Meditation for Breathing

The average respiratory rate reported in a healthy adult at rest is usually 12 breaths per minute.
 
As I sat and waited to speak with Rav Arush, I couldn’t help notice how someone with complete emuna breathes – it was incredibly slow – only about five to six breaths per minute.
 
As a psychotherapist I’ve spent a lot of time observing the constricted breathing of people who are stressed out – I’ve also noticed how their energy levels, mental clarity and emotional calmness improve when they return to proper breathing.
 
There are breathing meditations from the Torah that can bring a person to the loftiest most sublime states of spirituality. Most of these meditations require a deep knowledge of kabbalah and a high level of holiness to achieve. Rebbe Nachman teaches us “simpler” kavanah’s about breathing(ways of aiming our thoughts)  that can also elevate us to very high levels of spiritual awareness.
 
I developed the following meditation from a manuscript on breathing that was written in the Rebbe’s own hand. Before you use it, here are some helpful hints to keep in mind.
 
Getting Started
 
It’s best to assume a sitting posture for meditation. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your arms resting on the arms of a comfortable chair.  A chair with a high back to support your neck can be helpful, but it won’t be necessary. At first you may need to consciously focus on taking longer fuller breaths; if you feel any tension in your stomach, chest or shoulders – let it go – try to keep those areas relaxed.
 
We want to maximize the exhalation of stale air from our lungs, so that we can breathe more new air into places in our lungs that haven’t been getting enough air. This might seem mechanical at first but you’ll soon feel Hashem’s gift as he takes over and automatically exhales you and inhales you more completely. By surrendering your breathing process to Hashem, you are strengthening your emuna that it is only Hashem who sustains your life and fulfills your needs.
 
Keep in mind that the word kavanah means to aim – like an archer aims his bow at a target. The essence of Rebbe Nachman’s kavanah for breathing is Renewal –  a very timely theme for us during Succoth.
 
The Spiritual Foundations of Breathing
 
Before you begin this meditation, I suggest that you read through it a few times slowly. Once you’ve “installed” these foundation-ideas into your mind, the actual meditation will be more meaningful.  Remember – it’s specifically through focusing on Divine Truths while you meditate that you’ll feel the great joy of being close to Hashem. Kavanah – is the essential ingredient that differentiates  genuine emuna-based meditation from secular meditations that come from unclean sources.
 
It’s a good idea to print out this page and keep it in front of you while you are meditating. That way, if you need to “refuel” with more kavanah during the process you can. Just slowly open your eyes, intermittently, and let your eyes scan the page for a few seconds –  then close them again. When you open your eyes to read this, try not to force your eyes to look where you want them to look – just let them scan this page gently in their own way. With practice you will not need to refer to this page while doing this meditation. 

Meditation: Renewal for Succoth:
 
A Kavanah for Breathing
 
Upon Inhalation:

• Breath in… air is more than gases…its Spiritual!
• Breathe in… good, fresh, Holy air!
• Breath in… the good air is the air of the Tzaddik!
• Breath in… each breath draws us closer to Hashem!
• Breath in…drawing closer to His awesome Power!
• Breath in…drawing closer to His complete Trustworthiness!
• Breath in…drawing closer to His total Forgiveness!
• Breath in…drawing closer to Salvation…Redemption!
• Breath in…drawing closer to His perfect Love!
• Breath in…drawing closer to your potential…your Purpose!
• Breath in… binding yourself to Hashem’s Holiness and Purity!
• Breath in…your body is new, stronger, and younger!
• Breath in… being re-born… you’re a new person!

 
Upon Pausing

• Pausing is patience!
• Pausing is preparation for birth!
• Pausing is above nature!
• Pausing is the world of miracles!
• Pausing there is just Hashem!
• Pausing is perfect emuna!

 
Upon Exhalation

• Breatheout a long sighof relief!
• Breathe out unnecessary stress and tension!
• Breathe out sadness!
• Breathe out fear!
• Breathe out impurity!
• Breathe out past sins!
• Breathe out negative behaviors!
• Breathe out unpleasant memories!
• Breathe out all doubt and uncertainty!
• Breathe out all evil!

 
REPENTANCE IS THE CYCLE OF BREATHING!
 
USE THIS FOR CONSTANT REVITALIZATION!
 
YOU ARE A BREATHING MIRACLE!
 
Additional Torah Verses Related to Breathing
 
*The Torah defines something that lives as “all who have the soul of the breath of life in their nostrils” (Genesis 7:22)
 
*The first man started to live when G-d “blew into his nostrils the breath of life” (ibid.  2:7)
 
*When Moses came to tell the children of Israel that they were about to be freed from Egypt it is implied that they were too stressed out to even listen to the good news “because of short-breathedness and hard work” (Exodus 6:9)
 
*When King David prayed for Spiritual Renewal he said to G-d: “create within me a pure heart, and renew within me proper breathing” (Psalms 51:12)
 
*”The soul of man is a lamp [light] of G-d” (Proverbs 20:27). The Hebrew word for “soul” neshamah can be equated with Hebrew word for “breathing” neshimah rendering the verse: “the Light of G-d is the breathing of man” (Likutey Moharan 1;60,3.)This verse itself can be used as a very powerful meditation.