Step Seven - Breathing
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And central practice of maintaining one's health and aliveness--and connection to the very source of life--is deep breathing. Most of us have been fearfully ill-conditioned to breath in a shallow way. We want to change this habit of shallow breathing--where we mostly breath into the upper part of the chest--to a deep, conscious breathing into the solar plexus area. This change requires a conscious and intelligent intervention on our part; once we understand the great benefits of deep breathing we must put forth the conscious effort to practice--so much to that this conscious practice gets adopted by the subconscious mind and becomes effortless and natural.
There are several beneficial kinds of breathing, including deep breathing into the lower belly region, or hara (which roots us to the ground of our being) but breathing into the solar plexus area is the truest kind of “empowered breathing.” This kind of breathing is especially beneficial to women who have been conditioned to disown their own power and, therefore, often end up having a diminished “power center,” which is located in the solar plexus region (or third chakra). Breathing into this area adds fire and power to life; it is an antidote to fear, depressions, and feelings of low self-esteem.
Due to years of poor, shallow breathing, our subconscious mind has been programmed to breath in that way. So, we want to change this habit, these years of poor conditioning—and to do this we must consciously intervene, again and again, by breathing deeply into the solar plexus region, until this new way of breathing becomes our habitual, subconscious way of breathing.
As you know, the breath is the most potent link between our conscious and subconscious mind; we can breath consciously when we choose, else our breathing is taken over by our subconscious mind. In most of our work, addressed in the other steps, we want to consciously change our subconscious habits, and consciously change our subconscious concepts which undermine our present ideals. To make this change, we must bring our subconscious mind, again and again, in line with out conscious wants and ideals. This is a process which requires effort and clarity at the beginning but which, after some time becomes a natural, effortless process. Since the subconscious mind is so powerfully linked to the conscious mind through the breath, the breath can act as a gateway, or direct channel, between these two aspects of the mind. All said, whenever an intention is consciously linked to the breath—and especially the solar plexus breath—it empowers its impact on the subconscious mind; thus, this “empowered intention” is more readily accepted by the subconscious mind.
To support this new way of breathing (and move away from our habit of shallow breathing) we must avoid anything that restricts our breathing. Tight clothing or anything that puts pressure on the upper stomach region (like sitting slumped over a computer for long periods of time, having one’s stomach filled with too much food, hiatal hernia, and having an extended belly, or “beer belly,” which may be due to candida overgrowth or clogged intestines). Poor air quality and chronic dehydration (which may cause the body to take shallow breaths so as to avoid water loss) also restrict the natural course of the breath. Stress and fear also trigger a “shallow breath” response and are among the most potent breath inhibitors. Poor eating habits which lead to an over-acidic condition can lead to shallow breathing (and reduce the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood); this shallow breathing then, in turn, leads to increased acidity and increased shallowness of breath. Apart from a conscious participation in your own breathing, these inhibiting factors must be looked at and resolved (if need be).
Eating the right kinds of food (and drinking enough pure water), regular exercise, and breathing deeply into the solar plexus area are the three fundamentals of health. There are many additional practices which can be helpful and very beneficial—including detox protocols, sunbathing, and intelligent use of supplements—but without being enlivened by these three fundamentals, the other health practices are of diminishing value.
There seems to be several centers to which we can direct the breath (and the mind). What is the difference between these various centers?
Many spiritual traditions emphasize breathing in the hara or lower tan t’ien (which is about two inches below the navel). This is the center emphasized in Zen, various yogic traditions, chi kung, tai chi, the martial arts, etc. This is a “grounded breathing” which can help a person move toward relaxation, peace, groundedness, or a connection with the Absolute. Another location, or energy center, is the heart area. Breathing into this center is used in certain traditions, like Kashmiri Shaivism, and as part of devotional practices which intend to activate the heart, and the positive emotions of love and enthusiasm. There is also the head area; breathing into this area activates one’s sense of awareness and clear-mindedness. So, the three most common energy centers which are activated and enlivened by the breath are a) the hara, or lower belly region, b) the heart, and c) the head. All of these centers are used in spiritual traditions to move beyond the human dimension into a transcendental, spiritual dimension. The one energy center which can be used to empower the human dimension (and is generally not activated as part of any spiritual tradition) is the solar plexus; breathing into this area brings more light, power, and aliveness to one’s human dimension. So, our general breathing, throughout the day, should be in the solar plexus region; when we meditate, the breath should be used to activate the head, lower belly, or heart region, depending on what qualities and states we are working with.
Solar Plexus Breathing
“Waking up is hard to do”—if you don’t know how to do it. Most people do not really wake up in the morning: when they get out of bed, they simply move from a state of deep unconsciousness to a state of partial unconsciousness. The only thing that seems to wake up is the activity of the conscious mind and the physical body (but imperfectly)—and not the true, conscious self or the vibrant power of the body. Thus, most of us pass from one dream state into another and call this “life.”
A way to help awaken to our true self, in the morning, and to be in a state of aliveness throughout the day is a) to contact, and abide in, our true self through meditation (a practice we discuss in Step 11) and b) by consciously “recharging” the body with life-force (called prana or chi) through the practice of deep, conscious, rhythmic breathing into the solar plexus area, which we can do throughout the day. This “recharging,” however, is not accomplished by simple breathing, which is often shallow, unconscious, and constricted (and limited to the top portion of the lungs)—it is foremost accomplished by consciously “taking in” and “radiating out” one’s pure life-energy through deep, rhythmic breathing into the Solar Plexus region. (One does not actually breath into the area, but the center of one’s consciousness is focused on that center as one breaths; thus, this does not bring air into the Solar Plexus but concentrates one’s conscious energy, or life-force, in that center.) When we consciously breathe into the Solar Plexus region, we enliven the contact between our conscious mind and our subconscious mind; thus we bring harmony, balance, and creative power to our human dimension by creating a conscious link between our life and the All of Life.
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From: Just How to Wake the Solar Plexus, Elizabeth Towne, (1902)
There is a real sun center in us, the Solar (or Sun) Plexus. This is a great nerve center situated behind the stomach. When this central Sun, from which all the nerves of the body radiate, is in its normal condition, it steadily radiates a real energy, just as the sun does. This energy vibrates through the nerve highways and by-ways of the body out toward the surface of the body in all directions (the mucous membraneous surface, as well as the outer skin), and is thrown off in a real halo or atmosphere, which always envelopes the body. If this radiation from the Solar Plexus is positive enough, the influence of another person cannot disturb its steady, harmonious vibrations in time least.
And a person who is thus positively radiant wields an immense power for good to those less positive than himself. His presence alone, without a spoken word or even a definitely directed thought, stills the troubled minds with whom he comes in contact.
In all human beings, who have not yet learned the law of being, the Solar Plexus is in a cramped condition that prevents the steady flow of life, or “nerve ether,” to all parts of the body. From this cause comes every disease of the human race—mental, physical or environmental.
ALL one’s “feelings” are due to the action or inaction of this Sun-center. Good feelings are due to free action; ill feeling to contraction. Pleasant sensations are caused by the outflow of “nerve ether” energy [energy pathways of the subtle body] or Life; unpleasant sensations by an interruption of the steady out flow.
In every human being there is a steady radiation of Life, or Love, or Good Will from the Solar Plexus, except when the individual himself interrupts the radiation—when he contracts the Solar Plexus, thus diminishing the outflow, or interrupting it altogether as in death.
There is positively no limit to the amount of life this solar center in the individual is able to generate, and no limit to the rapidity with which it may be generated. (3-4)
The Solar Plexus is the point where life is born— where the Uncreate becomes Create; the unorganized becomes organized; the unconscious becomes conscious; the invisible appears; that which is dimensionless becomes measurable. (5)
All disorders of the human body and brain are due to shutting off the sun's rays before they can reach the solar plexus. The deep and regular breather CANNOT be sick or mentally weak. (12)
Somewhere away down in the animal kingdom we used to know how to breathe. That was before we learned to be scared at God and the devil—not to mention ourselves and other people. But by scare-thinking we developed time habit of half breathing. Half breathing is a habit of the human race. That is, on the male side. The female side lives on quarter breathing; because it has been taught to fear more things than men, and because women are more apt anyway at learning. Women have learned to shrink and lean. (13)
If you have a special pursuit in which you desire success, remember it when you are taking these exercises. Whilst you are inhaling a breath you are negative, receptive; whilst you are holding time breath you are poised ready; whilst you are exhaling you are positive, radiant. You are giving out life to your dominion—to all who are less highly developed than yourself, to your environment in general, to your business, to whatsoever you are interested in. Then as you exhale a breath, spread forth your hands and breath life into whatever you desire. You can grow friends, beautiful surroundings, money, loving thoughts, wisdom—anything YOU WILL, by thus practice. I don’t care two cents whether you have faith in it or not—just do it and you will find out that what I affirm is true.
The solar plexus is the seat of emotion. By proper exercise of the whole breathing apparatus you may gain such control of the solar plexus that anger, resentment, resistance, blues, discouragement and fear will be as foreign to you as are the awkward motions you used to make when you were first learning to walk or eat. All these unpleasant emotions are due to cramping the solar plexus. The exercises I have just given you will free the plexus and make you “feel good.” Continued practice will establish the habit of “feeling good “—that is, the habit of feeling free. (17-18)
Exercise
Lie down flat, with arms out from the body and eyes closed. Inhale slowly, but not too slowly; just easily; as you inhale, say mentally, with eyes raised under your closed lids, “I AM “—say it slowly and distinctly, and try quietly to realize that the Infinite is really you—” I and the Father are One.” Keep the chest walls expanded for a moment and the throat open. Then slowly and very smoothly exhale the breath, lowering your eyes as you do so, under closed lids always, saying softly, lingeringly, mentally, with downward inflection,
“Love.” “I—AM—Love.”
Breathe rhythmically and as slowly as you can easily breathe, and fully always. Keep this up until your mind is quiet and you have forgotten all about being “discouraged” or “blue.” Keep it up, until time I AM consciousness has gone with the breath into the lungs, and so into the blood, and with it into all the body.
It takes about two minutes for the blood to make the circuit of the body. But in order to change your “feelings” it must make the Circuit several times, setting up a new rhythmic vibration of I-AM-LOVE-consciousness. Your whole being must “catch” the vibrations of that grand, peaceful, power-full I AM consciousness. Lungs, heart, solar center and brain must pulse together with the Infinite.
This is the best “concentration “exercise I know of—the only sure means I know of for becoming conscious of the power flowing outward from the “world I AM into the “world I do.” It is the only INFALLIBLE remedy I know for discouragement, unrest, lack of interest, impatience, anger, malice, revenge, resentment, and the hanging on habit. And I believe it to be literally infallible for any human being who really wants to be cured of any of these negativities.(25)
From: The Edinburgh Lectures, Thomas Troward (1904), Ch. 14
Now, investigation shows that the physical body, is a mechanism specially adapted for the transmutation of the inner or mental power into modes of external activity. We know from medical science that the whole body is traversed by a network of nerves which serve as the channels of communication between the indwelling spiritual ego, which we call mind, and the functions of the external organism. This nervous system is dual. One system, known as the Sympathetic, is the channel for all those activities which are not consciously directed by our volition, such as the operation of the digestive organs, the repair of the daily wear and tear of the tissues, and the like. The other system, known as the Voluntary or Cerebro-spinal system, is the channel through which we receive conscious perception from the physical senses and exercise control over the movements of the body. This system has its centre in the brain, while the other has its centre in a ganglionic mass at the back of the stomach known as the solar plexus, and sometimes spoken of as the abdominal brain. The cerebro-spinal system is the channel of our volitional or conscious mental action, and the sympathetic system is the channel of that mental action which unconsciously supports the vital functions of the body. Thus the cerebro-spinal system is the organ of conscious mind and the sympathetic is that of subconscious mind.
But the interaction of conscious and subconscious mind requires a similar interaction between the corresponding systems of nerves, and one conspicuous connection by which this is provided is the vagus nerve. This nerve passes out of the cerebral region as a portion of the voluntary system, and through it we control the vocal organs; then it passes onwards to the thorax sending out branches to the heart and lungs; and finally, passing through the diaphragm, it loses the outer coating which distinguishes the nerves of the voluntary system and becomes identified with those of the sympathetic system, so forming a connecting link between the two and making the man physically a single entity.
Similarly different areas of the brain indicate their connection with the objective and subjective activities of the mind respectively, and speaking in a general way we may assign the frontal portion of the brain to the former and the posterior portion to the latter, while the intermediate portion partakes of the character of both. (Troward)
From: The Master Key System, Charles Haanel, (1912), Part 3
4. We have seen that every thought is received by the brain, which is the organ of the conscious; it is here subjected to our power of reasoning. When the objective mind has been satisfied that the thought is true it is sent to the Solar Plexus, or the brain of the subjective mind, to be made into our flesh, to be brought into the world as a reality. It is then no longer susceptible to any argument whatever. The subconscious mind cannot argue; it only acts. It accepts the conclusions of the objective mind as final.
5. The Solar Plexus has been likened to the sun of the body, because it is a central point of distribution for the energy which the body is constantly generating. This energy is very real energy, and this sun is a very real sun, and the energy is being distributed by very real nerves to all parts of the body, and is thrown off in an atmosphere which envelops the body.
6. If this radiation is sufficiently strong the person is called magnetic; he is said to be filled with personal magnetism. Such a person may wield an immense power for good. His presence alone will often bring comfort to the troubled minds with which he comes in contact.
7. When the Solar Plexus is in active operation and is radiating life, energy and vitality to every part of the body, and to everyone whom he meets, the sensations are pleasant; the body is filled with health and all with whom he comes in contact experience a pleasant sensation.
8. If there is any interruption of this radiation the sensations are unpleasant, the flow of life and energy to some part of the body is stopped, and this is the cause of every ill to the human race, physical, mental or environmental.
9. Physical because the sun of the body is no longer generating sufficient energy to vitalize some part of the body; mental because the conscious mind is dependent upon the subconscious mind for the vitality necessary to support its thought, and environmental because the connection between the subconscious mind and the Universal mind is being interrupted.
11. This centre of energy is Omnipotent because it is the point of contact with all life and all intelligence. It can therefore accomplish whatever it is directed to accomplish, and herein lies the power of the conscious mind; the subconscious can and will carry out such plans and ideas as may be suggested to it by the conscious mind.
12. Conscious thought, then, is master of this sun centre from which the life and energy of the entire body flows, and the quality of the thought which we entertain determines the quality of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the character of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the character of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the nature of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the nature of thought which this sun will radiate, and consequently will determine the nature of the experience which will result.
13. It is evident, therefore, that all we have to do is let our light shine; the more energy we can radiate, the more rapidly shall we be enabled to transmute undesirable conditions into sources of pleasure and profit. The important question, then, is how to let this light shine; how to generate this energy.
14. Non-resistant thought expands the Solar Plexus; resistant thought contracts it. Pleasant thought expands it; unpleasant thought contracts it. Thoughts of courage, power, confidence and hope all produce a corresponding state, but the one arch enemy of the Solar Plexus which must be absolutely destroyed before there is any possibility of letting any light shine is fear. This enemy must be completely destroyed; he must be eliminated; he must be expelled for ever; he is the cloud which hides the sun; which causes a perpetual gloom.
15. It is this personal devil which makes men fear the past, the present and the future; fear themselves, their friends and their enemies; fear everything and everybody. When fear is effectually and completely destroyed, your light will shine, the clouds will disperse and you will have found the source of power, energy and life.
16. When you find that you are really one with the Infinite power, and when you can consciously realize this power by a practical demonstration of your ability to overcome any adverse condition by the power of your thought, you will have nothing to fear; fear will have been destroyed and you will have come into possession of your birthright.
17. It is our attitude of mind towards life which determines the experiences with which we are, to meet; if we expect nothing we shall have nothing; if we demand much we shall receive the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day.
18. But the man who knows that he has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or anything else; he will be too busy radiating courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate success by his mental attitude; he will pound barriers to pieces and leap over the chasm of doubt and hesitation which fear places in his path.
19. A knowledge of our ability to consciously radiate health, strength and harmony will bring us into a realization that there is nothing to fear because we are in touch with Infinite Strength.
20. This knowledge can be gained only by making a practical application of this information. We learn by doing; through practice the athlete becomes powerful.
21. As the following statement is of considerable importance, I will put it in several ways, so that you cannot fail to get the full significance of it. If you are religiously inclined, I would say, you can let your light shine. If your mind has a bias towards physical science, I would say you can wake the Solar Plexus; or, if you prefer the strictly scientific interpretation, I will say that you can impress your subconscious mind.
22. I have already told you what the result of this impression will be. It is the method in which you are now interested. You have already learned that the subconscious is intelligent and that it is creative, and responsive to the will of the conscious mind. What, then, is the most natural way of making the desired impression? Mentally concentrate on the object of your desire; when you are concentrating you are impressing the subconscious.
23. This is not the only way, but it is a simple and effective way, and the most direct way, and consequently the way in which the best results are secured. It is the method which is producing such extraordinary results that many think that miracles are being accomplished.
24. It is the method by which every great inventor, every great financier, every great statesman has been enabled to convert the subtle and invisible force of desire, faith and confidence into actual, tangible, concrete facts in the objective world.
25. The subconscious mind is a part of the Universal mind. The Universal is the creative principle of the Universe, a part must be the same in kind and quality as the whole. This means that this creative power is absolutely unlimited; it is not bound by precedent of any kind, and consequently has no prior existing pattern by which to apply its constructive principle.
26. We have found that the subconscious mind is responsive to our conscious will, which means that the unlimited creative power of the Universal Mind is within the control of the conscious mind of the individual.
From:The Psychology of the Solar Plexus and Subconscious Mind (1914)
by Julia Seton, M.D.
The solar plexus is the home of the self, or the spirit of men; it is the connecting link between man and the Infinite and is the meeting place of the divinely physical, and the physically divine man. From the solar plexus we receive our visions called faith; and when we register them in the field of consciousness of our physical brain, and work them out through scientific human reasoning into tangible expression, then they become facts.
The Hebrews ascribe to the reins, knowledge, joy, pain and pleasure. It is written “God upbraids the Jews for having Him in their mouths but not in their reins.” The psalmists say, “His reins instructed him;” “for righteous God trieth the heart and the reins”; “my reins instruct me in the night seasons” — thus giving the clue to all visions and prophecies—and we know clearly what these men of old vaguely hinted, for the “reins” are simply the solar plexus center of the body.
We are all familiar with the umbilical cord of the new-born child; it is the cord between the child and its supply while in its unfoldment stages; this cord on the external plane stands simply as a symbol of the other subjective cord—“as above so below.” Those who can see the finer etheric bodies can easily see an etheric cord passing from each individual, connecting him with the finer currents of the universe; it is always present while one is alive on this plane, and as long as it is not disassociated, resuscitation of those who appear to be dead can take place.
Over this cord there is continually passing in and out through the reins, or solar plexus the impulses we call life. All sight, hearing, feeling, and emotion, all subjective sensations are the product of the activity of these currents acting upon the solar plexus brain and nerves and through these upon the physical brain and nerves.
What the race calls the love energy is localized in the solar plexus. Any disappointment in love reacts upon the body through the exaggerated functions of the solar plexus center and the sympathetic nervous system. One has only to recall the quick declines following a great disappointment. Heart disease and quick consumption are well-known expressions. All the sympathetic centers are so closely and carefully attuned that heart disease, heart failure, angina pectoris, and all subjective heart symptoms are the product of abnormal solar functioning, and through the cardiac centers the heart responds, and mind and emotions of the individual setting up the abnormal vibratory law.
In many people the solar plexus is inert, pale, bloodless and not capable of attracting through itself the required amount of vibratory ether; when through breath we massage the solar plexus we increase the determination of blood to that center, and with this increased molecular activity, there begins to be a greater influx of energy, and the whole body soon begins to respond with a new life. With this influx of energy the cells of the physical body again release the latent force within them and as this is passed out in radiations from the physical cells of the body, which in turn demand a new supply, the pineal gland is again excited into its normal action of supplying the demand; the centers in the physical body and brain become normal in their functioning, and the correct internal and external cycle of psycho-physical activity has been restored and the individual is in health.
The great wisdom of the centuries is registered in the Cosmic mind, and it is always beating upon us through our solar center; we are children of the sun, and in its converged rays we walk and live and have being. With a carefully attuned human mind—thinking in unison with the finer rays of the universal mind —our common consciousness becomes the great wireless station with which we can register the Cosmic messages, and through this bring illumination to our daily life, and health to our physical forms, until at last we vibrate to a universal intelligence so high that, by the natural law of atomic attraction we build a physical body of substance so vibrant that it becomes indestructible, and we are out into a new human experience made possible by our deeper understanding.
Linking the conscious mind with the Solar Center
The point of union between the physical body and the psychical body is the Solar Plexus. The switchboard where the connection is made are the idea centers of the objective mind. The first step in co-relation is to control the idea centers.
Get calm in thought. Our thoughts are the things with which we admit vibrations into our body which produce harmonious or inharmonious emotions. As we think, so we feel, and if these thoughts are harmonious, we respond constructively; if they are inharmonious, then destructive changes begin within our body. Remember that: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Get a beautiful constructive thought vibration, then begin the inbreathing of long deep physical breaths, inhaling through the nostrils, and exhaling through the mouth. During each breath keep the thought of love, peace, health, joy, realization and illumination—anything you desire, but choosing always the thought which will awaken within your physical body the finest and highest impulses. With each breath know that you are really drawing from an inexhaustible supply, the energy that will express for you in the things you desire. Feel that coming into your body, through your solar center, is the great ray of Infinite, creative energy which you in your higher understanding are simply separating into form for your immediate needs.
After a few moments spent in concentration, breathing, and meditation, draw a long, deep breath and exhale slowly. Repeat again and again until you can feel an increasing respiratory sense; then holding the breath without exhaling, forcibly raise and lower the diaphragmatic muscle.
Repeat from five to twenty times, releasing the breath as soon as the exercise becomes effort, and inhaling again. Remember, there must be a period in which one does not breathe at all. We simply let the Great Breath breathe through us. First: To think harmoniously and breathe consciously; Second: To breathe deeply holding each breath as long as possible, then releasing and waiting as long as possible before again inhaling; Third: Inhale, holding breath, and massaging solar center with diaphragm, then releasing, and again taking up the ordinary breath.
<< Back to Step Seven
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And central practice of maintaining one's health and aliveness--and connection to the very source of life--is deep breathing. Most of us have been fearfully ill-conditioned to breath in a shallow way. We want to change this habit of shallow breathing--where we mostly breath into the upper part of the chest--to a deep, conscious breathing into the solar plexus area. This change requires a conscious and intelligent intervention on our part; once we understand the great benefits of deep breathing we must put forth the conscious effort to practice--so much to that this conscious practice gets adopted by the subconscious mind and becomes effortless and natural.
There are several beneficial kinds of breathing, including deep breathing into the lower belly region, or hara (which roots us to the ground of our being) but breathing into the solar plexus area is the truest kind of “empowered breathing.” This kind of breathing is especially beneficial to women who have been conditioned to disown their own power and, therefore, often end up having a diminished “power center,” which is located in the solar plexus region (or third chakra). Breathing into this area adds fire and power to life; it is an antidote to fear, depressions, and feelings of low self-esteem.
Due to years of poor, shallow breathing, our subconscious mind has been programmed to breath in that way. So, we want to change this habit, these years of poor conditioning—and to do this we must consciously intervene, again and again, by breathing deeply into the solar plexus region, until this new way of breathing becomes our habitual, subconscious way of breathing.
As you know, the breath is the most potent link between our conscious and subconscious mind; we can breath consciously when we choose, else our breathing is taken over by our subconscious mind. In most of our work, addressed in the other steps, we want to consciously change our subconscious habits, and consciously change our subconscious concepts which undermine our present ideals. To make this change, we must bring our subconscious mind, again and again, in line with out conscious wants and ideals. This is a process which requires effort and clarity at the beginning but which, after some time becomes a natural, effortless process. Since the subconscious mind is so powerfully linked to the conscious mind through the breath, the breath can act as a gateway, or direct channel, between these two aspects of the mind. All said, whenever an intention is consciously linked to the breath—and especially the solar plexus breath—it empowers its impact on the subconscious mind; thus, this “empowered intention” is more readily accepted by the subconscious mind.
To support this new way of breathing (and move away from our habit of shallow breathing) we must avoid anything that restricts our breathing. Tight clothing or anything that puts pressure on the upper stomach region (like sitting slumped over a computer for long periods of time, having one’s stomach filled with too much food, hiatal hernia, and having an extended belly, or “beer belly,” which may be due to candida overgrowth or clogged intestines). Poor air quality and chronic dehydration (which may cause the body to take shallow breaths so as to avoid water loss) also restrict the natural course of the breath. Stress and fear also trigger a “shallow breath” response and are among the most potent breath inhibitors. Poor eating habits which lead to an over-acidic condition can lead to shallow breathing (and reduce the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood); this shallow breathing then, in turn, leads to increased acidity and increased shallowness of breath. Apart from a conscious participation in your own breathing, these inhibiting factors must be looked at and resolved (if need be).
Eating the right kinds of food (and drinking enough pure water), regular exercise, and breathing deeply into the solar plexus area are the three fundamentals of health. There are many additional practices which can be helpful and very beneficial—including detox protocols, sunbathing, and intelligent use of supplements—but without being enlivened by these three fundamentals, the other health practices are of diminishing value.
There seems to be several centers to which we can direct the breath (and the mind). What is the difference between these various centers?
Many spiritual traditions emphasize breathing in the hara or lower tan t’ien (which is about two inches below the navel). This is the center emphasized in Zen, various yogic traditions, chi kung, tai chi, the martial arts, etc. This is a “grounded breathing” which can help a person move toward relaxation, peace, groundedness, or a connection with the Absolute. Another location, or energy center, is the heart area. Breathing into this center is used in certain traditions, like Kashmiri Shaivism, and as part of devotional practices which intend to activate the heart, and the positive emotions of love and enthusiasm. There is also the head area; breathing into this area activates one’s sense of awareness and clear-mindedness. So, the three most common energy centers which are activated and enlivened by the breath are a) the hara, or lower belly region, b) the heart, and c) the head. All of these centers are used in spiritual traditions to move beyond the human dimension into a transcendental, spiritual dimension. The one energy center which can be used to empower the human dimension (and is generally not activated as part of any spiritual tradition) is the solar plexus; breathing into this area brings more light, power, and aliveness to one’s human dimension. So, our general breathing, throughout the day, should be in the solar plexus region; when we meditate, the breath should be used to activate the head, lower belly, or heart region, depending on what qualities and states we are working with.
Solar Plexus Breathing
“Waking up is hard to do”—if you don’t know how to do it. Most people do not really wake up in the morning: when they get out of bed, they simply move from a state of deep unconsciousness to a state of partial unconsciousness. The only thing that seems to wake up is the activity of the conscious mind and the physical body (but imperfectly)—and not the true, conscious self or the vibrant power of the body. Thus, most of us pass from one dream state into another and call this “life.”
A way to help awaken to our true self, in the morning, and to be in a state of aliveness throughout the day is a) to contact, and abide in, our true self through meditation (a practice we discuss in Step 11) and b) by consciously “recharging” the body with life-force (called prana or chi) through the practice of deep, conscious, rhythmic breathing into the solar plexus area, which we can do throughout the day. This “recharging,” however, is not accomplished by simple breathing, which is often shallow, unconscious, and constricted (and limited to the top portion of the lungs)—it is foremost accomplished by consciously “taking in” and “radiating out” one’s pure life-energy through deep, rhythmic breathing into the Solar Plexus region. (One does not actually breath into the area, but the center of one’s consciousness is focused on that center as one breaths; thus, this does not bring air into the Solar Plexus but concentrates one’s conscious energy, or life-force, in that center.) When we consciously breathe into the Solar Plexus region, we enliven the contact between our conscious mind and our subconscious mind; thus we bring harmony, balance, and creative power to our human dimension by creating a conscious link between our life and the All of Life.
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From: Just How to Wake the Solar Plexus, Elizabeth Towne, (1902)
There is a real sun center in us, the Solar (or Sun) Plexus. This is a great nerve center situated behind the stomach. When this central Sun, from which all the nerves of the body radiate, is in its normal condition, it steadily radiates a real energy, just as the sun does. This energy vibrates through the nerve highways and by-ways of the body out toward the surface of the body in all directions (the mucous membraneous surface, as well as the outer skin), and is thrown off in a real halo or atmosphere, which always envelopes the body. If this radiation from the Solar Plexus is positive enough, the influence of another person cannot disturb its steady, harmonious vibrations in time least.
And a person who is thus positively radiant wields an immense power for good to those less positive than himself. His presence alone, without a spoken word or even a definitely directed thought, stills the troubled minds with whom he comes in contact.
In all human beings, who have not yet learned the law of being, the Solar Plexus is in a cramped condition that prevents the steady flow of life, or “nerve ether,” to all parts of the body. From this cause comes every disease of the human race—mental, physical or environmental.
ALL one’s “feelings” are due to the action or inaction of this Sun-center. Good feelings are due to free action; ill feeling to contraction. Pleasant sensations are caused by the outflow of “nerve ether” energy [energy pathways of the subtle body] or Life; unpleasant sensations by an interruption of the steady out flow.
In every human being there is a steady radiation of Life, or Love, or Good Will from the Solar Plexus, except when the individual himself interrupts the radiation—when he contracts the Solar Plexus, thus diminishing the outflow, or interrupting it altogether as in death.
There is positively no limit to the amount of life this solar center in the individual is able to generate, and no limit to the rapidity with which it may be generated. (3-4)
The Solar Plexus is the point where life is born— where the Uncreate becomes Create; the unorganized becomes organized; the unconscious becomes conscious; the invisible appears; that which is dimensionless becomes measurable. (5)
All disorders of the human body and brain are due to shutting off the sun's rays before they can reach the solar plexus. The deep and regular breather CANNOT be sick or mentally weak. (12)
Somewhere away down in the animal kingdom we used to know how to breathe. That was before we learned to be scared at God and the devil—not to mention ourselves and other people. But by scare-thinking we developed time habit of half breathing. Half breathing is a habit of the human race. That is, on the male side. The female side lives on quarter breathing; because it has been taught to fear more things than men, and because women are more apt anyway at learning. Women have learned to shrink and lean. (13)
If you have a special pursuit in which you desire success, remember it when you are taking these exercises. Whilst you are inhaling a breath you are negative, receptive; whilst you are holding time breath you are poised ready; whilst you are exhaling you are positive, radiant. You are giving out life to your dominion—to all who are less highly developed than yourself, to your environment in general, to your business, to whatsoever you are interested in. Then as you exhale a breath, spread forth your hands and breath life into whatever you desire. You can grow friends, beautiful surroundings, money, loving thoughts, wisdom—anything YOU WILL, by thus practice. I don’t care two cents whether you have faith in it or not—just do it and you will find out that what I affirm is true.
The solar plexus is the seat of emotion. By proper exercise of the whole breathing apparatus you may gain such control of the solar plexus that anger, resentment, resistance, blues, discouragement and fear will be as foreign to you as are the awkward motions you used to make when you were first learning to walk or eat. All these unpleasant emotions are due to cramping the solar plexus. The exercises I have just given you will free the plexus and make you “feel good.” Continued practice will establish the habit of “feeling good “—that is, the habit of feeling free. (17-18)
Exercise
Lie down flat, with arms out from the body and eyes closed. Inhale slowly, but not too slowly; just easily; as you inhale, say mentally, with eyes raised under your closed lids, “I AM “—say it slowly and distinctly, and try quietly to realize that the Infinite is really you—” I and the Father are One.” Keep the chest walls expanded for a moment and the throat open. Then slowly and very smoothly exhale the breath, lowering your eyes as you do so, under closed lids always, saying softly, lingeringly, mentally, with downward inflection,
“Love.” “I—AM—Love.”
Breathe rhythmically and as slowly as you can easily breathe, and fully always. Keep this up until your mind is quiet and you have forgotten all about being “discouraged” or “blue.” Keep it up, until time I AM consciousness has gone with the breath into the lungs, and so into the blood, and with it into all the body.
It takes about two minutes for the blood to make the circuit of the body. But in order to change your “feelings” it must make the Circuit several times, setting up a new rhythmic vibration of I-AM-LOVE-consciousness. Your whole being must “catch” the vibrations of that grand, peaceful, power-full I AM consciousness. Lungs, heart, solar center and brain must pulse together with the Infinite.
This is the best “concentration “exercise I know of—the only sure means I know of for becoming conscious of the power flowing outward from the “world I AM into the “world I do.” It is the only INFALLIBLE remedy I know for discouragement, unrest, lack of interest, impatience, anger, malice, revenge, resentment, and the hanging on habit. And I believe it to be literally infallible for any human being who really wants to be cured of any of these negativities.(25)
From: The Edinburgh Lectures, Thomas Troward (1904), Ch. 14
Now, investigation shows that the physical body, is a mechanism specially adapted for the transmutation of the inner or mental power into modes of external activity. We know from medical science that the whole body is traversed by a network of nerves which serve as the channels of communication between the indwelling spiritual ego, which we call mind, and the functions of the external organism. This nervous system is dual. One system, known as the Sympathetic, is the channel for all those activities which are not consciously directed by our volition, such as the operation of the digestive organs, the repair of the daily wear and tear of the tissues, and the like. The other system, known as the Voluntary or Cerebro-spinal system, is the channel through which we receive conscious perception from the physical senses and exercise control over the movements of the body. This system has its centre in the brain, while the other has its centre in a ganglionic mass at the back of the stomach known as the solar plexus, and sometimes spoken of as the abdominal brain. The cerebro-spinal system is the channel of our volitional or conscious mental action, and the sympathetic system is the channel of that mental action which unconsciously supports the vital functions of the body. Thus the cerebro-spinal system is the organ of conscious mind and the sympathetic is that of subconscious mind.
But the interaction of conscious and subconscious mind requires a similar interaction between the corresponding systems of nerves, and one conspicuous connection by which this is provided is the vagus nerve. This nerve passes out of the cerebral region as a portion of the voluntary system, and through it we control the vocal organs; then it passes onwards to the thorax sending out branches to the heart and lungs; and finally, passing through the diaphragm, it loses the outer coating which distinguishes the nerves of the voluntary system and becomes identified with those of the sympathetic system, so forming a connecting link between the two and making the man physically a single entity.
Similarly different areas of the brain indicate their connection with the objective and subjective activities of the mind respectively, and speaking in a general way we may assign the frontal portion of the brain to the former and the posterior portion to the latter, while the intermediate portion partakes of the character of both. (Troward)
From: The Master Key System, Charles Haanel, (1912), Part 3
4. We have seen that every thought is received by the brain, which is the organ of the conscious; it is here subjected to our power of reasoning. When the objective mind has been satisfied that the thought is true it is sent to the Solar Plexus, or the brain of the subjective mind, to be made into our flesh, to be brought into the world as a reality. It is then no longer susceptible to any argument whatever. The subconscious mind cannot argue; it only acts. It accepts the conclusions of the objective mind as final.
5. The Solar Plexus has been likened to the sun of the body, because it is a central point of distribution for the energy which the body is constantly generating. This energy is very real energy, and this sun is a very real sun, and the energy is being distributed by very real nerves to all parts of the body, and is thrown off in an atmosphere which envelops the body.
6. If this radiation is sufficiently strong the person is called magnetic; he is said to be filled with personal magnetism. Such a person may wield an immense power for good. His presence alone will often bring comfort to the troubled minds with which he comes in contact.
7. When the Solar Plexus is in active operation and is radiating life, energy and vitality to every part of the body, and to everyone whom he meets, the sensations are pleasant; the body is filled with health and all with whom he comes in contact experience a pleasant sensation.
8. If there is any interruption of this radiation the sensations are unpleasant, the flow of life and energy to some part of the body is stopped, and this is the cause of every ill to the human race, physical, mental or environmental.
9. Physical because the sun of the body is no longer generating sufficient energy to vitalize some part of the body; mental because the conscious mind is dependent upon the subconscious mind for the vitality necessary to support its thought, and environmental because the connection between the subconscious mind and the Universal mind is being interrupted.
11. This centre of energy is Omnipotent because it is the point of contact with all life and all intelligence. It can therefore accomplish whatever it is directed to accomplish, and herein lies the power of the conscious mind; the subconscious can and will carry out such plans and ideas as may be suggested to it by the conscious mind.
12. Conscious thought, then, is master of this sun centre from which the life and energy of the entire body flows, and the quality of the thought which we entertain determines the quality of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the character of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the character of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the nature of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the nature of thought which this sun will radiate, and consequently will determine the nature of the experience which will result.
13. It is evident, therefore, that all we have to do is let our light shine; the more energy we can radiate, the more rapidly shall we be enabled to transmute undesirable conditions into sources of pleasure and profit. The important question, then, is how to let this light shine; how to generate this energy.
14. Non-resistant thought expands the Solar Plexus; resistant thought contracts it. Pleasant thought expands it; unpleasant thought contracts it. Thoughts of courage, power, confidence and hope all produce a corresponding state, but the one arch enemy of the Solar Plexus which must be absolutely destroyed before there is any possibility of letting any light shine is fear. This enemy must be completely destroyed; he must be eliminated; he must be expelled for ever; he is the cloud which hides the sun; which causes a perpetual gloom.
15. It is this personal devil which makes men fear the past, the present and the future; fear themselves, their friends and their enemies; fear everything and everybody. When fear is effectually and completely destroyed, your light will shine, the clouds will disperse and you will have found the source of power, energy and life.
16. When you find that you are really one with the Infinite power, and when you can consciously realize this power by a practical demonstration of your ability to overcome any adverse condition by the power of your thought, you will have nothing to fear; fear will have been destroyed and you will have come into possession of your birthright.
17. It is our attitude of mind towards life which determines the experiences with which we are, to meet; if we expect nothing we shall have nothing; if we demand much we shall receive the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day.
18. But the man who knows that he has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or anything else; he will be too busy radiating courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate success by his mental attitude; he will pound barriers to pieces and leap over the chasm of doubt and hesitation which fear places in his path.
19. A knowledge of our ability to consciously radiate health, strength and harmony will bring us into a realization that there is nothing to fear because we are in touch with Infinite Strength.
20. This knowledge can be gained only by making a practical application of this information. We learn by doing; through practice the athlete becomes powerful.
21. As the following statement is of considerable importance, I will put it in several ways, so that you cannot fail to get the full significance of it. If you are religiously inclined, I would say, you can let your light shine. If your mind has a bias towards physical science, I would say you can wake the Solar Plexus; or, if you prefer the strictly scientific interpretation, I will say that you can impress your subconscious mind.
22. I have already told you what the result of this impression will be. It is the method in which you are now interested. You have already learned that the subconscious is intelligent and that it is creative, and responsive to the will of the conscious mind. What, then, is the most natural way of making the desired impression? Mentally concentrate on the object of your desire; when you are concentrating you are impressing the subconscious.
23. This is not the only way, but it is a simple and effective way, and the most direct way, and consequently the way in which the best results are secured. It is the method which is producing such extraordinary results that many think that miracles are being accomplished.
24. It is the method by which every great inventor, every great financier, every great statesman has been enabled to convert the subtle and invisible force of desire, faith and confidence into actual, tangible, concrete facts in the objective world.
25. The subconscious mind is a part of the Universal mind. The Universal is the creative principle of the Universe, a part must be the same in kind and quality as the whole. This means that this creative power is absolutely unlimited; it is not bound by precedent of any kind, and consequently has no prior existing pattern by which to apply its constructive principle.
26. We have found that the subconscious mind is responsive to our conscious will, which means that the unlimited creative power of the Universal Mind is within the control of the conscious mind of the individual.
From:The Psychology of the Solar Plexus and Subconscious Mind (1914)
by Julia Seton, M.D.
The solar plexus is the home of the self, or the spirit of men; it is the connecting link between man and the Infinite and is the meeting place of the divinely physical, and the physically divine man. From the solar plexus we receive our visions called faith; and when we register them in the field of consciousness of our physical brain, and work them out through scientific human reasoning into tangible expression, then they become facts.
The Hebrews ascribe to the reins, knowledge, joy, pain and pleasure. It is written “God upbraids the Jews for having Him in their mouths but not in their reins.” The psalmists say, “His reins instructed him;” “for righteous God trieth the heart and the reins”; “my reins instruct me in the night seasons” — thus giving the clue to all visions and prophecies—and we know clearly what these men of old vaguely hinted, for the “reins” are simply the solar plexus center of the body.
We are all familiar with the umbilical cord of the new-born child; it is the cord between the child and its supply while in its unfoldment stages; this cord on the external plane stands simply as a symbol of the other subjective cord—“as above so below.” Those who can see the finer etheric bodies can easily see an etheric cord passing from each individual, connecting him with the finer currents of the universe; it is always present while one is alive on this plane, and as long as it is not disassociated, resuscitation of those who appear to be dead can take place.
Over this cord there is continually passing in and out through the reins, or solar plexus the impulses we call life. All sight, hearing, feeling, and emotion, all subjective sensations are the product of the activity of these currents acting upon the solar plexus brain and nerves and through these upon the physical brain and nerves.
What the race calls the love energy is localized in the solar plexus. Any disappointment in love reacts upon the body through the exaggerated functions of the solar plexus center and the sympathetic nervous system. One has only to recall the quick declines following a great disappointment. Heart disease and quick consumption are well-known expressions. All the sympathetic centers are so closely and carefully attuned that heart disease, heart failure, angina pectoris, and all subjective heart symptoms are the product of abnormal solar functioning, and through the cardiac centers the heart responds, and mind and emotions of the individual setting up the abnormal vibratory law.
In many people the solar plexus is inert, pale, bloodless and not capable of attracting through itself the required amount of vibratory ether; when through breath we massage the solar plexus we increase the determination of blood to that center, and with this increased molecular activity, there begins to be a greater influx of energy, and the whole body soon begins to respond with a new life. With this influx of energy the cells of the physical body again release the latent force within them and as this is passed out in radiations from the physical cells of the body, which in turn demand a new supply, the pineal gland is again excited into its normal action of supplying the demand; the centers in the physical body and brain become normal in their functioning, and the correct internal and external cycle of psycho-physical activity has been restored and the individual is in health.
The great wisdom of the centuries is registered in the Cosmic mind, and it is always beating upon us through our solar center; we are children of the sun, and in its converged rays we walk and live and have being. With a carefully attuned human mind—thinking in unison with the finer rays of the universal mind —our common consciousness becomes the great wireless station with which we can register the Cosmic messages, and through this bring illumination to our daily life, and health to our physical forms, until at last we vibrate to a universal intelligence so high that, by the natural law of atomic attraction we build a physical body of substance so vibrant that it becomes indestructible, and we are out into a new human experience made possible by our deeper understanding.
Linking the conscious mind with the Solar Center
The point of union between the physical body and the psychical body is the Solar Plexus. The switchboard where the connection is made are the idea centers of the objective mind. The first step in co-relation is to control the idea centers.
Get calm in thought. Our thoughts are the things with which we admit vibrations into our body which produce harmonious or inharmonious emotions. As we think, so we feel, and if these thoughts are harmonious, we respond constructively; if they are inharmonious, then destructive changes begin within our body. Remember that: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Get a beautiful constructive thought vibration, then begin the inbreathing of long deep physical breaths, inhaling through the nostrils, and exhaling through the mouth. During each breath keep the thought of love, peace, health, joy, realization and illumination—anything you desire, but choosing always the thought which will awaken within your physical body the finest and highest impulses. With each breath know that you are really drawing from an inexhaustible supply, the energy that will express for you in the things you desire. Feel that coming into your body, through your solar center, is the great ray of Infinite, creative energy which you in your higher understanding are simply separating into form for your immediate needs.
After a few moments spent in concentration, breathing, and meditation, draw a long, deep breath and exhale slowly. Repeat again and again until you can feel an increasing respiratory sense; then holding the breath without exhaling, forcibly raise and lower the diaphragmatic muscle.
Repeat from five to twenty times, releasing the breath as soon as the exercise becomes effort, and inhaling again. Remember, there must be a period in which one does not breathe at all. We simply let the Great Breath breathe through us. First: To think harmoniously and breathe consciously; Second: To breathe deeply holding each breath as long as possible, then releasing and waiting as long as possible before again inhaling; Third: Inhale, holding breath, and massaging solar center with diaphragm, then releasing, and again taking up the ordinary breath.
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