Overcoming Obstacles

This is a breathing and visualisation-based meditation for overcoming external and internal obstacles. It's useful for improving sleep and helping with stress reduction and promoting healthy breathing patterns.

Transcript

Find a comfortable position.

You can be seated,

Lying,

Cross-legged.

The main thing is that the spine is long and straight.

Take a big deep breath in through the nose,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

And exhale,

Let any tension come out of the body,

The body becoming heavier,

Emptier,

Lighter.

Inhale,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale,

Release out,

Mouth or nose,

All tension drains away.

Again,

Deep inhale,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale,

Release,

Heavier,

Emptier,

Softer,

All tension draining away.

From here we're going to work through a little bit more breathing,

Start to clear a little bit more energy,

Help the mind become a little clearer.

Take your right hand,

Index finger next to it and just place it gently between the eyebrow line with the right elbow sitting against the side body.

This can be done lying,

Seated,

Cross-legged.

From here if you need to blow the nose,

Blow the nose to clear any congestion.

And from here you're going to press into the soft of the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand.

Take a deep breath in through the belly up into the chest through the left nostril.

Hold the breath at the top for a moment and then close off your left nostril with your ring finger.

Take a long exhale out through the right.

Take a deep inhale through the right.

Close the right with the thumb.

Full,

Long exhale out through the left.

Deep inhale through the left.

Close the left with the ring finger.

Full,

Long exhale out through the right.

Just want you to continue this pattern now in your own time.

Inhale right,

Close right,

Exhale left,

Inhale left,

Close exhale right.

Try and make the breath long,

Smooth,

Full.

Next stage you feel congestion,

Just blow the nose.

You can also add a visualisation into the breathing.

As you inhale you might have a sensation of breathing in a white light,

A blue sky,

A sensation of openness,

Expansion,

Wakefulness.

As you exhale feel any tensions,

Frustrations,

Obstacles moving out of the body in the form of a black smoke or any other colour which might represent those obstacles moving out.

Every time your mind wanders,

Which it naturally will,

Just gently bring your attention back to the breathing,

Back to the alternating of the nostrils and back to the visualisation.

You can even gently accentuate the length of the exhale,

So you're breathing in and out,

Just taking a little bit longer to breathe out,

Really connecting to that sensation of the downward wind,

Downward energy,

The body becoming heavier,

Softer,

More relaxed,

The mind becoming calm,

Clear,

The speed of thought beginning to slow down.

Take one more round in and out,

In and out,

And at the end of that round just relax,

Let your hands rest back to the ground,

Your knees,

Your abdomen,

And just observe what's changed in the breathing.

Maybe the breathing is smoother or easier,

Maybe it's slowed down,

Even be aware of the mind itself,

What's changed in the mind,

The mind feels a little more awake,

A little more still,

A little slower.

Here we're going to work a little bit more directly with the energy in the body,

Going to move more towards calming the mind,

Calming the body,

Softening any tension in the body.

So we're going to use the breath,

How we're going to do that is we're going to inhale for a count of four,

Exhale for a count of four,

And we're going to retain the breath at the bottom for a count of two.

So after the exhale we'll hold our breath at the bottom for a two count and then begin the process in for four,

Out for four,

Hold for four.

When you hold the breath out for that count of two,

Really just settle your mind,

Settle your body into that natural stillness,

That little moment of pause,

No need to breathe,

Really let the energy fall into that place,

The whole body softening,

The mind softening.

I will count us through,

We do around about 10 to 15,

Try and stay with the breath,

Stay with the count,

Every time the mind wanders,

Come back to the count,

Come back to the breath.

From here take a big breath in,

Exhale again,

Let any tension go,

Preparation for the first breath,

Inhale through the nose for four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale out through the mouth of nose for three,

Two,

One,

Hold the breath at the bottom,

Two,

One,

Inhale nose for three,

Two,

One,

Exhale for three,

Two,

One,

Hold the breath at the bottom,

Two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale for three,

Two,

One,

Hold at the bottom,

Two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold at the bottom,

Two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Retain at the bottom,

Two,

One,

We'll go three more,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold two,

One,

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold two,

One,

Inhale deeply,

Exhale release any tension,

Return back to natural breathing,

Again observe any changes in the breathing,

Any changes in the mind,

Any changes in the body.

Final part of the meditation that can be useful just to use a gentle visualization to help us remove any obstacles,

Physical or mental.

So from here I want you to just imagine in front of you a person seated cross-legged.

This person is made of a luminous bright white light.

This person may not have a face,

It's more an embodiment of anyone that you look up to,

Any enlightened beings,

Any role models,

Any spiritual people that you feel connected to.

This person is a container for all of them.

So just imagine that energy,

That person in front of you.

It's so important that you see them,

It's more important that you feel that energy.

You can imagine the feeling of the sun against your body on a warm day,

How that sun softens you,

Relaxes you,

Brings a smile to your face.

Imagine slowly white light begins to emanate from that person's chest moving towards your chest.

You feel this connection right in the middle of your chest as the two of you connect.

Again using the visualization,

Using the breathing,

We'll use the two together to help with removing any obstacles.

So as we inhale,

We're going to imagine that white light from that person,

That representation in front of us coming into our body,

Into our chest.

And as we exhale,

We imagine white light emanating outwards from our body,

Removing any obstacles,

Tensions,

Frustrations,

Problems in life,

Problems with people.

Again,

I'll take us through about 10 slow,

Full breaths.

We'll be inhaling deeply and then exhaling,

Letting it all go,

Feeling that sensation of that light permeating outwards.

So again,

Feeling the warmth at the chest and then the light from the person in front of you.

Deep breath in and feel that light move into your chest.

Hold the breath for a moment.

Exhale slowly out through the mouth or the nose and manage that light is penetrating outwards to everything.

Deep inhale,

Feel that light come from that person's chest into your chest.

Exhale,

Feel that light penetrate outwards,

Removing any obstacles,

Physical or mental.

And inhale deeply through the nose,

White light moves into the chest.

Hold the breath for a moment.

Exhale out through the mouth or the nose,

Everything transforms into white light.

Inhale deeply through the nose.

Hold.

Exhale,

White light penetrates outwards.

Inhale through the nose,

White light into the chest.

Exhale,

Everything transforms into that white light.

Inhale deeply nose,

White light into the chest.

Exhale,

White light removes all obstacles.

We'll go two more times.

Deep breath in through the nose,

White light moves into the chest.

Exhale outwards all obstacles removed.

Inhale deeply to the nose,

White light in the chest.

Exhale all obstacles are removed.

Return to normal breathing and just notice any changes energetically,

Mentally,

Physically.

Try to become aware of those changes.

Now imagine that person in front of you,

Slowly the two of you move closer,

Closer.

As if the two of you merge into one another,

Meeting in an embrace.

As you embrace that representation of your higher self,

Your best self.

Imagine it residing in your heart.

A small white orb of light that you carry with you at all times when things may be hard.

Resting in this state,

We dedicate the practice to all beings who suffer as we suffer and to do our best when we do suffer.

I'll use the formal Tibetan dedication.

Om Dare Dare Bandarai Swaha Jaya Jaya Siti Siti Pala Pala Ha Aha Sahaha Ma Ma Kolinasa Manta Aha TELL US

Reviews

Breathing exercises were noticibly beneficial. Felt very relaxed.