Inhale, Exhale, Repeat
Finding Focus and Freedom in Meditation
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Meditation is an incredible tool. Its benefits to mental and physical well-being are so evident to many of us, that it can often be difficult to imagine life without it. And as many are aware, meditation is also a critical part of the numerous yogic arts. Yet something as outwardly simple and relaxing as meditation doesn’t come easily to many people. Practitioners in the early stages of learning meditation often find themselves unable to detach from pressing thoughts and anxieties. Something that should be a great stress reliever becomes a source of stress in itself, and progress seems slow and frustrating. Is there a way to overcome this learning curve and achieve success in this discipline as quickly as possible? |
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Focused breathwork is one of the best places to start. SunDo is an authentic Taoist practice with roots that go back farther than many Taoist disciplines, and the art is quickly becoming a must-know tool for teachers of meditation. Using a unique form of breathwork and meditation, SunDo gives practitioners a powerful focus tool to overcome the wandering mind and get the most out of any meditation or yoga routine.
Let’s look at one style of meditation which uses breathing as a focus. In Zen, the structured counting of breaths is actually very similar to the rhythmic nature of SunDo breathwork.
Let’s look at one style of meditation which uses breathing as a focus. In Zen, the structured counting of breaths is actually very similar to the rhythmic nature of SunDo breathwork.
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An Illustration: Attaining Zen with breath focus
In the mountains of Japan, a Zen Buddhist monk sits alone in the main room of the temple. The early rays of dawn begin to wander in while the sounds of a stream outside fill the otherwise quiet air. Legs crossed, he sits up straight with his eyes closed. He inhales gently through his nose and down into his abdomen — “one”. Without making a sound, he exhales — “one … two” he counts silently. He does it again, and again … and again. |
On his fifth time, he realizes he exhaled without counting two. For just that moment, a flash of a thought from the prior day interrupted his focus. He begins again from the first cycle, determined to keep his mind solely on his breaths and the counts that accompany them.
The monk deeply wishes to reach the level of “empty meditation” — being able to meditate with a completely still mind, and no focus or thoughts, like his master. However, to reach a Zen state of clarity, he understands that he must train his mind and body using a stepping stone— in this case, focusing on his breath.
After initially stumbling, and catching his mind wandering another time as well, the monk successfully completes 10 breath cycles and shifts his counting to only exhales, resetting his cycle every 10 counts, or whenever he catches his mind wandering yet again.
After practicing this ritual for many years, the young monk is finally able to begin scaling back his focus. He abandons counting and devotes his attention entirely to his intake and release of breaths — how they feel coming in and going out, visualizing them in his mind.
Over many more years of continued work, the monk abandons even his breath focus and achieves the empty-mind state.
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While the appearance of a clear mind looked effortless to him when practiced by older monks, it became obvious to him through experience, that it was truly the fruit of many years of devoted work. The same can be said of honing any meditation practice — most people will need a focus to start, much like the monk in this story.
Countless schools of meditation across history have used focused breathing to promote best practice, and some disciplines have borrowed this technique from Taoism, as we will explore below. |
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How has Taoism influenced Zen Buddhism and modern meditation practices?
We know Taoism and its many arts and disciplines as the precursor to Buddhism in China and the modern Zen Buddhism, but how did this come to be?
Around 100 AD, Buddhism came to China via the trade routes from India. This was an early form of Buddhism thought by locals to be a foreign version of Taoism — the established religion in China at the time. While foreign, Buddhism was inherently connected to Taoism, as Buddha was believed to be a Taoist Immortal. Buddhism would ultimately replace Taoism as the dominant religious tradition of China and much of Eastern Asia, but Taoism's influence would dramatically shape Chinese Buddhism over the next thousand years.
We know Taoism and its many arts and disciplines as the precursor to Buddhism in China and the modern Zen Buddhism, but how did this come to be?
Around 100 AD, Buddhism came to China via the trade routes from India. This was an early form of Buddhism thought by locals to be a foreign version of Taoism — the established religion in China at the time. While foreign, Buddhism was inherently connected to Taoism, as Buddha was believed to be a Taoist Immortal. Buddhism would ultimately replace Taoism as the dominant religious tradition of China and much of Eastern Asia, but Taoism's influence would dramatically shape Chinese Buddhism over the next thousand years.
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Taoism's effect created a Chinese form of Buddhism called Chan and the two traditions eventually fused to become Zen. Emphasis on breath became more structured through Taoist influence, while observation of the self remained a deeply-rooted practice in the Buddhist tradition. Zen rarely differentiates between breathing and meditation during initial stages of training. At more advanced levels, other techniques can be added like the empty meditation mentioned above (no focus, mind completely still). |
Why is focused meditation almost universally preferred?
We know that authentic Taoist practices, like SunDo, stress the importance of mental focus in meditation, but what do other mainstream meditation practices advocate? The answer is quite similar.
In Hatha Yoga, numerous chants and mantras are regularly used in classes for reasons that closely mirror the breath focus in Taoist disciplines. “Think of a mantra as a mental instrument that fine-tunes your yoga practice,” says Yelena Moroz Alpert of Yoga Journal in a recent article.
In the same blog, Zoë Slatoff-Ponté, author of Yogavataranam: The Translation of Yoga, says “Incorporating mantras into practice can help to make it sacred and take it out of the realm of the physical and into a higher state of awareness.” This is a direct parallel to the power of breath we discuss in SunDo and its ability to unlock higher states of consciousness.
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Furthermore, in Tibetan meditation, chimes and gongs are used to channel a similar state of deep concentration and self-awareness. And even moving outside of the traditional realm, Grokker, a popular yoga, fitness, and health video network, offers a visualization-focused form guided meditation for beginners and casual users. Across the board, we see that effective meditation is focused meditation. For most people, it is simply too difficult to make consistent progress within a meditation routine if there is no clear direction or focus. While our end goal may be a spacious mind, there’s no shame in using a focused mind to get there, and yogic traditions across the ages agree. |
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The mind-altering power of SunDo’s focused breathwork meditation
When we want to relax, we often switch on gentle rhythmic sounds that create a soothing, hypnotic effect. The ocean tide, the pitter-pattering of rain, or perhaps the sounds of a clear summer night teaming with life — these repetitive landscapes of sound take us out of our ordinary frames of mind and bring us to relaxed, trance-like states.
SunDo’s rhythmic breathwork taps into a similar psychological and physiological response. Over the course of each SunDo practice session, students devote 40 minutes to focused, rhythmic breathing aided by auditory cues and visualization techniques. These additional focus tools, together with SunDo’s rhythmic breathing, help practitioners remove themselves from the distracted, unsettled states of mind present in their daily lives, and bring them deeper into focused, relaxed self-awareness.
40 minutes may sound like a lot, but the value of this time becomes very clear when we consider the benefit we reap from extended breathwork sessions. Both meditation and breathwork change how our brains function on a physiological level. Rather than remaining in the Beta state we find ourselves in during most of our waking hours — a state associated with the thinking mind, SunDo’s focused meditation brings users to a very different brainwave state — the Theta state.
When we want to relax, we often switch on gentle rhythmic sounds that create a soothing, hypnotic effect. The ocean tide, the pitter-pattering of rain, or perhaps the sounds of a clear summer night teaming with life — these repetitive landscapes of sound take us out of our ordinary frames of mind and bring us to relaxed, trance-like states.
SunDo’s rhythmic breathwork taps into a similar psychological and physiological response. Over the course of each SunDo practice session, students devote 40 minutes to focused, rhythmic breathing aided by auditory cues and visualization techniques. These additional focus tools, together with SunDo’s rhythmic breathing, help practitioners remove themselves from the distracted, unsettled states of mind present in their daily lives, and bring them deeper into focused, relaxed self-awareness.
40 minutes may sound like a lot, but the value of this time becomes very clear when we consider the benefit we reap from extended breathwork sessions. Both meditation and breathwork change how our brains function on a physiological level. Rather than remaining in the Beta state we find ourselves in during most of our waking hours — a state associated with the thinking mind, SunDo’s focused meditation brings users to a very different brainwave state — the Theta state.
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Click to learn more about brainwave states.
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Theta wires the body for:
These powerful meditation benefits are the result of dedicated practice. |
Yin Yoga and meditation instructor Josh Summers speaks to the values of a more open-ended approach to meditation on his personal website, citing the relaxation benefits of an unfocused style. Allowing one’s mind to wander and freely exploring our own inner world can, no doubt, be very relaxing. Unfocused meditation may vary wildly in its effectiveness from person to person but it is a tenuous first step in the right direction. Eventually, SunDo’s focused breathing, is a proven and more advanced system for optimal meditation with a rich history of success spanning thousands of years.
We’ve fallen out of rhythm — SunDo helps us get it back
The sedentary life of hustling to and from the office, shifting sleep schedules, and an ever-decreasing amount of physical activity have caused numerous health problems for the average adult. Many of us have fallen out of habit with how our bodies are meant to optimally function, and rough, inconsistent breathing is often one of the biggest culprits.
Every one of our organs and bodily systems rely on consistent, even rhythm of breath day in and day out. This is in our nature, and as we lose awareness of it, our energy levels, mood, and overall health suffer.
The sedentary life of hustling to and from the office, shifting sleep schedules, and an ever-decreasing amount of physical activity have caused numerous health problems for the average adult. Many of us have fallen out of habit with how our bodies are meant to optimally function, and rough, inconsistent breathing is often one of the biggest culprits.
Every one of our organs and bodily systems rely on consistent, even rhythm of breath day in and day out. This is in our nature, and as we lose awareness of it, our energy levels, mood, and overall health suffer.
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SunDo’s rhythmic breath meditation directly addresses these problems by synchronizing our breathing rhythm with our bodily systems. To understand how, let’s look at a similar breathing technique of the modern day called “coherent breathing.”
Coherent breathing uses a rhythm of 5 breath cycles per minute (cpm) — a rate just slightly slower than that of SunDo. Breathing frequencies of 4-6 breath cpm trigger dominance of the parasympathetic nervous system. There is wide consensus within the medical community that PSN dominance is indicative of sound health in individuals. Depending on how we breathe, either branch of the nervous system may be activated. Shallow chest breathing turns on the “fight-or-flight” sympathetic system, while slow deep breathing engages the restorative parasympathetic. |
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A rate of 5 breath cycles per minute results in something called the Fundamental Quiescent Rhythm where both sympathetic a parasympathetic systems are optimally balanced. When both systems attain this synchronization, the many functions controlled by the ANS and PNS also become balanced.
Many coherent breathing advocates say that as the electrical rhythms of the lungs (respiratory), heart (cardiovascular) and brain (nervous) become synchronized, heart-rate variability (HRV) greatly improves. HRV is a measure of stress resilience, or lower internalized stress on the cardiovascular system.
SunDo’s breath meditation not only calms the mind, it also resets the body’s internal function and finetunes it for optimal health going forward.
Many coherent breathing advocates say that as the electrical rhythms of the lungs (respiratory), heart (cardiovascular) and brain (nervous) become synchronized, heart-rate variability (HRV) greatly improves. HRV is a measure of stress resilience, or lower internalized stress on the cardiovascular system.
SunDo’s breath meditation not only calms the mind, it also resets the body’s internal function and finetunes it for optimal health going forward.
Focus rituals aren’t just repetition … they’re the stepping stone to freedom
Meditation seems easy at a glance (how can something so relaxing be a challenge??), but as with any skill, unlocking the incredible benefits requires practice, dedication, and a willingness to start from square one.
Many of us notice how easily practitioners of SunDo, Zen Buddhism, and other focused meditation schools, reach a deeply relaxed and focused state. This effect is no different from watching a concert pianist move effortlessly across the keys, or a professional athlete sprint across the field. It only looks easy because they’ve put the time in.
Meditation seems easy at a glance (how can something so relaxing be a challenge??), but as with any skill, unlocking the incredible benefits requires practice, dedication, and a willingness to start from square one.
Many of us notice how easily practitioners of SunDo, Zen Buddhism, and other focused meditation schools, reach a deeply relaxed and focused state. This effect is no different from watching a concert pianist move effortlessly across the keys, or a professional athlete sprint across the field. It only looks easy because they’ve put the time in.
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We also overlook the fact that these high-performing individuals have found joy and satisfaction in the process of reaching their goals — it’s what pushes them to keep improving. With a little patience, many of us may also come to love the deep relaxation and enhanced focus that grows with every breath meditation session.
A SunDo student in Montpelier, Vermont writes about the transformative effect of Taoist practice in this article excerpt entitled "Coming Around," from SunDo's Newsletter, Fall 2008: |
We are bringing ritual into our lives. That ritual is fairly static: warm-up, meditation-breathing, warm-downs. Repeated movements: inhale, twist left, exhale - the same motion on the day you felt lousy as on the day you felt great. And that's the beauty of ritual. The ritual changes little, but you changed - perhaps a lot. Your emotional state is put aside while you go ahead and do the posture anyway. The practice transcends you, and you transcend your emotional state, if only temporarily.
Conflicts arise - allow them. And they go - let them.
Great meditation is challenging for most people, but having a focus like the breath, provides the support we need to get started. To learn more about SunDo meditation and breathwork visit www.sundointernational.com.