (samadhi) of mind's power to "meditate."
After absorption ("meditation"), emerge, and take up insight-meditation practices to realize enlightenment in this very life.
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