6 Simple Breathing Techniques

One of the most simplest and potent ways to experience meditation is through the breath.  During the gatherings we explore a variety of breathing techniques which offer many  benefits.  One key is simplicity.  Here are 6 simply breathing techniques originally shared by Toby Ouvry.  We use these at various times during the group meditation meetings and they are simple enough to implement in everyday life.

"Meditating like a baby – Six breathing meditations
Breathing meditation is something that, if you do it well can provide you with a wealth of benefits. In particular, if you use it for your longer meditations it can help you connect relatively easily to states of body, heart and mind that are both blissful and insightful. Here are six types of breathing meditation that you can use and enjoy:
Natural breathing – Give your body permission to breathe in the way that it needs to breathe in order to move towards balance and harmony. Then just keep your attention on the breathing as your body intelligence does what it needs to do to re-balance by using different breathing patterns.
Belly breathing – Breathe slightly deeper than you would usually, and send the air down into the bottom of your lungs as you begin your inhalation. If you do this you will notice your belly moving outward 2-3cms as you inhale, and back to resting position as you exhale. Focus on this belly movement as you breathe.

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