Understanding Oneself Through Breathing
Written & translated by Paul Min (Originally written in Korean)
In my daily life, there are often times when I find myself worrying about how others might judge my words and actions. There are moments when I discover myself worrying about trivial things in life.
It's not easy to just let go of my state of worry. Sometimes, I might think, "Why am I having these thoughts? What is the real reason for my concerns and worries?" Such reflections could help me get to the heart of the issue, but it’s not always easy to do so.
Now that my child is in high school, I occasionally find myself worrying and wondering about what I could do to prepare for their future. I realize that I sometimes express my feelings and concerns too forcefully, advising them to take things more seriously, reduce their gaming time, and avoid using their phone before sleep, only to later regret my emotional expressions of worry.
By closing my eyes and quietly observing myself, I find a more fundamental reason why I react this way: it’s because of my deep love for my child. I discover that at the core of my emotions, there is a desire for them to find what they truly love to do. Understanding the root of my feelings and thoughts allows me to express my genuine love more purely.
Interestingly, breathing plays a significant role in aligning with our feelings. When our mind is outward-focused, our breathing synchronizes with the external environment. When we turn our focus inward, our breathing aligns with our internal state, reflecting our physical and emotional state in real time.
For instance, when running, our breathing naturally becomes faster and intense. When resting, it becomes steadier and relaxed. Our breathing also reflects our emotional states, becoming rapid and rough when angry, shallow and irregular when anxious, and deep and smooth when feeling peaceful and relaxed.
“…breathing plays a significant role in aligning with our feelings. When our mind is outward-focused, our breathing synchronizes with the external environment. When we turn our focus inward, our breathing aligns with our internal state, reflecting our physical and emotional state in real time.”
Even depending on where you face and look, your breathing changes. If the head and eyes are looking up, breathing goes up to the chest. If they’re facing down, breathing goes down.
Before trying to change your breathing, just quietly observe your breathing. It will show the current state of your body and mind.
However, it's not easy to observe your real-time breathing. In such times, you can place your hand on the lower abdomen and focus on that hand. It will make you feel the existence of the hand completely, and you begin to feel your current natural breathing.
While placing your hand on the lower abdomen and sensing that hand, you can do another thing, to open your eyes, look around, speak, and think. While a part of your consciousness stays within yourself at the hand, you can observe the world with a more objective view, speech, and thought.
Later, if you focus comfortably on the point called Seokmun Danjeon, which is the center of your body, by putting your finger, all consciousness gathers at that one point, letting everything go, settling down, and you start to feel yourself completely. No matter what emotional state you’re in, you can be well-balanced by focusing on that one point breathing slows and settling down your thoughts. After being an expert on this, even without the finger placed, you can immediately put consciousness on that point, let go completely, and effortlessly find one's center.
By observing our breath, we can become more attuned to our present physical and emotional states, which can then guide our decisions and actions more clearly and objectively. Before becoming overwhelmed, being busy, and being swept away by surrounding situations and one’s emotions, take a deep breath and start again with a ‘mind and mindset of observing one’s brightness as it is.' Feel the current breath. Feel your existence in this world, living, and you can look at the world and surroundings with brightness and positivity. Above all, having this mind and mindset allows you to find brightness and positivity within yourself.
“By observing our breath, we can become more attuned to our present physical and emotional states, which can then guide our decisions and actions more clearly and objectively.”
In closing, I’d like to end this writing with ‘words of brightness that will guide your practice’.
The attributes of Light are bright, clear, and radiant. For humans, when a sense of joy, pleasure, and delight arise, and by practicing mercy, love, and care, one can feel fulfilled, serene, and happy with oneself, then one can return to the bright, clear, and radiant attributes of Light. Therefore, by living with dream, hope, positivity, and passion in a state of everyday joy, pleasure, and delight, one naturally acquires a pure and sincere mind and mindset of 'letting go', 'being in the state itself of pure mind revealed as it is’, and 'feeling as it is’ during practice. This allows your practice to proceed smoothly.