Breathe – Sample the September Issue.

 

Welcome to the September Issue. Take a sneak peek inside the issue below, and subscribe to Lion’s Roar to get your copy.  SUBSCRIBE “We can always return to the breath.” Many years ago, at an introduction to meditation for beginners, I heard this instruction and learned of the connection between the breath and our ability to return to balance and ease. My reaction landed somewhere between irritation and relief. I was irritated that the key to undoing my tendency toward anxiousness and distraction was something I’d had access to all along. And I was relieved that an essential foundation of practice—at a time when so much about meditation felt odd and otherworldly to me—was so readily available, even mundane! The instruction to “take a breath” is common, practical, and often reassuring advice. Caring elders say it to children who’ve lost their cool. Coaches say it to athletes during practice. Doulas say it to women during childbirth. We can all appreciate the power of a deep inhale–exhale. Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller writes here about how babies naturally breathe diaphragmatically from deep within their bellies, under the rib cage. We can watch their belly draw in and push out. As we grow into adults, however, we lose contact with this natural body wisdom and the message that deep diaphragmatic breath reinforces in the body and mind—that we are safe. Our thinking, planning, ruminating, reactive brain hijacks this deep, natural state, and we slip into the high, rapid breath that is “lung breathing.” While quick and somewhat efficient, this shallow breathing can trigger the body’s fight or flight response, sending blood and oxygen to our extremities to help us escape from a threat. This would be helpful if we were being chased by a tiger, but it’s problematic if all we’re facing is rush-hour traffic or a disagreement with our partner. The good news is, we can override this response and return to a parasympathetic state—a place of balance—by shifting our breathing deep into our belly. As one of my first meditation teachers would exclaim with glee: “Breathe deeply and allow your belly to expand! This is not time to worry about sexy abs!” This playful advice reminded me how holding the belly in, which so many of us do subconsciously, makes shallow breathing seem normal. Shaila Catherine reminds us: “The Buddha’s teaching on mindfulness breath offers a path that can calm the mind, increase insight, and perhaps even lead to awakening.” May you and those you love find an opportunity to return to the breath—again, and again, and again...   –BETH WALLACE Associate Publisher INSIDE THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE Take A Deep Breath 5 Breath Meditations You Can Do Right Now From getting to sleep to completely waking up, the benefits of these meditations are profound and practical:   1. Mindfulness of Breath 2. Mixing Mind and Space 3. Tonglen 4. Cleansing Breath 5. The 4-7-8 Breath   How I Discovered My Breath (And So Much More) Counting breaths—the simplest of mindfulness practices—took Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller on a profound spiritual journey. It’s one we can take too. All You Need Is Breath  The Buddha taught mindfulness of breathing as a complete approach to awakening. Buddhist teacher Shaila Catherine outlines the 16-step breath practice that guides us to liberation. Breathing  A Poem by Thich Nhat Hanh   “By observing the experience of breath, habitual attraction toward sensual thrills quickly subsides and the mind becomes still, refreshed, tranquil, and equanimous. Observing the breath is a portable vehicle for developing mindfulness, calmness, and deep understanding.”   SHAILA CATHERINE “All You Need is Breath”   SUBSCRIBE Also In The September Issue May We Gather Wisdom from an historic Buddhist memorial service for the victims of anti-Asian violence and racism To See Yourself Exactly As You Are Bhante Gunaratara on the true power of Vipassana practice  The Middle Way of Abortion Jennifer Keishin Armstrong reports on how Buddhist teachings could transform the abortion debate—and benefit women Come Home To Yourself Your true home is this body. This mind. This moment. There, says Kaira Jewel Lingo, you’ll find peace and freedom. Explore Buddhism: Vipassana What it is; How to practice it; Why it leads to liberation    “We can spend lots of our time and energy trying to predict or control what the future will bring. This doesn’t usually serve us. In truth, we don’t need to know what the future will bring. We just need to be right in this moment, and if we touch it deeply, mind and body united, we will find we have all that we need to meet the present.” KAIRA JEWEL LINGO “Come Home To Yourself” Read the full September issue when you subscribe to Lion’s Roar. SUBSCRIBE