The final article in a series of four on meditations about purification by earth, water, fire, and air by Prem Geet.
Reporting from the Inspiration University (USA), founded by Leonard Orr, father of the Rebirthing Breathwork, Prem Geet deepens her meditation practice by combining Osho’s meditations and spiritual purification.
To breathe or not to breathe, that is the question! Breathing consciously, according to Thich Nhat Hanh, opens a window through which we touch life.“ Breathing in, breathing out means that you are really there… it means you are available to friends and loved ones in present time… think about the blue sky. It becomes present when you are there.”
How marvelous that relaxation and tension are unable to co-exist in the body! This means we have a choice. The liberating magic of consciously breathing air and prana is a quick jump to a golden dimension in the soul. Credited with inventing the word ‘youthing’ in the 60s, Leonard teaches a number of techniques that go far beyond pranayama and guided meditation.
He says, “Getting air creates certainty in your body, mind and spirit… We are learning to breathe from the breath itself.” Using his body as a living laboratory and his intellect as an unrelenting researcher, he has healed himself of 8 terminal illnesses with his purification practices: “Infinite eternal spirit washes everything.”
According to Osho, Buddha became enlightened using a simple breath meditation of observing the gap between the inhale and exhale. The sacred Shiva Sutra says: “This experience may dawn between two breaths, after breath comes in (down) and just before turning up (out) – the Beneficence.”
Conscious breathing is a self-renewing gift, and a gift that is easily shared anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Highly portable, conscious breathing happens whenever we decide that it happens. Breathwork can even heal the unconscious death urge, as coined by Sigmund Freud, a downward trending dynamic that can kill off relationships, work, money, health and life itself – if not made conscious and reversed to animated life force.
Whether we commit to ten breathwork sessions or do even five minutes of connected breathing, we dive deep into our own life force and the divine mystery of receiving prana from the universe. Breathing is pleasurable, energizing and relaxing. Slow, gentle breathing opens our hearts and minds to expressing more presence. Greater aliveness is the result.
Rebirthing Breathwork focuses on the air element as a longevity practice. Leonard says that humans are suffering from around 15 major ‘biggies’ or traumas, starting with the birth trauma: “The biggies are the major sources of trauma to the human mind and body. Working on healing these consciousness factors intentionally and consciously can accelerate our healing and spiritual growth. These insights give shape and meaning to our personal self-improvement process. This is the basic job of every incarnation. Succeeding at this enables us to function as a conscious Spirit.”
According to the Vedas, the planet we live on continuously filters the four elements, each related to a function of the self. For example, in the first three articles of this series, we looked at the Water element related to the eternal spirit and our emotions, and Fire as it relates to the eternal spirit and transformation. The Earth element relates to the eternal spirit in matter and the physical body. The Air element relates to the eternal spirit and the mind which has around 50,000 negative thoughts per day according to Leonard and “50,000 opportunities to get in trouble.” Using awareness and affirmations, we can change our thoughts to a higher quality.
The longer I know Leonard, the more I realize the special way he holds his spacious inner sky without any apparent thoughts, an inner space resulting in wonderful, playful energy in present time. His practices result in original ideas, high creativity, and glacial patience for the human drama.
His devotion to simple practices over many years is worthy of study and acceptance by a world longing to quiet itself and heal itself with the natural energies of fire, water, earth, and conscious breath, the elemental context we live in and are made of, but mostly ignore. The daily purification practice is to spend time alone with each element as a conscious meditation.
Bringing Rebirthing Breathwork to public schools is a promising project in the ‘mindfulness education’ movement across the USA. Orr would like to see breathwork becoming a part of the educational system and culture worldwide. Breathing fully benefits every aspect of a student’s experience, including enhanced health, self-esteem, relatedness, and learning.
Having spent years in India living with yogis, he often cites their yogic practices: “Breath is divinely intelligent, you have to discover each of the elements for yourself.” He adds, “The secrets of the elements are beyond mind,” and beyond mind is where a breathwork session naturally takes us after we relax into its flow.
After months of purification and breathwork, I now know from training and experience that the practices resolved suppressed grief, liberated my breathing mechanism and healed my death urge. I have embarked on a brand new life.
Most profound, Leonard teaches that “Breathwork allows us to change our emotional interpretation of what happened.” Now I am inhaling the Air element to receive the fullness of pranic life force. Consciously breathing I know:
Air is charged with divine prana so inhale and enjoy!
Breathing is a deep mystery of participation with existence.
Breathing is a gentle circus for awareness to enjoy.
Breathing controls the mind and pace of life.
Breathing with someone creates rapport.
Breathing is pleasurable.
Breathing verbs are gliding, sliding, flowing, filling, emptying, releasing.
Breathing emulates the ocean’s tides.
Breathing is receiving the love of life.
“Breathing causes relaxation and relaxation is the safest thing in the universe,” says Orr.
Air is always touching us!
Keeping myself in bliss with gentle, deep breathing.
Breathing consciously expands my freedom to respond.
Conscious breathing invites poise, humility, and emotional safety.
Breathing fully protects our joy of life and allows others to feel safe.
Breathing says we can always have more so fill up!
Research shows our capacity to breathe is related to our capacity to make money!
Fully breathing heals our traumatic “Biggies” naturally in profound ways.
Breathing sessions heal the past and all the way up to present time in our psyche.
Breathing unlocks the resentment trap and releases fear.
Breathing is a celebration and means greater aliveness!
Affirming a reality that “The entire physical universe exists for my pleasure and support.” (Leonard Orr)
Rebirthing Breathwork and mindfulness education are now accepted in all cultures around the world.
Rebirthing Breathwork and mindfulness education can benefit students and people of every age, in every country.
For me, Rebirthing Breathwork is a wonderful, rejuvenating method for unburdening the psyche. In my daily self-care, breathwork easefully co-exists with my practice of Osho’s meditations to realize the more abundant life!
By Prem Geet
Find more on Osho’s breath meditations in the Shiva Sutras:
oshoworld.com
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