Benefits of Meditation -Breath Ninja

This "comic" (it's a light read!) was conceived to portray the incredible power of meditation. Prior to practicing meditation, I had heard and read a lot of superficial things about the subject -it's about relaxation, enhanced sleep, better self-control, and indeed, those are some things I experienced when I started meditating in earnest. But, I was surprised at how deeply meditation affected me.

My meditation practice only started a few years ago. My goal was simply to have a better relationship with my emotions: I wanted to know what I felt in the moment. If I was upset, it might have been a few days before I knew why. So, I plunged in, 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes before bed. I sat cross-legged on a cushion and breathed in and out through my nose, the way I had been instructed to at the International Zen Temple in the countryside of Kyoto, Japan where I had stayed for a few days many years ago.

After a month of diligent practice, I was surprised by how much 'lighter' I felt. If you can picture yourself as a glass being, I felt as though my inner surface had been polished. I was more open and loving toward my fellow humans. I started talking more to people encountered in my daily life. I was more grounded in the present moment and not held back by self-doubt and second guessing. And, yes, my relationship with my emotions improved greatly, as did my intuition, and my relationship with myself -all around! Day and night!

Volume one delves a bit into some of the changes I experienced with meditation, and also takes on "manifestation" as dealt with in mainstream media and some things that always puzzled me.

Since starting Zen meditation, I have experimented with various other breathing styles, including "fire breathing" which I enjoyed very much. The next volumes of Breath Ninja will continue the theme and follow Lucy Middle's relationships.

Breath Ninja at work.