Mantra Smantra- Self-Care Tuesday

In this morning's Yoga for Advocates class we started our practice with a special type of breathing called "Sufi Breath".  It requires that you count out the beats of your inhales and exhales.  So if you are inhaling count "one, two"; followed by your exhale, counting "one, two".  The goal is to get your exhales to be twice as long as your inhales.  For example: inhale "one, two"; and exhale "one, two, three, four".  (Take a minute and try it)
This type of breathing does several things, most notably (like all breathing meditation and chanting methods by-the-way), it calms your parasympathetic nervous system.

Parasympathicawhatit?

Your central nervous system has three parts: the parasympathetic, which regulates your body's rest-and-digest response; the sympathetic, which regulates your fight-or-flight response; and the enteric, a net of neurons that operate independently from the central nervous system governing your gastrointestinal tract (yes, your GI tract is THAT important folks).  If someone is always stressed out, that sympathetic nervous system is on overload...the only way to calm yourself down is to do something that benefits your parasympathetic system.  Hence, why we are talking about Sufi Breath.

Practicing Sufi Breath is a gateway practice to mantra and chanting meditation.  In Sufism, this breathing exercise is part of a larger practice called Dhikr in which the practitioner will recite the name of God as a devotional act. There are similar practices within other Eastern cultures as well.  Removing any religious implications, this breathing practice can be used to focus your intentions on a mantra of your choosing.  For this breathing practice I would recommend using a two syllable word; one syllable for the inhale, one syllable for the exhale.

Here's some possibilities: joyful, worthy, patience, Friday....the list goes on and on.

The technical definition for a mantra is a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.  More commonly, especially in western cultures, the term mantra is also equated with a motto, creed, or whatever you need to tell yourself constantly to find some strength.  So what is your mantra?  What set of words can you use today to give yourself strength, support and encouragement?

Reciting your mantra can be silent or something that you express verbally.  If you feel good sitting in a lotus position and chanting "om mani padme hum",  do it.  If you are incredibly confused at what the last sentence meant, don't worry- traditional chanting as performed in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions is not for everyone.

Find something that works for you.

There is a Sufi saying in which one breath is likened to a note in a song, and breathing all day is equated with singing.  Sometimes....singing along to a song in a car is all the mantra we can handle in a day.  In any case, I hope that you can always spend each day singing, breathing, being.