A Spiritual Practice for Our Time

This practice has evolved from the input and influence of four different practices:

  • Tonglen
  • The transformation of empathic distress into compassion
  • The Thymus thump
  • 4-7-8 breathing practice

I’ll briefly explain each of these and then teach you the practice that has emerged out of their influences.

Tonglen

Tonglen is Tibetan for ‘giving and taking’ (or sending and receiving) and is a meditation practice that focuses attention on the breath as a vehicle for compassion.

With the in-breath, you breathe in with the wish to take away the suffering and breathe out with the wish to send comfort and happiness. Taking on suffering does not really mean to burden oneself with the misery of the world, but rather to acknowledge its existence and accept it.

I’ve found that the power of Tonglen lies in relaxing my intense resistance to “what is”, and then experiencing my own vast powerful heart as a transformer of that energy, as I transmit my blessing on the out-breath.

To listen to Pema Chödrön explain her version of the Tonglen meditation, watch this YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x95ltQP8qQ)

Transformation of Empathic Distress

The second practice addresses my tendency to feel the suffering of others and feel weighed down and defeated (sent to despair, powerlessness and separation) by that pain. My teacher, Michael Silver Dragon, taught me to notice the heaviness and tangle of empathic distress inside my heart chakra, and then lift that energy up into my HIGH HEART of COMPASSION.

I touch my heart, feel its heaviness and then trace a line with a sharp intake of breath to the high heart (an energy center between the heart and the throat at the Thymus point). On the Tree of Life mapped to the body this would be Da’at. At the top of the in-breath, I give that point a tap and situate myself there in the wide space of compassion. From there I send out blessing.

The Thymus Thump

I learned the third practice from the body of work called Energy Medicine from Donna Eden.

The Thymus Thump can assist to neutralize negative energy, exude calm, revamp energy, support healing and vibrant health, and boost the immune system. The Thymus point is on the upper portion of the sternum (breast bone) along the midline of the body just above the Thymus gland. The Thymus gland supports immune function in our body. Tapping it activates the gland to help the body fight off disease and boost your immune function.

Tapping the Thymus point is like an energetic jolt of Vitamin C and it actually creates T-Cells. These white blood cells are important to fight off infection. There are 80 trillion cells in your body. The ratio of white cells to red cells is 1:700 so they greatly need your support. Your body’s energy systems will begin to respond immediately! It is also useful in calming and de-stressing the body. Since it supports your body as it metabolizes threats to your health.

To watch Carey Phillips (https://wellintolife.com/) demonstrate the Thymus thump, watch this YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aouZ-AinOHw).

4-7-8 Breathing

I learned this breathing exercise from Dr. Andrew Weil, who teaches it to all his patients as a way of turning off the stress response and turning on the relaxation response, calming the nervous system, lowering blood pressure, diminishing cravings, improving digestion.

Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

  1. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
  2. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
  3. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  4. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. Always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.

To watch Dr. Andrew Weil demonstrate this breath practice, watch this YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8fjYPC-k2k).

Rabbi Shefa’s Practice for Troubled Times

Here is the simple practice that is informed by these four amazing tools:

  1. To a count of 4, inhale (through the nose) the suffering of the world (both generally and specifically). Inhale into the heart with the intention of taking away that suffering.
  2. Immediately lift this energy up to the high heart.
  3. Tap on Thymus point (the sternum) holding the breath for a count of 7, filling yourself with a vast compassion.
  4. Then exhale through the mouth (with your tongue touching the roof of your mouth) to a count of 8, sending blessing, comfort and compassion far and wide, to all in need, to all who are in pain, to all who are suffering through this difficult time.
  5. Repeat.