Love (which is independent of being returned by other people), pleasure which is constant, tranquility, harmony, detachment, greatness, serenity, unlimitedness, timelessness, knowledge which is not sourced by thought, composure, spiritual recognition and the feeling that the “yearning soul”, the “ego” though indeed necessary is not decisive and causative. – Faith, peace, honesty, humility, gratitude, endurance, aspiration, receptivity, receptiveness, courage, magnanimity – all attitudes like conditions of being which (can) grow through the work on breathing. So much for the superior differentiation of feelings. Now participation of the Vital and the Mind is not absolutely necessary in the breathing and sensing occurrences in the body, that means, also when these domains of being “keep silent” – better expressed in that they don’t influence the occurrences in the body, this does not reduce the effect of the breathing work on the physical body. The opposite is the case. The work on sensing can now follow completely the needs of the breath and of the body, is no longer influenced by the reactions on the feelings of the Vital and the attempts at categorizing by the Mind. The inner being too should “keep silent” i.e. only operate as “observer”, remain completely quiet, without reactive feelings as described above. A special “gift“ of this breathing work is that that they can create an attitude and atmosphere which allows the Vital and the Mind, yes even so longed-for inner and spiritual being to retreat into the background, if the concentration takes place exclusively on the physical body, the breathing and the sensations. That entails a purging of the Vital and the Mind, as required by all spiritual paths, is then not necessary. Above all through the turning to the so-called “salvation” (here: the Divine which is involved in the physical |
material), the influence of the Vital and the Mind is gradually reduced during the breath work. So that the whole still moves in the right direction that is achieves the “male” part, and with that the decision whether I turn to the body, the spirit or the soul, the entire occurrences based on breathing and sensory inputs are coupled with the ability for concentrated collectedness. I possess (at each moment) the ability to decide freely whether to focus on this or that. One of Ilse Middendorf’s most important experiences, in effect the basis of the Perceptible Breath is that there is a mutual interaction between breathing, focusing and perceiving: irrespective of where I begin, an exercise that means on which of the three elements I focus at the beginning, the other two follow on. So the abilities both to sense and to concentrate grow at the same time in the physical body through the practicing of breathing and with breathing – and through that its abilities in respect of receptiveness, surrendering and attentiveness – in a continual interaction which assist each other. In the course of the work on breath, this achieves a “quality” which cannot be expressed with words. On Chapter 3.6.2 I name some methods of exercising which are suitable for allowing the psyche to “let go“ i.e. to “bring it to silence”. It is also possible to work only and exclusively on and with the consciousness of the physical body. It is self-evident that in spite of ways of breathing which are suitable to quieten the Vital and the Mind, those two domains continually try to take part in the proceedings. |