In the past two weeks we've spent a fair bit of time practicing SA - TA - NA - MA breathing.
Here is why this breathing practice is especially effective for pain management:
Pain can be attention demanding, and, sometimes, just breath work isn’t enough to escape it. Our hands have a particularly large brain map, so by using the finger gestures, as well as breath and sounds, we are occupying a lot of brain circuitry - and this is a good thing, because otherwise a lot of our attention habitually goes to pain.
Our goal with SA - TA - NA - MA breathing is to teach the brain to focus on what we want, not on something random (pain or worry, for example).
Begin by remembering the finger movements:
with each consecutive
exhalation, touch the tip of your thumb to
your pointer finger
your middle finger
your ring finger
your pinkie finger
of each hand.
If your hands are sore and the movement feels uncomfortable, try pressing the pads of your fingers into the floor if you are lying down, or any other surface.
If that doesn’t work either, simply visualize the movement.
Once breath / movement rhythm has been established, add in the sounds:
thumb and pointer finger - SA
thumb and middle finger - TA
thumb and ring finger - NA
thumb and pinkie finger – MA
One round is a full SA - TA -
NA - MA cycle.
Classic Practice:
Start with breath + finger gestures for 9 rounds;
Then add silent sounds and work with both hands for 9 rounds;
Now do just the right hand + silent sounds for 9 rounds;
Then the left hand + silent
sounds for 9 rounds;
Finish with both hands + finger gestures; whisper Sa – Ta – Na – Ma with each exhalation.
Experiment with different variations to see which ones give you the most benefit.
