KNOW FEAR : -

Every one of us knows what is fear, although if asked to explain it is unable to do so. The ultimate fear in everybody s mind is that of death or the mode of death. Many people are afraid not so much of death but the mode of death. This fact is made use of by confused medical practitioners although medicine is yet to know what is death or who dies. Yes !! Medicine does not know what is death. It will not provide us any answer regarding death. Therefore we must find it out ourselves. If we observe the people who have died before us then one fact emerges that almost all them were unawares when death caught up with them. Many walked into the spot of their death. Many fought for a place in the ill fated vehicle. Very few knew that they were going to die. If death is going to be there and the time when it will come is totally uncertain then there are only two options before us. One is to constantly worry about a certain future event of uncertain timing or decide that if death is going to be there 100% then might as well live 100%. Most prefer the first option which is surprising. We have a task of playing a match against an opponent who always wins in the end. Its much like playing against Pete Sampras with a stringless racket. Therefore we must abandon our worries and play, then only there is a chance of a win although miniscule. What constitutes a win ? We die with full awareness that is a win for us. We are told that when Socrates was dying all his disciples started crying. He told them that it is not proper to cry. He himself does not remember having died before. If after death nothing remains then there is no point in crying. If after death something remains then it cannot be called "death"; as something has remained behind. He described his death till he could and presumably died with full awareness. If something can watch life then something can watch death. If anything at all can watch " the process of death" then obviously there is no death as such. This world is a process. We must appreciate it as such. If we appreciate this then "fear" is also a process which is psychosomatic. It brings about some body changes which can be controlled and altered favourably with correct abdominal breathing. Chest must not move while breathing and abdomen must move. This awareness when maintained for a few minutes "fear process" alters and then what happens is for every individual to see and feel. Nobody should make us afraid and make us do things out of fear. There is yet to be a physician who can guarantee life or who can predict death with any accuracy. Therefore remain aware even of your fears do not indulge in them.
Pain, whether physical, psychological or spiritual, is the culmination of the life so far lived. In fact every moment we live is the culmination of the moments lived so far. If the moment brings pleasure so be it; if the moment brings pain so be it. Modern medicine has introduced "pain killers" which are extremely useful in situations where suffering has to be minimised. However they have a very important drawback that they shut of the most important signal from our body. When this signal is shut off the organism tends to do exactly the same things which otherwise would have caused pain. One does not feel the pain. The body worsens to come to a stage where no pain killers are effective. We cannot afford to loose our awareness through such external means. Pain is a kind of information which is to be acted upon, much like a fire alarm. When the alarm goes we have to go and see what is the matter and not shut it off. Pain is a sign of system dysfunction. Usually pains do not come suddenly. There is a definite period of discomfort which is usually ignored. Even before this period of discomfort there is a period of uneasiness which is not even recognised by many. Pain therefore must be respected and not "killed". Body tells us through many ways of ameliorating pain. We must be alert. We cannot get disgusted with the body because it gives pain. We must remember it also gives pleasure. The totality of body/mind experiences pain. Mind interprets pain depending upon its state. Preoccupied mind may not even recognise pain. Agitated mind may feel pain when there is only discomfort or even uneasiness. We must go back in our life and find out what is it that has brought us to this painful state. We must leave everything aside and start correcting our life. It may be bad posture, wrong attitude, addictions, inflated ego, ..... the list is endless. Every individual is capable of analysing his or her life this way. Once we analyse our life into bits and pieces we must synthesise those pieces together by leaving out things which cause us pain. For pain to occur "ego" must be there. Egoless people have no pain as compared to people with ego. Even during torture they have maintained their poise and equanimity as exemplified by so many self realised people in all kinds civilisations. Psychological pain, if anything like that can be assumed. is of necessity because of ego. Pain strengthens the concept of "I". Pleasure dissolves the feeling of "I". Pain is a reminder to us that our "I" still remains. We must work accordingly and remove the cause of pain by appreciating it and not by killing it.
ABDOMINAL BREATHING It is easily the most important single act following our birth due to which you are reading what I have written. It is one of the most mysterious happening in our entire life. There are many theories as to why a new born baby takes a breath but that itself means that we don t know the exact reason. Thus breath is life and life is breath. Life is over when the breathing stops, as life begins when it starts. Thus if we manage our breathing properly we manage our life properly. External breathing is more important for us than internal breathing because it is one activity which is at the same time voluntary as well as involuntary. This means if we want to voluntarily increase the rate and depth of breathing , we can do that. We can even stop breathing if we want to! However this is within certain limits. Thus we cannot indefinitely stop breathing as we will become unconscious and the body will take over. We cannot even breathe very fast and deep for a very long time as we will again become unconscious and the body will take over. Breathing as we all know continues even while we are asleep. Body tries to keep its internal equilibrium at all times and almost at all costs. According to our emotional state and physical state the metabolic rates of our body keep changing. In simple words the oxygen requirement of our body keeps changing depending on our physical and mental state including dreaming. The breathing rate and depth change accordingly to provide sufficient oxygen to the body. The actual act of breathing has two components, thoracic and abdominal. These components come into play in a variety of ways but to make it simple we understand that a person who is mentally disturbed starts breathing predominantly through chest and a very quiet and composed person breaths almost entirely through abdomen. Witness a few month old child during sleep moving only abdomen. Thus chest breathing is emergency breathing. In an emergency the body is interested in getting out of the situation at any cost hence the efficiency of breathing is very low. However it is often seen in civilised people that they breathe through their chest even without any emergency as an habit and pay for it in the form of many disorders like acidity, insomnia, irritability etc; which may further lead to more serious disturbances in health. One has to learn this breathing as since childhood the attitude while standing is supposed to be chest out, abdomen drawn in and breathing through chest. This tendency to hold the abdomen tight is further enhanced by the so called ideas of fitness where a flat abdomen means ultimate in fitness and to show that pulling in abdomen is the way. This is very wrong. It simply destroys the normal healing breathing pattern and substitutes for it a very unhealthy, abnormal breathing pattern. Emotions change our breathing and both are related to each other like hen and an egg. We do not know which came first, but we know that both exist. Emotions have to be watched and breathing has to be changed. EXERCISE FOR ABDOMINAL BREATHING Lie on your back comfortably with the legs and hands spread out at a comfortable distance from each other. Put a pillow or a biggish book on your lower abdomen. Now take a deep breath and lift the object up and down without moving the chest. Initially you are bound to use chest as you are not used to this kind of breathing but persevere and you will master it soon enough. To start with do it for thirty minutes at a stretch as this will change the entire perspective of your life. Compare your emotional state before you began the exercise and compare it after you have finished it. There will be a sea change. The situation of your life does not change much but you change the internal environment so that the perception of external environment changes. Suddenly you will find the key to take it easy. Give special time to do this exercise morning and evening and at least half an hour or more. Do it for two to three weeks and once you are sure that you know it stop giving any special time for it but now do it twenty four hours a day. STOP MEDITATION Whatever you are doing, stop in your tracks for a second and watch your breathing. Sitting, walking, bathing, eating, reading, having sex, or anything ....... see that the breathing is correct. Once you are sure that you are breathing right twenty four hours a day stop giving special time to do this exercise. Watch yourself. Any time of the day you feel insecure, irritable, jealous, greedy, angry, or conceited; watch your breathing. It has changed to the thoracic type or chest breathing. Correct it immediately. It will help you to understand not only the emotion and the breathing associated with it but it will make you a better person who is able to sublimate his negative emotions and stay healthy. Watch especially when you have finished your work and are ready to go home. Consciously get into the healing breathing in your vehicle and then go home. To know that energy which keeps your body breathing is easy to know. Just exhale and watch what happens. Without you willing anything the breath enters. Without you willing it just goes out. You are but a watcher and perceiver. You do not do anything.