Masks, unbroken breath and the pandemic.
click to listen to the meditation
I have struggled at times with anxiety and mild panic attacks.
This was exacerbated this year by the first few days of compulsory mask wearing here in Victoria during stage 4 lockdown. I am completely in support of wearing masks and stopping the community spread of CoronaVirus. I’ve enjoyed shopping for masks that support local artists and communities in fun, vibrant colours and patterns. What I didn’t expect when wearing a mask was how much it would affect my breath (not in a good way) and how this sense of suffocation at times made me feel queasy, teary and close to panic.
My relationship to breath was what helped me through these moments; focusing on equalising my inhale and exhale and smoothing out the transitions until I started to feel more in control. The breath I was practicing is part of a pranayama practice called pure or unbroken breathing. It is a practice that my students have relished in my classes as it balances the nervous system and brings you into restful awareness. The benefits include clearer thinking, better sleep, the ability to relax more easily and remain centred in the midst of business and stress. You will feel the benefits of this practice long after you have finished. Give your nervous system the gift of relaxation.
Find a comfortable seated, upright position, cross legged on the floor with a blanket or cushion, or seated on a chair with both feet resting to the floor; I recommend not leaning back against anything so you can feel the full expression of the breath.
Begin by feeling connected through your sit bones to the support beneath you and sit tall, feel your spine rise up out of the bowl of your pelvis, lengthen the skin on the back of your neck and reach up through your crown.
Start to listen to the sound of your breath as it moves in and out of your nostrils and bring a whisper of a contraction to the back of your throat. Follow the sound of your breath for a few minutes, simply witnessing it. Notice the volume and quieten it again; feel rather than hear your breath.
Now begin to even out the inhale and the exhale, breathe at half your capacity and as slowly as possible and feel this soothe your nervous system. Notice any subtle breaks, gaps or irregularities in the breath. As you observe your breathing, shift your attention to the moments of transition from one breath to the next. You can smooth out these transitions with a small adjustment: At the end of the inhalation, when the abdomen has expanded, simply relax and let the exhalation begin. At the end of the exhalation, when the abdomen has contracted, simply relax and let the inhalation begin. By consciously relaxing at the moment when each breath ends, you can weave one breath into the next. Imagine breathing around a circle that extends from behind, through the centre of you and to the front of your torso. Follow your breath around this circle that moves through you.
As you even out the connections from one breath to the next, your breath will begin to flow effortlessly. Breathe as if your entire body is breathing—as if every cell and tissue breathes. Quietly witness the feeling of your breathing. Observe each exhalation, each inhalation, and each transition between breaths.
Thoughts will continue to pass through your mind, but they will gradually lose their power to distract you from your focus on the breath. Continue to sense the unbroken stream of your breathing and relax your mental effort even more deeply. Your breath is not hurried, nor pressured—it simply flows in a quiet, even unbroken stream. Continue this for a total of 3 to 5 minutes. As you follow each breath, let your mind rest in stillness.