Samyama Experiences Breath Awareness
Samyama Experiences Breath Awareness
This post is about my Samyama Program Experiences – Breath Awareness process. I participated in the Isha Samyama Program from the 6th to the 13th of January 2024. I have shared my review of the Isha Yoga Program based on my personal experiences. I hope that this post will be helpful for future Samyama participants. If you have any questions related to Isha Yoga Center, follow me on Instagram and let us chat.
Table Of Content
My Samyama Experiences – Breath Awareness
Shri Sadguru says the word ‘Samyama’ means – “ Samyama is a state where you become fully aware that you are not the body, you are not the mind, you are not the world around“- Sadhguru
At Shri Sadguru’s grace, we chanted the Shiva mantra for the first 2 days. This resulted in the burning of little of our karmic substance. For me, It was a real and incredible experience to go through this powerful process. I have shared the details about my experiences in the previous post. The next 2 days i.e. 4th and 5th day of the Samyama Program, Shri Sadguru made us aware of our breath. He made me aware of my breath, which was happening on its own. I was told to just watch it. The next two days we just did this, watching our breath. In between the sessions, we had proper food breaks, drink breaks and practice breaks.
During this process, I initially thought, why do I have to watch my breath now? When I started following Shri Sadguru’s instructions to do so I immediately got the effect. His instructions helped in stay alert during the process. As I watched my breath with awareness, I realised that Breathing is the most significant phenomenon of life. Breath connected me to this body and to this world. In the next second, if the breath does not come, then my body will be dead. It is a magical process happening which deserved my attention and devotion but it never appeared to me as a Life. As I was so busy in the drama of my mind. Whenever Shri Sadguru said with every breath it’s me who is entering your body. Tears started flowing from my eyes when I actually felt him entering my system as my breath. I was so thankful for every breath I took after that. As Shri Sadguru was giving me life with every breath. I started observing my breath with a deep sense of devotion. Thanking the creator for every breath who was making it happen for me.
Shri Sadguru told me to keep watching my breath and to feel it. Just observe from where it is entering and up to where it is going into the stomach. Feel the breath process. He said our breath is a path which I have to watch with awareness as it will teach me about the process of life and death and the world beyond that. In the process of liberation being aware of the breathing process is the fundamental step. With his every alert instructions and the two days of practice, I realised that in this body, breath happens naturally, I just have to be aware of this process. With gratitude and thankfulness. If breath was completely my responsibility then I think I would have been dead long back. Breath awareness means I do not have to conduct my Breath. Breath is happening I just have to watch it throughout the day and night. There is a powerful force which is making this life happen for me by his grace. I am lost in my mind and was unaware of this connection with my creator. Shri Sadguru strongly brought this awareness back into my life.
He said just be with the breath, breathe in, breathe out and just wait. Waiting is a wonderful experience filled with silence, peace and devotion. I realized that the waiting period between the 2 breaths was increasing. Sometimes I also experienced that I was not at all breathing but I was ok. He also explained a little bit about life breathing. It means breathing is just not taking air in and throwing air out. Breathing also happens even if we don’t take air in. It is an advanced stage of the breath awareness practice. He gave a hint that such a thing is real.
I fell in love with my breath and it became an intense affair for me when Shri Sadguru said that with every breath I am entering your body. It helped me feel Sadguru’s compassion, love and grace for me. He is so graceful, he knows how to make every step happen for me. Now there is no distance between me and him. He is with me, with my every breath, giving me happiness and courage to walk in a graceful life. During this process, I was taking every breath saying “Oh! Sadguru” and welcoming him inside the body and with the breath going outside I used to say “thanks” to him. My breathing process was turned into an intense experience. I could feel the distance between me and my breath, me and my mind and me and my body. I could feel the sensation of my breath entering through my nose and going inside down to the 1 inch below the Nabhi chakra. He said my breath is tied there, and it ties the body, the mind and the world around as one.
I realised how foolish I was to take this breath for granted. I realised that every breath is a blessing from my creator. When lost in my mind I am unaware of this breath. Keeping breath awareness automatically frees one from the thinking process. Shri Sadguru said with this practice of breath awareness, higher perceptions will be available to me. Breath controls the life and death process. It happens naturally. If I take charge of the process it is useless. The breath is happening and I am aware of it that will bring a lot of awareness of this Life process.
During my teenage, I remember reading a book written on the science of breathing, it was named “Shiv Svaroday Shastra”. There are people who make predictions using this breathing science. I remember that my great grandfather Shri Shankar Kolambkar knew this Naadi Shastra and he used it to make predictions and help people solve their problems. During my childhood days, my father and my grandfather used to tell us stories related to his sadhana and his extraordinary powers. My great-grandfather was a Shiva Devotee, he did intense sadhana and also consecrated a Shiva lingam at my parental house. Our family believes that he was a realised being and we celebrate his death anniversary as “Punyateethi” every year by offering abhishekam to the Shiva lingam in our home. I remembered all of those things during this process and realised the power of Breath Awareness.
I have observed that my breath changes every 2 and a half hours. Breath keeps the time for this body. Every time it flows in a different way which determines the health of the body and mind. Breath is a magical phenomenon of life and I need to practice being aware of it for the rest of this life. I want to see where it takes me. The Isha Samyama Program is an intense program designed by Shri Sadguru. Also, he holds my hand during the program and makes me walk every session with devotion and awareness, making everything easy and effortless. I remember his words “You just follow the instructions and the Samyama will happen” Every word of him is true and works as his grace taking us effortlessly through this Samyama Program. After the Samyama Program, I am still aware of every moment I was with Shri Sadguru during this program, it has made a deep impact on my system and has changed my perception towards this Life completely. It was all worth it. Thanks for everything Shri Sadguru.