Meditation for Breathing Awareness Into Every Experience

Anger an anxiety often challenge us, but when we practice meditation and become aware of subconscious aspects that prevent a fully joyous life experience, we can let them go.

Tony Samara, world-renowned spiritual teacher and author of 16 books, has been sharing deep spiritual work and energy transmission for the evolution of consciousness for over 25 years. Combining meditation, detoxing the body, a plant-based diet and a simple lifestyle, he is best known for how his work touches more deeply than words.

Transcript

You you you you So just making sure that you are comfortable and ready for the transmission just making sure that all sorts of gadgets around are turned off so that you are able to focus upon the inner wisdom that is so much part of meditational practice.

But of course sometimes this inner wisdom is hidden behind so many layers that we get challenged by in our experience of life.

It's different every time.

There are all sorts of challenges,

There are all sorts of situations that make it more difficult to practice meditation or make it more difficult to be truly spiritual in the sense of practice rather than just one's thoughts about spirituality.

And especially if the case is that you are having to understand or work through anger or anxiety that so very often comes up to the surface.

I speak about this a lot of course just because it's a major part of our lives and for most people a challenge to let that go,

A challenge to let it go enough to come back to meditation and the practice of meditation.

Because even if we are not obviously angry or not obviously anxious sometimes meditation makes it more clear that we aren't relaxed and that we aren't really still.

That there is a level of anxiety in our society and being part of society makes that obvious in meditation especially that there is a part within that sometimes is there and we don't recognize it until we sit in stillness,

Until we practice meditation and then become perhaps aware of physical sensations,

The stress in the body or the way that we breathe or the way that we just communicate to ourselves or others.

We become aware of situations of anger and situations where there is a level of anxiety that perhaps because we previously have been so busy it's not obvious.

And now sitting in meditation very often not only do we become aware of the stillness but we become aware of the many aspects that play out in our subconscious and in our lives that prevent the stillness from being very much a part of just our general feeling about life,

Our general experience of life.

And that is okay.

It's important to know that that is okay.

So to sit in meditation and then to find out that perhaps you are more stressed than you thought or you're more upset about certain situations than you believe yourself to be or to realize that your body is sort of stressed or there is pain or there is just obviously,

There is an obvious tension there in the background,

That's not a bad thing.

It's important to know that that's not a bad thing.

It's part of the meditational experience.

We move into a deeper state of awareness.

This means that we move into the awareness that allows us to see these things that sometimes we don't see because we're so busy.

If you walk around,

People are perhaps not obviously tense or anxious or even angry,

But if you're sensitive and you walk around and look at people and the way that they communicate to themselves and to others,

Of course,

Then it's obvious that there is a level of anxiety and anger in our society,

In modern Western society that somehow is just accepted as the norm of the way that we communicate.

The anxiety perhaps is not displayed as people being so insecure that they show that in an obvious manner,

But it could be just that we sort of neglect what is happening around us.

That's a level of anxiety that is displayed in a way where we sort of cut off from what's happening around us and isn't that really what is happening with technology and what is happening with just our connection to people and our connection to our empathy to the situations that are happening around that we just don't see anymore because we close our perception and focus our perception just on the things that we see.

We close our perception just on specific things and usually those things have to do with the ego,

They have to do with the way that the mind functions and the structure of the mind.

We don't really see the beauty or even the difficulty but open up ourselves in such a way where we have a level of empathy that we see and appreciate certain things,

You know,

Just the kindness of humanity or just the beauty of situations that perhaps in the difficulties that are happening around,

Perhaps,

You know,

A mother,

Just the way that she works with an angry child,

You know,

If you just focus on the anger or the tension that's being created,

Of course,

Then that's goal orientated,

You know,

You're thinking,

Oh,

I'm happy I'm not having to deal with such a situation or,

Oh,

Gosh,

What a terribly behaved child that child is,

You know,

We create a sort of communication within ourselves that has nothing to do with the external but if we have a level of empathy so we connect to the situation and perhaps we see the struggle of the situation so we see the mother struggling with the anger of the little child but understanding,

Of course,

Is just a little child.

You know,

It's nothing to be caught by or nothing to be upset by but at the same time because of love or because of kindness and working through that anger in that motherly kind understanding way that sometimes happens and,

You know,

Just appreciating the humanity that is behind everything,

Even the difficulties such as a situation,

Obviously,

That no one wants to have to deal with such anger or tantrum but still we can see the beauty and the movement of this and that is what the topic of the meditational practice is all about today.

It's not about judging,

It's not about trying to escape from anger or anxiety or the structure of the brain that has a negative bias and thinks of problems before it begins to think of solutions.

No,

It's rather being aware of everything,

So extending awareness so that we embrace our experience in this moment rather than try to find another experience that's better in the next moment or in our belief systems or in our closed perspective of life so that we're so focused on ourselves that we forget to see what is around.

This moment means breathing into this moment.

See,

If you are aware of,

Say,

The physical sensations and just the perceptions of what's happening around you right now in this moment,

If you're aware of that,

You're just aware.

You're not even connected to the perceptions,

The perceptions just speak to you directly so you're just aware,

So you're not saying to yourself,

Oh,

I see that beautiful little plant over there and it's green and it's nice.

No,

Not that sort of perception,

You're just looking at the plant and it's just there,

You're aware of it and it's part of the extended perception of everything else,

So you're not just limiting your perception to one thing,

You're being more creative with your perception,

So you're doing the same with the physical sensations,

So you may be aware,

Oh,

It's so painful today,

I woke up with this sort of feeling of pain,

And you're not just aware of that,

But you're aware of everything else,

So you're extending your level of awareness so it moves beyond the egoic realm,

Which very often fixates upon specifics and works with the specifics in certain ways that we've learned or believed to be the best way,

But now you're extending awareness so that you're aware of everything,

Good,

Not so good,

Interesting,

Not so interesting,

You're just extending your awareness in such a way where your breath is no longer a shallow breath,

Your breath is a deep and full and profound breath,

So the way that you're breathing reflects or mirrors the level of awareness that you have of this moment,

So if you're very focused on one thing or very focused on one feeling or one thought or one perception,

Then your breathing will mirror that and will change,

So we can change our awareness by changing our breath,

Because as we change our breath,

This mirrors consciousness within ourselves and within our perceptions in such a way that it's obvious that we're moving beyond that focus,

That perhaps we're caught by the anger or caught by the stress or the tension,

We're moving beyond this,

We're not ignoring it or limiting our perception to something better,

But we're moving beyond this sort of focus and opening up as we breathe in through the diaphragm,

We're opening up our perceptions,

Not just even the ones that we're aware of,

But the perceptions that are subtle,

Because as we breathe deeply,

We connect to other aspects of ourselves,

We're connecting not just to the mind that is perceiving the plant as green or the mind that's perceiving the pain as not so very nice,

But we're opening up to the perceptions that are subtle,

That are far beyond just the mind,

Because as you know,

You are not just your thinking mind,

As you know you're not just your feelings,

You're more,

You're that awareness that you know are extending your breath into,

As you breathe deeply into the diaphragm,

Deep breath into the diaphragm and relax the chest,

Open up the shoulders,

Make sure that your posture is upright,

Open.

You're breathing in,

In such a profound way that the sensations that happen because of your awareness of what is going on,

We're always aware of this moment,

What's going on in this moment,

Not yesterday or tomorrow,

But in this moment,

Creates a sort of detachment to the specifics of what is happening,

So you're no longer focused on the pain or the green plant or this or that,

Your awareness extends and becomes transcendent,

Becomes more expansive,

Transcends the self,

The self preoccupation with one's own pain or suffering,

It extends into the creative space that is this moment.

We begin to communicate this from within,

Not just our breathing,

But from within the way all our energies and physical manifestations mirror this sense of expansion into space.

So our breath mirrors as we breathe deeply into the diaphragm,

Our breath mirrors this wonderful sense of awareness,

Expansive awareness,

But also our body,

The cells within our body begins to reflect this.

So the energies of those cells in the brain say,

The way that the neurons fire and wire or in the organs,

The way that the heart configures and relates to the physical,

Emotional and mental and subtle energies within this physical organ of the heart begins to configure and align itself to consciousness of this moment rather than the consciousness of pain or suffering or judgment or pain.

Or suffering or judgment or this or that or whatever.

So all of a sudden,

We become very much detached from our experience,

We become what we really are.

And that is the observer,

The aspect of ourselves that is observing the situation from a sense of everything is perfect,

Because we're detached from the situation so we're not caught by the pain or the suffering,

Even though we're aware of it,

We're not caught by it.

And we just allow ourselves to move more deeply into this detached,

Yet very connected space to life.

So we breathe in and breathe out and we're not somehow escaping into some sort of La La Land or into some sort of daydreaming space.

We're more present than ever.

This is what makes meditation so interesting.

It may seem to the mundane world that we're not more present,

Because we're not engaging in that sort of understood,

Accepted communication of,

Oh,

You have pain?

Yeah,

I have pain.

Oh,

This pain is terrible.

What should we do about it?

You know,

That sort of communication.

You transcend it,

You become detached from it.

So you're no longer,

You know,

You may observe the pain and be aware of the pain and work with the pain,

But what you're bringing into the situation is this awareness of space,

Of this moment.

And so in this moment,

You may just all of a sudden discover an aspect of this moment that because previously you were focused on just the self-perception or the self-perceiving the situation around or within,

Now that you're expanding your experience,

So the eye is being aware or is aware of the experience,

It's a totally different experience.

Not only are you detached,

But you're at the same time,

Very connected to the experience that you're having.

So no longer are you just attached to say,

The perspective or the paradigm of suffering that may have been socialized into your mind and the way that you think and the way that you feel,

Whether you're conscious of it or not.

But now you can step outside of that due to the detachment,

Due to the way that you are breathing,

Due to the way that you're relating to this moment.

You can step outside of that and again come back to the natural relationship that we have with life.

And the natural relationship is that we have a relationship with life,

Not just with one perspective of life or one vision of life or belief system of life.

We extend our awareness into the space of communication that happens because we detach from say the egoic mind or a feeling that has very much limited our perception and created a repetitive form of behavior or thinking.

All of a sudden,

All those physical sensations and all those perceptions,

Say of anger or pain or this or that or whatever,

Become sort of little gems that sparkle in the background and remind you that this mirroring that is happening because of your awareness,

This mirroring that is happening in this moment,

Is not the mirroring of just a belief system of those sparkling gems,

But actually what you're seeing is the light of your potential within this experience that you're having.

And so you embrace the experience from a state of gratitude,

From a state of just knowingness that this is perfect.

And see,

Already just by being positive in this way,

Your breath will change.

There will be no longer that fear or that sense of apprehension or tension that limits our breathing in such a way where we then replicate that belief system on so many levels,

Physical,

Emotional,

Mental.

All that,

All of a sudden becomes less important as we mirror our connection to this moment and as we explore what it means to be a human being in the real sense,

With good and bad and this and that and whatever else,

No judgment,

Just what it means to be connected to our humanity.

And so as you breathe in today and breathe out,

Let go of the attachment that happens,

Even to our bodies and the ways that we think or the ways that we feel,

And connect more to the awareness that is behind the perception.

And you can do this by breathing deeply into the diaphragm,

Making sure that if you're breathing in a shallow way or if you're breathing through your chest that you bring the breath deeper,

Deeper down into the abdomen,

Relaxing the diaphragm,

Opening up the body.

It's very important as you breathe through the diaphragm that you open up your body,

Your shoulders,

Your chest,

Breathing in.

Sometimes it's useful to have the palms of your hands sort of facing towards the heavens or the universe,

Just receptive,

So you're breathing in through the diaphragm in a receptive,

Open way,

Deep breath,

Letting go of attachments to this or that,

And just open and receptive to everything,

Not judging,

Saying I want this or I don't like this,

Just to everything.

So awareness is free flowing.

There is no agenda.

There is no egoic agenda hidden in the way that we relate or experience awareness.

We understand that awareness is perfect as we breathe in and breathe out.

Awareness simply becomes aware of itself and extends into this moment in a very multidimensional way,

In a very beautiful way.

And so we begin to just experience what it's like to be in this body,

What it's like to be here,

Present,

Not only in this body,

Physical body,

But in the emotional,

Mental body,

Because we're aware of awareness itself.

So we're watching awareness from this space,

Or extended awareness as we move into this moment,

Away from perhaps our belief systems that are caught in the future or the past that we think perhaps is very real.

But now we come back to this moment.

We breathe in and breathe out.

What else can you feel but just connected when you are here,

Present,

Connected in such a way where the relationship that we have with our bodies and life,

All aspects of life,

Means that we are letting go of the tension,

The anxiety,

The anger.

We're letting go of that which previously was attached to the future and the past and our perceptions that we're in those spaces.

Now that we come here,

Come back to ourselves,

Recognize that which is,

Then we for sure just come back to a state of harmony,

A state of equilibrium,

Communication with everything,

Everything that is in this moment.

So as you let go today,

Perhaps in situations where you forget to come back to this awareness,

As you let go of tension in those situations,

Remember to breathe deeply through the diaphragm and to be connected to awareness as you breathe through your diaphragm,

So that this moment extends your relationship to life beyond a certain situation that you're focused upon or your mind is focused upon or your attention is focused upon.

Be aware of the space,

Be aware of everything.

Extend awareness into this moment.

Deep breath.

You may wish to continue in meditation for a few more moments,

Letting go,

Moving deeper into the stillness.

Deeper and deeper as you allow the breath to relax,

As you allow the breath to move to this deeper space down into the abdomen.

Letting go.

Thank you.

.

.

.

.

.

Reviews

Lovely, love the way he is explaining

Perfect timing on this one as my awareness in observation overcome a difficult situation I was being sucked into. Just needed that gentle reminder. Thanks Big Tones.

Really helpful! I love pulling apart and becoming aware of myself, and this was a lovely tool for just that. Thank you, friend, for this resource.