Breath & Love: A Different Kind
of Intoxication
By Payam Ghassemlou Ph.D.
The word intoxication often gets associated with substance
use. Even though some people do experience a physical high through drinking or
drug use, such behaviors have nothing to do with the real desire of the soul
for elevation. There is a different kind of intoxication that comes from
certain body-mind practices. Such practice
draws breath and love together with the intention of a journey into the heart,
which is into an inner place you can call “home.”
Every journey has a beginning. The journey into the heart starts with awareness of breath, which is one of the most
accessible paths to the present moment and has the potential for transformation.
Breathing is an automatic bodily function that you can consciously work with. For instance, you can infuse each breath you
take with a silent mantra, which can be
performed anytime and anywhere. A mantra can be given by one’s mentor or can be
found through personal research. A conscious breath that is combined with a
deeply personal mantra has a different quality than an automatic one. It is a
beautiful breath with a potential to connect you to a deeper place within
yourself.
There
are many ways of breathing. Each with their own physiological impact on the
body including the impact on the nervous system. For example, when you witness
and slow down your breathing going out and coming in, along with silently
repeating a meaningful mantra, you can help your nervous system shift toward the
experience of calmness. According to many scientists, slow breathing can
stimulate the vagus nerve and help you go into the parasympathetic mode. Moreover, by having body awareness during slow
abdominal breathing, you can track positive sensations such as relaxation or
calmness. Such tracking can help you to befriend your internal sensations and
contribute to your nervous system regulation. A regulated nervous system helps
with creating a strong foundation for your personal or spiritual journey along
with deepening your connection to your body, mind, and soul. In addition, there is magic in a breath that flows
from a person with a regulated nervous system since it can add harmony to the
collective nervous system. Everyone has a nervous system and embracing the
oneness of our humanity can include awareness of our collective nervous system.
Since we are all part of one humanity, your attempt to create inner peace is
good for everyone’s nervous system.
As
you journey into the heart with awareness of
breath, you need to invite love into this process. Love is more than an emotion. It is
an experience, and you can access it through your imagination. For instance, as you notice your breathing, imagine a moment
in your life when you felt real love and
kindness. Notice the bodily “felt sense” of this pleasant experience as you
imagine it. Let the pleasant sensation(s) that can come up infuse every part of
your body. Take all the time you need and dive into this heartwarming
experience. Such a practice can become a doorway to an inner space where a
mystical dance of breath and love give rise to an intoxicating experience. This
is how you can connect with your heart and immerse your mind into the energy of
love. This is how you can “go home.”
When
such practice is done not just for the
sake of personal growth but to add more harmony to life, it can expand beyond
yourself and help the world. Breathing with the intention of a union with love
can add more love to the web of universal connectivity and increase participation in creating balance within the
universe. Currently, the world needs more love, and our personal journey needs
to include compassion for the Earth and each other.
The combination of breath and love is a free elixir that is
available to everyone and is the fuel needed to “go home.” However, for some people
with unresolved past traumas it might be challenging to benefit from such combination.
The sense of bliss that you can
experience when love merges with breath is difficult to access in a body frozen
by trauma. That is why in order to “go home” one needs to claim the body from
unhealed trauma. Since unhealed
trauma can affect the working of the autonomic nervous system, it can be difficult
for many trauma survivors to feel safe enough to let go and experience such a deep
inner journey. The nervous system has many functions including helping us
experience a sense of safety. Since trauma is in the body, particularly the nervous system, somatic
psychotherapy can be a helpful approach toward healing from trauma.
The practice of combining love and breath can help you
journey into a sacred place within your heart you can call “home.” This
practice helps you realize love is more
accessible than your past wants you to believe. Such a practice can be an inner
container for love where its intoxicating magic can transform you.
© Dr. Payam Ghassemlou
MFT, Ph.D. is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Psychotherapist), in
private practice in West Hollywood, California.
www.DrPayam.com , www.SomaticAliveness.com
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