Good description! It is also nice to read that someone else lost focus and got hung up on how long can you do the breath hold. I assume that is a natural thing and my goal this time around is to ignore the times.
With my regular meditation I achieved the state you describe more often. I have to say getting to that point does feel like kind of an enlightenment. I am at a loss to describe it beyond a feeling of detachment and drifting, but also fully present.
With my regular meditation I achieved the state you describe more often. I have to say getting to that point does feel like kind of an enlightenment. I am at a loss to describe it beyond a feeling of detachment and drifting, but also fully present.
If I remember correctly, I shared a video of his with you and you weren't all that impressed. Any hoo, my experience with his breathing techniques went on for about two years and I've gotten away from it in the last year or so. I did them every morning trying to get into a meditative state. I would typically do the deep inhale/exhale routine for about 3-5 minutes and then take a deep breath and hold it. Initially I could do about 2 minutes which increased to about 3 minutes in a month or so. As I continued over a period of months, I found that occasionally I could achieve a meditative state which I'll describe as a separation from mind and body. It was not a clearing of thought altogether, just less need to actively engaged in consciousness. It was during these states which I could hold my breath longer, usually about 3 min 30 seconds. If I couldn't get the meditative state the times were always less, sometimes substantially less. Then came the magical moment when I was truly separated from my body. I realized, maybe felt is a better word, that while my mind and body are connected, they are two completely different things, and one does not really need the other to survive. It was as if what my body is, and who/what I really am are separate, completely separate. On this day I was quite relaxed and casually opened my eyes, looked at my watch and found over four minutes had passed. I was a bit startled, but felt no need or urge to breath, but thought I should take a breath. There was no deep inhale, no sense of needed to catch a breath, just a casual breath. Things changed after that and suddenly it became a how long can I hold my breath contest, so I lost focus of the purpose to achieve the meditative state. I stopped it altogether shortly thereafter. I still do the cold shower thing, though not daily as I used to. Perhaps I should give it a go again.
