The awareness of breathing
Wim Hof
Before reading, take three deep breaths into your belly and let it bulge!
Would you reach your goals if you dedicated your whole attention to the actions you know you need to do?
Probably yes, but most of the time when going through life, we are using our subconsciousness, the autopilot of the mind. We don’t think about our actions; we just do them. We do things we later regret, we say words we didn't mean, we eat chocolate even though we set the goal to lose weight and reduce sugar. It is as if we are split into our subconscious, acting against us and our goals, and the consciousness, which is feeling sad and angry that we seemingly can’t act how we intend to. The crux is that we have trained our subconscious to seek and do “bad habits” like watching Netflix, playing video games, or eating junk food. Your goals most likely are to replace these habits with “good” ones like reading. That's why there is a lot of friction when you act against your subconscious.
The power to change your life lies in awareness.
Awareness is the ability to direct the attention of your mind and make decisions actively. When you have the ability to be present, you are able to control your emotions and act according to your goals.
The way to reach a state of awareness is to decide to be aware.
You may think, "He's not serious," but I am. To build more awareness, you need to meditate with the intention to be aware and then be it. Meditation sounds like witchcraft and ancient Asian esotericism, but it is more straightforward than you think. To meditate, you sit down, close your eyes, and inhale deeply and fully with your focus on the breath. Your thoughts will soon be wandering, and that is fine. The practice now is to realize your mind drifting away and to return the focus to your breath. I guide my attention with my eyes; it's like watching with eyes closed; your mind still sees the things you know are there. The common misconception is that you need to have a clear mind with no thoughts at all; this isn't true. Just realize you are thinking and be. A great help is the app Medito (links to App Store and Play Store). The app is 100% free and has no ads. I've spent 8000+ minutes using the app, and every second was worth it. Meditation is fundamental because our power comes from our breath. Make the test: take a deep breath and breathe out; you certainly feel more relaxed when breathing out. Conversely, the pressure in your torso increases when holding your breath, a feature weightlifters use to move heavier weights around. Even the SAS, one of the most prestigious special forces units in the world, teaches deep breathing. When soldiers get in a gunfight, the first thing they do is take a deep breath to “reset” the tunnel vision from the sudden adrenaline rush. They need to be conscious about every move they make and perceive their enemy’s actions, or it ends deadly. When breathing deep and fully, you also become more self-confident because you take more space when your whole upper body expands, adding to the feeling of awareness. Breathe into your stomach so that it bulges outwards. Belly breathing is a healthier way to breathe because it stimulates your digestive system and reduces the tension in your upper body. Furthermore, you should breathe in through your nose. Many people breathe with their mouth, a path to certain health issues. Your nose is literally made for breathing; it filters pollutants, tempers, and moisturizes the air. To train yourself to breathe through your nose, you can tape your mouth shut with medical tape during the night. But only do this when your nose isn't closed, and you won't suffocate. An exclusion to nasal breathing would be exercise when you can't meet the demand for oxygen through your nose. It is still better not to suffocate but return to nasal breathing as soon as possible. Success breeds success, and awareness breeds awareness. Being more aware allows you to actively practice awareness and breathwork.
Remember, you can only survive 3 minutes without air, so improving your breathing will pay huge dividends.
Start now before it is too late because life rewards the prepared.
