I can’t really say. I give specific advice about meditation only to my clients. All I can say is that breathing awareness is the #1 problem for my clients in learning Natural Stress Relief (NSR), a course of instruction that produces the fourth state of consciousness, restful alertness. I think I spend about a third of my support time helping those who learned mindfulness, vipassana, and other collections of techniques that include breathing awareness. If you are happy with what you are doing, I think our discussion is over. Only if you were considering learning NSR would we really have something to talk about. Happy new year.
Getting aware of the breath is not just a simply a stress relifer. Its a tool to get beware of yourself and a tool to anchor you to yourself…
Therefore it needs the right intentions in life. For example: The willingness and effort, if you getting aware of wrong paths in life and character, to change the course. If one doesn’t want to change his wrongs: getting beware of one self, feels not good, obviously.
Speaking in stereotypes: if you teach a bankster (the bad ones) just beware of their breath, they will feel horrible. Without a way to change, that will remain.
There is no cheating, “the judge” is nothing less then ones own subconsciousness.
Transcending and being aware of one self (with getting aware of the breath as tool) is not interfering, if ones higher self is pure. Of Course this is almost impossible in our world, but the willingess to get there is a first step.
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I can’t say that I’ve paid a lot of attention to breathing, but I am thoroughly aware that it is a good idea. In fact, failure to breathe is a fine example of what is dubbed a “Career-Limiting Move.” Failure to breathe can result in dizziness, disorientation, color change, collapse, and even death. I recommend to everyone to remember to breathe.
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sTan, It is true that the inner self is pure, pure consciousness. And it is also true that the fourth state of consciousness, transcending, leads directly and repeatedly to pure consciousness. But we are conditioned to believe that consciousness is produced by the body, and that all these limitations and suffering that we are used to are unavoidable.
You are welcome to your beliefs. I have not come to change them. In this thread I am answering questions about breathing awareness. I am not saying that it is bad in general, only that when people learn transcending, breathing awareness is just about the only obstacle they report, and that I must deal with.
If you are enjoying breathing awareness, I am not here to tell you to stop, or to interfere with you in any way. But in my experience with hundreds of clients, I wish people would stop teaching and learning breathing awareness. When someone is finally ready to learn transcending, it is one problem they just don’t need.
Yes, breathing is a good idea, it is one of the natural functions of the body. We were not talking here about breathing, but about concentrating or focusing on the breath. It is a so-called “spiritual discipline” that, because it brings some calmness at first, has recently become very popular. From what I can see, people who use it successfully are enjoying what is called a “placebo effect”, because they expect to experience relaxation and because relaxation is easy to suggest. Later in their practice, when they begin to experience discomfort or confusion, the peaceful effect of using the attention this way begins to falter. At that time, they generally move on to some other technique, or find a relationship, turn to drugs, or whatever might seem to bring more happiness.
Happiness can only come naturally, and only from inner contact. A direct path to that inner contact is transcending, the fourth state of consciousness. I help to distribute a course that easily teaches this technique. In 11 years, without any publicity, I have taught 2500 clients. There is something to this practice that I teach. There is no future in breathing awareness, because it holds the attention in one place instead of letting it fall all the way through to pure consciousness.
I’m not here to argue with anyone. If someone wants to learn, I can teach. Happy new year.
Oh, I guess that didn’t communicate well. That a spiritual discipline was being talked about was missed totally.
Not to worry. You probably didn’t read the whole thread, which started with a quote from Alan Watts.
I agree: without a concept to evolving, breath awaerness is just a stress reliefer (for a while).
I agree. Just stress reliving will not solve the case.
intresting … Where is this coming from? did you maybe just thought of it?
Could it be, that you just didn’t reached the point where you can transcend within it.
But don’t bother, if NSR gets the job for you done: go for it.
I dont want to change your belief either.
(For the record: the point where a transcending state is established is reachable thrugh breath awerness (own expierience) but not as an short cut, it took a while of practicing, Therefore I can’t say it is easier or faster then NSR, cause I didnt tried NSR, but I can confirm it is possible and each expierience is suportive for the next one)
Ultimately, this practical philosophy comes from the same Shankaracharya vedic tradition of India that inspired many teachers of the Perennial Phlosophy.
No. The problem with holding the attention on bodily processes is that if you are successful, you prevent the attention from transcending the concrete level of those processes to experience pure awareness, which is abstract.
Only if you tire, and turn unsuccessful, is there any chance of transcending. In the practice of the fourth state of consciousness we keep transcending for many minutes at a time. It is far more efficient and effective than any random transcending that might happen by chance while one is concentrating.
That is admirable, but my belief is based on my 11 years of teaching 2500 clients. Beliefs can be harmful when they are not based on evidence, but rather on opinion or conditioning. Breathing awareness is popular but that does not make it good for people. It is definitely a poor preparation for eventually learning transcending when so much else that promises peace or happiness or productivity or attractiveness or satisfaction fails.
That sounds wonderful, but do you have evidence? How has your life improved as a result? I ask these questions because wonderful or impressive inner experiences can happen easily; by themselves they prove very little. The evidence is there that anyone can learn transcending easily and practice it effortlessly. The evidence is there that life improves from the first lesson (please read Testimonials - Natural Stress Relief/USA).
There is also scientific evidence that NSR produces real effects in the body and in the psychology (please read Scientific Research - Natural Stress Relief/USA).
NSR does not promise flashy experiences, or even relaxation. It promises an end to stress-based psychological disorders (we have psychiatrists who refer their patients), an end to distraction caused by many or powerful thoughts, and permanent peace and happiness while living a full life in the world.
All these promises are based on the simple and natural process of eliminating stored stresses by means of deep rest. Please read About Stress - Natural Stress Relief/USA to understand how stresses are formed and how they can be dissolved for good.
If you put it like that, it seems you found the one and only way to do it right. Thank you, I will learn NSR.