Breath: The Bridge Between Internal and the Universal Energy
By Gurudev

Breath meditation is a powerful technique to bring what you think, feel and do into harmony and balance. Automatic breathing in and out is a biological process. When this same action is done with total awareness, that same breath is one that brings life-initiating, sustaining and healing prana to the body.

Breath is the bridge that connects our energy body to the infinite universal body of energy. Breath is also the bridge between the body and the mind; and the body and the soul. Life begins with the first breath in and ends with the last breath out. In between, what we call life is sustained by a series of uninterrupted breaths.

Through breath we are not only connected to the life giving functions within our bodies, but also to the external ecological world through which we receive the life-sustaining energy of prana through air, food, and sunshine, mineral, plant, and animal life.

Breath connects us with the unlimited pool of prana that sustains planetary existence, the ecological balance of the Earth, and the evolution of life on Earth. This is why we call Earth, "Mother Earth."

We have recognized an intimate physical relationship that exists between the body and mind, but have not recognized the vital role and impact the breath has on our physical and mental makeup.

Our body's balance is perpetually maintained by the process called homeostasis through the interplay of balancing power of autonomous sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This autonomic, involuntary, balancing restorative functions are carried out by the intelligence of the prana / energy body.

This energy body carries out its life functions involuntarily; and our preprogrammed unconscious habits use the same energy. Tensions introduced by unresolved emotional patterns such as anger, jealousy, hatred and fear are held as stress. The stress in turn affects our breath.

The moment you disengage prana from being confined as the carrier of unconscious fears, resistances, emotions, reactions, blame, shame and guilt it automatically becomes linked to integrative consciousness. This is when breath becomes the carrier of light that effortlessly turns the darkness of unconscious patterns held securely in our physical, mental and emotional bodies. Breath impregnated with prana can be a powerful vehicle to shift from personal to the transpersonal dimension of the soul. Energy and consciousness can cover the long, arduous journey in an effortless and easy manner, instantly.

Breath in combination with attention, focus, can be powerful tool for concentration. Breath combined with mindful meditative awareness can be a powerful vehicle to connect with the awesome powers of the spirit.

Breath can be used to reestablish deeper levels of restorative, regenerative interaction on both voluntary and involuntary functions of your body. It can be practiced as Posture of Consciousness. The first part is deliberate practice of the technique of breath- the moment you completely let go in the deeper relaxed levels of surrender; prana is released from deliberate volitional willful action and functions optionally on the natural level of polarity. Breath is the lifeline.

Life begins with the first breath in and ends with the last breath out. In between, what we call life is a sustained series of uninterrupted breaths.