breath and mind

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

> I am puzzle some article in KY training by

> mentioned that" mind follow breath" which I think

> is a serious mistake.

>

> The main think in meditaion is mind relaxation.

> Though there are different types of meditation, which

> some using breath as a focus/concentration point,

> I think it is important to note that "mind" is the main

> contral over all other senses.

 

These are the two sides of the same coin: the mind and the breath are very

closely related and they do influence each other. If you are in a very

peaceful state of mind, you will notice that your breath is slow and

soothing. If you are agitated, you will notice that your breath is rapid and

shallow. But you will also notice that if you try to calm down your breath,

your mind will calm down as well! Even in medical emergencies, when people

are under a great deal of stress and pain, the doctors will remind you to

breathe deeply.

 

We live in a conscious, interconnected universe. The mind and the breath are

facets of universal energy manifesting in different ways. According to yoga,

the mind (chitta) is a form of the universal consciousness (chiti), while

the breath is prana, the life force itself. Consciousness and the life force

are, in fact, one and the same. We should not be surprised that the mind and

the breath are so closely connected.

 

In the yoga tradition, the mind is actually one of the senses - it is the

sense that allows you not only to perceive the world, but to make sense of

it as well. This is a very different view from what most of us have heard.

In the "western" tradition, the mind is altogether different. Many people

would say in fact that their mind is their identity. Not so according to

yoga. The mind is just a subtle sense that helps one function in the world

and understand it. Your identity, however, is your soul, the immortal,

unborn, undying, beyond thought, beyond attributes. Your identity is

infinity - truth, consciousness, and bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda). This is what

you really really are. Really.

 

Many blessings,

Satsang Kaur