When I was nine years old, I asked my parents if I could learn to meditate and consequently met with Dr Roles at the Study Society in London. He had met the Maharishi and then been introduced to his teacher Shri Shantananda Saraswati and was initiating people into meditation in the UK. Dr Roles gave me a mantra which I still meditate with today.
Breathing practices were rather discouraged at that time in the tradition of meditation I had been introduced to, and so it wasn't for a while that I came to give breath meditation a serious go.
And I have to say when I first started it freaked me out. I felt so out of control. I didn't like people counting for me. I felt as if I was going to run out of breath or not do it properly. It made me a bit panicky.
Even when I came to study with the British School of Meditation in 2020, I remember saying that I didn't particularly like breath meditation.
Today, it's something that I use every day, many times throughout the day. So what happened? What changed?
I remember actively using ‘conscious breath’ regularly during COVID lockdown. I think I had COVID at the time and was also feeling the stress that many others were feeling. I used to lie on my bed or the floor and practise a 5:8 pattern of slow breathing - in and out. I practised it for hours at a time.
That was probably what piqued my interest in the power of breath meditation. I didn't even really consider that I was meditating at the time; I just focused on my breath and found it incredibly calming.
I went on to study with the College of Sound Healing and was introduced to diaphragmatic breathing - probably something which in the recesses of my mind I had experienced before but I think I was ready for it then. Again I found it transformative and really good!
Through my study of Yoga Nidra I learned about the physiological sigh - 2 sips of breath in and a longer sigh out, and breathing in and out of each chakra. And through my ongoing enquiry into Nervous System dysregulation, I use being aware of the state of my breath, just as it is, as a way of noticing what is going on in my system and what my body is experiencing; and breathing techniques as a way to help regulate.
What I realise is how much breath meditation is present in my everyday life these days. I can’t believe that I used to find it so challenging – although I still don’t really like any sort of led breath meditation by someone else!
Every morning I spend maybe 15 to 20 minutes, while still lying in bed, practising central channel breathing - taking slow intentional conscious breaths from the ground beneath me and up the spine to the space above me and back down. And if I wake up in the night and can’t get back to sleep, which happens occasionally, I use this time to practise the same.
And then throughout the day, maybe before I open my emails or if I’m beginning to feel overwhelmed or anxious or even just waiting for the kettle to boil, I'll connect with my breath. It might be a few slow intentional breaths or some diaphragmatic breathing or a physiological sigh. Even now sitting here at my computer, every so often I just take a little break and connect with my breath.
At its core, breath meditation involves bringing gentle awareness to the breath without trying to control it. We notice the sensation of air entering and leaving the body, the gentle rise and fall of the chest or abdomen, a natural rhythm.
Scientific research has shown that breath meditation can very quickly lower stress and help us relax. When we use a longer out breath, our parasympathetic nervous system, which engages on the out breath, can shift us from survival mode into a state of rest and renewal.
Equally, our nervous system can become more regulated when we practise something like box breathing which gives equal emphasis to the in and out breath with pauses in between. Using breath meditation and practices can help train our nervous system to relax.
It can also improve our focus by training attention; and reduce anxiety by interrupting cycles of ‘thought chatter’ or rumination. It connects us with the present moment.
I see now that breath has become much more to me than a tool or a singular practice of meditation. It’s become a kind of teacher, a friend, an anchor.
Each time I pause and notice my breath, it feels like I’m giving myself a small present. A moment of connection. A time to check in with myself. It’s wonderful what you can experience and learn about yourself through consciously connecting with your breath.
Catherine Thomlinson