The Breath is the way...
The breath, being a bridge between the conscious and unconscious is a spectacularly powerful mechanism for experiencing deep universal knowledge or as some call it, “Gnosis”.
While there are many interpretations of the word Gnosis – the following seems to be the most straightforward definition.
To put it simply, gnosis is knowledge that comes from a direct mystical experience. It cannot be passed along to another person like knowledge of mathematics or history. It also cannot come through an emotional appeal to intellect, such as with religious conversion. Gnosis is knowledge that must be experienced to be received. – ArneMancy
This is a core belief at Pulmonautika, that each person’s “personal & spiritual development” is unique and can only be “experienced” by the person. The main objective of Pulmonautika is to create a “space” for this internal-eternal interaction to occur. Which is why we don’t follow any particular “current” or dominating philosophy.
Rather – we believe in “Open-Source Breathwork!”
Nonetheless, having a basic understanding of the concept of Gnosis will help us understand the modified conjunction – “BreathGnosis“, which in of itself should be pretty self-explanatory but don’t worry – by the end of this blog you should not only be able to fully grasp the concept of “BreathGnosis” but should also have the tools to begin your own deep plunge into the mighty unconscious!
So what is "BreathGnosis" then...
Firstly, it’s a made-up word that alludes the the idea of “achieving gnosis” via the act of prolonged breathing. As the interpretation above suggests that Gnosis must be experienced…the same is true for BreathGnosis.
If you have been practicing breathwork meditations for a while, odds are that you have experienced BreathGnosis at one point or another.
If you’ve ever felt a sense of warm tingling energy shoot all over your body, or felt your consciousness shift into a different configuration, or even experienced yourself “leave your body”…these are all forms of BreathGnosis.
It’s a deep, unmistakable mystical experience that is akin to a psychedelic trip except completely occurring endogenously.
However, it’s important to understand that the experience isn’t “coming” from somewhere within, but rather that it is the constant eternal expression of consciousness that we become aware of by removing the egoic identification in our lives.
We can achieve this through the breath in multiple ways which we will discuss in more details below. Primarily, we’ll take a look at two techniques that can help you break out of the shell of the ego and experience this untethered cosmic manifestation that is the Eternal You.
Technique 1: Clearing the Cache with the Breath
The first technique we’ll be covering is “Clearing the Cache” which essentially is a technique on “purging invasive thoughts”.
The thing about “thinking” is that we tend to believe that our thoughts and us are identical. After all we call them “My thoughts” and use them to construct a sense of “self” within this world.
However, if you manage to silence the mind and sit back to observe your thoughts you’d realize one thing, “Who is observing these thoughts?”
If you and your thoughts are the same thing, then you should not be able to observe the thoughts but rather it should simply be an expression of “you”.
Yet, just like this body you wear like a garment, your thoughts are essentially nothing more than “jewelry” to your eternal soul. It is when you purge your mind of all thoughts that you can become aware of the eternal observer. Where your perspective can shift from the singular self to the “cosmic I” – The SELF that is expressing itself in an infinite number of configurations participating in the illusion that is life.
So how do you “Clear the Cache?”
It’s very simple but could be challenging for beginners who have no control over their thoughts. All you have to do is simply sit back, close your eyes and observe the breath.
When a thought arises in your mind, simply allow it to be there. Give it space and recognition, but do not “identify” with it. In other words, observe it without “engaging” with it. When you become aware of the thought or that you identified with it, in your mind simple say, “Thank you for this thought, but I’d like to go deeper into Gnosis…”
Then simply let the thought drift and let go of it completely.
Continue to do this indefinitely, eventually you’ll unload enough thoughts to begin to become aware of the “silence” or the “void”. It is within this stillness that the whole of the universe exists, and it is when you connect to the absolute stillness within, that you instantly become aware of everything.
Try this Activity!
The “Step Into Gnosis” breathwork video utilizes the “Clearing the Cache” technique, except it turns the phrase “Thank you but I’d like to go deeper into Gnosis” and simplifies it by converting it into the Mantra “Gratinos“.
Understanding that the word represents the phrase, allows you to simply utter the mantra in order to evoke the sentiment behind it. The more you engage with the Mantra, the more effective it becomes.
Feel Free to Experience this quick guided breathwork meditation to understand the dynamic and then modify it to suit your needs!
Technique #2 - Transpersonal Breakthrough
Where the first technique takes a more calm approach to achieving BreathGnosis – the second technique turns up the heat.
Transpersonal Breathwork is focused hyperventilation where you engage with a 1-1-2 pattern of breathing. In essence this means you’ll take one short inhalation into the diaphragm, followed by a short burst of air into the chest and finally, exhaling for the combined length of the inhalations.
This type of breathwork doesn’t care about your thoughts, it ramps up the heat and begins to release stuck energy, emotion, trauma in the body.
If done for short periods of time, you can quickly achieve a deep state of BreathGnosis, and when engaged for longer – you can do some serious spiritual healing.
If you are pregnant, suffer from epilepsy, or any medical condition that requires special care – check with your primary care physician first prior to engaging into this kind of breathwork.
This type of breathing can be challenging, but the payoff is well worth it. Below you can engage with “The Grateful Breath” which is 15-minutes of transpersonal breathing followed by a short meditation. At the end of the breathing, you’ll be experience a form of BreathGnosis.
Give it a Try!
Final Words
BreathGnosis is where you and the Eternal-You become one. It’s a deep mystical truth that manifests when you position yourself in a space of awareness. The two techniques discussed above will show you the way, but only you can deepen your own experience.
Fortunately, Pulmonautika provides a plethora of tools to help you on your way. You can check out the Youtube Channel, as well as our own “Breathwork Archives”. While you can purchase individual breathwork sessions, the “Breathwork Archives Season 1″ bundle pack is designed to make breathwork highly accessible to the masses. With 31-Premium Breathwork Meditation Sessions, you have over 20 hours of in-depth BreathGnosis ready to be accessed.
If you like what we’re doing at Pulmonautika, be sure to support us and Get Your Hands on the Season 1 Bundle Pack Right Now!
You’re helping make breathwork accessible to the world!
Thanks for reading and I do hope this helped you in one way or another.
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