In spirituality, there are a number of exercises available that help improve mental focus. These exercises help reduce the flow of negative thoughts, which in turn decreases brain fog. When these additional exercises are done in conjunction with Muraqaba (Sufi meditation), the mind gains the necessary mental focus earlier and the positive effects of Muraqaba emerge sooner as well.
Although there are many of these exercises available, we are going to talk about breathing here, as its success rate is also excellent.
breathing
In emotional ups and downs and in the nervous system in general, breathing plays a very essential role. During different emotional states, the rate of respiration fluctuates. In tragic circumstances, breathing can become a challenge, as people often feel short of breath after hearing tragic news. On the other hand, during anger the rate goes up. During moments of peace, the breathing style becomes totally different. During this state, breathing becomes balanced and its rhythm slows down. However, when something suddenly comes as a shock, we all just gasp for air.
Spiritual abilities and breathing are intimately related. According to spiritual science, the breath has two sides, ascending and descending. Inhalation is an upward movement while exhalation is downward. During the ascending mode, the person is closer to his spiritual state and in the descending mode he moves towards gravity. We are closer to our spiritual state when the inhalation is prolonged and the breath is held longer than usual.
When breathing stops, our link with the body is disconnected. That is why to enter the subconscious senses, the breath does not have to stop, but rather slow down. A vivid example is dreaming or a deep trance state. Under these conditions, a person still breathes; the breathing style is noticeably different from a normal breathing pattern. The rate of breathing is slower and inhalation also takes longer. The exhalation, on the other hand, is shortened. In other words, when we are under the influence of the inner senses, not only does our breathing slow down, but the length of inhalation also increases.
When this style of breathing is practiced intentionally, the subconscious state affects waking consciousness and its effects often last longer.
PRACTICE 1:
o Sit in a squatting position.
o Keep your back straight, but avoid having any part of your body tense.
o Exhale through both nostrils so that the lungs are clear of air.
o Inhale slowly through your nostrils.
o When your lungs are full, exhale through your mouth without holding it.
o During exhalation keep your lips round as if you were whistling, without holding it.
o This exhalation and inhalation constitutes a cycle. Start with eleven cycles at first and gradually work your way up to twenty-one.
This exercise helps control the movements of the lung muscles and increases the duration of inhalation. The breathing rate during Muraqaba should be as low as possible. However, it is imperative that the respiratory rate is not intentionally reduced. Otherwise the focus would shift to the breath instead of Muraqaba. The best way to avoid this is to inhale and exhale slowly for a while before starting Muraqaba. That way, the respiratory rate will automatically drop.
PRACTICE-2:
Sit in a squat like practice-1 and put your forearms on your knees. Inhale slowly through both nostrils. When the chest is full of air, hold your breath for five seconds. Then exhale through your mouth in a similar whistling style. After a few moments of rest, repeat the process five times. The next day, increase the total to seven until the total number of cycles reaches eleven. At this point, increase the retention period from five to six seconds; however, the total number of cycles will still be eleven. When holding your breath for six seconds is not causing any mental or physical exertion, then increase it to seven seconds. Unless and until one reaches full mastery of the practice, keep the waiting period to seven seconds. Gradually it should be increased to fifteen seconds, which is the maximum time allowed to hold.
PRACTICE-3:
After sitting in the squat position as explained in practice-1, close the right nostrils with the thumb of the right hand and inhale through the left nostril for four seconds. Hold it for four seconds. Now, using the last two fingers of your hand, close your left nostril while your right nostril is still closed with your thumb. In this way, the remaining two middle fingers will be resting between the eyebrows. At this point release only the thumb from the right nostril and exhale through that nostril for four seconds and non-stop inhale through it for four seconds. Again, hold for four seconds and close your right nostril with your thumb. Then, from the left nostril, release those fingers and exhale for four seconds. This constitutes a cycle. After a few moments of rest, repeat it three times. Increase one cycle every day until you reach seven cycles.
When doing seven cycles and the four second routine becomes comfortable, just increase the hold time to six seconds while keeping the number of cycles at seven. When you hold your breath for six seconds and the total number of cycles is complete, easily just increase the hold time for two more seconds and keep increasing until the hold time reaches sixteen seconds.
When the seven cycles and the sixteen second hold time are easy, increase the exhalation time to eight seconds. The final figures should be four seconds inhaling, sixteen seconds holding, and then eight seconds exhaling.
Keep practicing with these figures.
All breathing exercises should be done at least two and a half hours after a moderate meal. The best time to do breathing exercises is before sunrise. At that time we are not only mentally and physically alert, but the proportion of oxygen in the air is also the highest. Electromagnetic activity in the atmosphere is also at its peak during this time.
The second best time for breathing exercises is before going to bed at night.