Mastering Breath Awareness—A Different ‘MBA’

Stress kills. It robs people of their health and well being and costs governments and corporations billions in health care costs. It is a contributory factor in high blood pressure, diabetes and suppression of the immune system.

The cost of mental health problems, where stress is a factor, costs the Canadian economy $35 billion a year. The U.S. economy loses an estimated $300 billion annually as a result of work related stress.

These are just some of the sobering facts in a Toronto Star article by Sandro Contenta dated January 23, 2010, that argues that we live in an age that is so stressful we can no longer cope.

We need an antidote to stress and fortunately this antidote exists as a process which involves Mastering Breath Awareness. This process is an ‘MBA’ with a difference because it is a tool or technology that helps individuals develop the awareness, balance, concentration and equanimity to cope with the stresses and anxieties of everyday life in the 21st Century.

The irony is that this process was taught over 2500 years ago by the spiritual genius and sage, Shakyamuni Buddha, who realized even then that suffering was simply part of the human condition and offered this method as part of a comprehensive system of liberation.

Well, what is Breath Awareness? Breath Awareness is a systematic process of focused awareness and concentration on the breath. Breath Awareness is also called Mindfulness and some people even loosely refer to it as meditation. Breathing and living are synonymous and all cultures and religions have intuitively drawn a relationship between the breath, the spirit and god. It can be said that paying attention to the breath is paying attention to one’s life or grounding one’s self in one’s spirit or in god.

Mastering Breath Awareness is a process that involves more than just paying attention to the breath. It also involves a way of breathing called diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing. I call this breathing from the core.
To get a good sense of what is involved in diaphragmatic breathing just observe how a baby breathes. Put her to sit up and you’ll notice how her belly plops out and stabilizes her even as it acts like a bellows as she breathes in and out. This is a natural and effortless process for her.

As we become adults we tend to migrate from our bellies into our heads and over time become disconnected from ourselves. There’s deep truth in the Biblical statement that we have to become a baby again to enter the kingdom of heaven, meaning as I understand it, that we have to learn to breathe like a baby again in order to establish a place of well-being and happiness in one’s self.
Locating the Core

Well where is this core and how can we find it. The core is situated about 2-3 inches below the navel. Zen students are taught to focus their attention in this area as this is where spiritual energy called chi is accumulated and stored.

To locate the core, tuck your thumb into the palm of your hand and place the four fingers just below the navel. The area covered by the four fingers is the core. Breathe in and out and feel the belly expand and contract as you do so. To establish a presence there, visualize a balloon located in this area. As you breathe in, see and feel the balloon expand; and as you breathe out see and feel the balloon contract.
You can practice this technique in the midst of your daily activities. For example, you can do so at your desk at work; while on the subway or driving on the highway. Learning to establish awareness in and breathing from the core is a basic technique that can be employed in managing stress. It is a good rule of thumb that for every hour you work you should take 5 minutes to energize and recharge by reconnecting with and breathing from the core.

Most of us misuse our bodies and minds and it will take effort and practice to become comfortable breathing from the core. The ongoing practice of breathing from the core will lead you to master the art of breath awareness and will play a significant role in your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. It is an ‘MBA’ which everyone can earn and only requires that we pay attention to our breath, to our life.