How To Center Yourself Through Breathing

Throughout the year, we set goals, create habits, and often manage to maintain a certain rhythm.

We take pride in our achievements and find joy in the outcomes that emerge. But the truth of the matter is that the holiday season is chaotic and takes us off the tracks.

Which is not bad…

In fact, I would say that pausing from time to time is a healthy way to enjoy life without pressure or ‘rigid’ targets.

The new year found me in Spain, where I visited one of my best friends from childhood. Among our long walks and delicious meals, he told me how stressful this past year was for him.

That’s when he asked me:

Vlad, can you recommend one method I can use to find peace and focus even if I’m not attuned to Reiki?”

Knowing him quite well and how little time or patience he has, breathing… immediately popped as the perfect answer to his question. Specifically, I thought about the exercise you use to enter the Alpha State of mind.

But something was missing from that equation. It’s not challenging to implement, but for someone not into spiritual practices, I felt that a bit more was required for an optimum outcome.

Also…

I was confident this could work just fine for Reiki practitioners of all levels.

That’s how an old Qi Gong meditation came to mind. It uses the same breathing exercises but includes unique finger positions to cleanse and activate the main meridians.

My friend helped me look back at this approach from a higher level of understanding and realize how effective this technique can be. You can use it to regain focus, tap into inner healing, and stimulate your awareness.

Therefore, I decided to give it a fresh and clear description so anyone in the ReikiScoop community can add a bit more confidence to their year.

The Mudra Meditation

Mudras usually refer to finger positions that enhance the universal and vital energy flows through meridians and nadis. ​

There are 8 fairly easy steps that with a potentially significant impact:

1 – Find a quiet time of the day, play some high-vibrational music, and light some incense or candles to your choice;

2 – Sit comfortably in a chair, feet grounded and your back straight. To be honest, the position that worked best for me was the lotus meditation keeping my back straight and leaning against a hard surface such as a wall. Palms will sit facing upward on your lap;

3 – Start the deep breathing sequence using the Alpha State of mind. In short, this implies taking a deep breath and filling your abdomen first, then your chest. Do so while counting to 5 or any digit that feels right for you. Hold your breath and count again to the same number. Then, slowly exhale, repeating the count. Do this three times.

Avoid rushing to allow the process to help clear your mind and enhance the energy flow through your body.

It’s now time to stimulate your main meridians using the breathing method from step 3 for each pair of fingers. You’ll do this with both hands simultaneously.

4 – Put your thumbs and index fingers together and repeat step 3;

5 – Put your thumb and middle fingers together and repeat step 3;

6 – Put your thumb and ring finger together and repeat step 3;

7 – Put your thumb and little finger together and repeat step 3;

8 – Bring your palms together in Gassho (prayer position) and repeat step 3;

With each breath, visualize as you inhale pure, divine energy and channel it through your body.

The whole process should last somewhere between 10-15 minutes, at which point you can resume your regular activities. Once you become comfortable with these steps, you can always experiment and adjust as you see fit.

Why Practice This Mudra Meditation

Truth be told, this breathing exercise is similar to a Reiki self-treatment. They both cleanse and activate specific energy structures and help you reach a higher awareness level.

The main difference is that this meditation is shorter and highly efficient when time is of the essence.

The Benefits

Through the Alpha State of mind breathing method, you clear your mind of residual thoughts and open up to the universal life force energy flow.

Each finger position acts as a mudra that helps activate important energy channels, also called “nadis” or meridians:

  • The thumb corresponds to the spleen meridian, which represents nourishment for the physical body;
  • The index finger connects to the liver meridian. This energy channel promotes detoxification and balances digestive functions;
  • The middle finger corresponds to the heart meridian, which helps revitalize the soul and keeps the heart functioning properly;
  • The ring finger is connected to the lung meridian, stimulating the absorption of fresh air and universal life force energy through your body;
  • The little finger corresponds to the kidney meridian, which represents our vital force and inner strength;
  • Uniting everything in Gassho seals this spiritual practice and helps balance out all the main functions of your physical and energetic body. It’s also a symbolic gesture for offering gratitude to the universal life force energy for allowing you to heal and grow;

Consider practicing this exercise once a day to boost the vital and universal life force energy flows. In addition, you’ll benefit from mental clarity and energetic balance that will eventually manifest at the physical level.