Peace for a price?
Written by Holly Victoria Downes
Picture a rectangle. Breathe up the long edge of the rectangle for a count of 4. Hold your breath along the side for a count of 2. Breathe down the long edge for another 4 counts. Repeat until satisfied. You can follow the sequence 4:2:4, 6:3:6, or even 8:4:8.
This is a popular meditative practice called diaphragmatic breathing, which mimics how we all should breathe when in a resting state – with inhalations and exhalations that are stable, calm and measured. This practice stimulates activity in the diaphragm – a muscle that represents 80% of how we breathe – helping to strengthen the muscle and efficiency of the lungs, and overall promoting a sense of calmness. For me, this practice perfectly captures the foundation of meditation: observing the breath. Your breath is central to meditation practice, because observing the very thing that brings us into the world and announces our departure from it enables us to become aware of our breathing, living bodies.
The earliest recording of the breath is traceable to Ancient Greece in 5th century BC. The infamous poet, Homer, took an interest in the function of the respiratory system, creating a web of discourse on what he understood as the ‘vital breath’. This phenomenon soon became synonymous with words such as nature, wind and coolness in the air, and the word psyche - meaning soul, mind or spirit – became directly linked to ideas of ventilation and cooling. However, the Greeks were not the first to understand the importance of the breath.
“Although the birth of meditation remains blurry, allegedly, in 5000 BC, the Hindus – who became known as ‘the Yogis’ – were captured in meditative poses in wall art in the Indus Valley, South Asia.”
Later, in 1500 BC, ancient Hindu scripture called The Vedas outlined the Yogic tradition, which emphasises static postures and breathing exercises (a practice still known as Hatha Yoga). Soon, other religions such as Taoism, Jainism, Confucianism, and Buddhism interweaved meditation into their religious rituals. Buddhism especially became a pioneer of meditation, appearing in its most essential teachings: The 37 Factors of Enlightenment.
The Buddhists understand meditation as sati, which translates to 'memory/retention/remembering to observe,’ and link it to the life force energy; that is, a way to connect and harness a vital energy that promotes inner balance and harmony. Other cultures created phrases that refer to breath as the ‘life force’: Prana, a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu philosophy; Chi in Chinese, Mana in Polynesian; and Qi in Japanese. Clearly, there is a common thread among these religions: an awareness of the interdependence between meditation and the breath.
However, with time, meditation has revolutionised, as all things naturally do. It has survived centuries of colossal change, witnessing the disappearance and emergence of religions, the shift in ideas and cultural belief systems, immense generational, technological and societal growth, and has endured major historical events that still shape the modern climate. Although meditation has stood the test of time, many argue that it is not what it was 7000 years ago. Seemingly, capitalism has gnawed its sharp claws into meditation, taking advantage of the commercial potential of a practice that claims to be the pathway to happiness. For many, it has transformed into a practice that promotes mental health, stress reduction, emotional regulation, improved focus and better sleep: conditions exacerbated by the buzz of a 21st century lifestyle.
Mindfulness is a state of being fully present in the moment throughout daily life. Meditation is a specific technique or practice engaged in to cultivate mindfulness, yet many have questioned the authenticity of mindfulness and meditation. This form of questioning has become known as The Mindfulness Conspiracy.
This came to fruition by Ronald Purser, author of McMindfuless: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality, who wrote an article in 2019 for The Telegraph arguing that mindfulness has been separated from its core, and rebranded into a self-improvement tool. He writes:
‘Although derived from Buddhism, it has been stripped of the teachings on ethics that accompanied it, as well as the liberating aim of dissolving attachment to a false sense of self while enacting compassion for all other beings.’
Here, Ronald suggests that all the practice was founded upon – religious ethics, self-compassion and ego-dissolution – has disappeared in the face of capitalism. This is because, as he argues:
‘Mindfulness pushes the message that the underlying cause of dissatisfaction and distress is in our heads because we fail to pay attention to what actually happens in each moment, getting lost in regrets about the past and fears for the future.’
Thus, for Ronald, mindfulness and meditation have evolved into ‘a basic concentration training and stress-management self-help product that is packaged and sold’ for the masses.
“This observation seems fair: the meditation industry is set to reach a value of $18.1bn (£13.9bn) by 2028, contributing a substantial amount to the $4.5trn (£3.5trn) wellness industry.”
But has the evolution of meditation been beneficial to those who practice it? Has our breath become more than a lifeline? Has the very thing that keeps us alive been commodified, turned into a practice to fuel the capitalist machine? Is it really about the breath anymore? And if not, will meditation ever be an authentic representation of what it started as?
The way Western media initially introduced mindfulness and meditation may throw light on some of these questions. TIME Magazine was the first magazine cover to feature the practice in its 2014 issue titled: The Mindful Revolution: the science of finding a focus in a stressed-out, multitasking culture.
It featured an angelic-looking cover girl and detailed how to mindfully eat a raisin: ‘I place the raisin in my mouth and roll the wrinkly little shape over with my tongue, feeling its texture…then I chew very slowly,’ suggesting that ‘the ability to focus for a few minutes on a single raisin is not silly if the skills it requires are the keys to surviving and succeeding in the 21st century.’
However, not only do streams of media view mindfulness and meditation as an escape route from life, but the practice seems to have evolved into a buzzword that governments, businesses, schools and meditation enthusiasts use to advance a personal agenda. It is a means of becoming ‘the best version of ourselves,’ to become a mindfulness pioneer, to build a collection of ‘best wellness advocate’ corporate awards, and as all things tend to be today: a way to gain capital.
The use of meditation apps has skyrocketed, with many workplaces providing free subscriptions to platforms such as Headspace and Calm, and meditation courses and classes are overwhelmingly popular (and expensive). You can buy meditation cushions, eye masks, candles, and meditation retreats are hot and global. In havens from Iverness to India and Thailand to Canada, the prices are through-the-roof on websites that guarantee that their programmes will provide ‘mindful sessions, spiritual talks and a vegan lifestyle to recondition your aura.’
These examples lead me to side with Ronald: that meditation is no longer dedicated to the awareness of our inhales and exhales. Meditation is the opposite of tuning out worldly pressures. It is a practice that teaches one to control and tune into unwanted thoughts and feelings. This is achieved by not resisting such thoughts and feelings, but by letting them come and go without any attachment or judgement. Yet, the evidence suggests that meditation is being used as a way to escape societal pressures, work concerns, family struggles – and everything in between – rather than face them.
However, let me propose an alternative conclusion. Dr Helen Noble, Professor of Nursing and mindfulness teacher says that: ‘whilst meditation and mindfulness have been commercialised, I’m glad to see this as it has allowed these practices to become much more accessible to people across the world.’ I agree.
“So, while meditation has very obviously been capitalised upon, this is not necessarily a bad thing.”
This is because Helen suggests that, ‘many meditation practices continue to focus on breathing,’ and so, although the simplicity of meditation is easily accessed via meditation courses, apps or retreats, this does not automatically mean these practices are inauthentic.
What remains crucial is to ensure that meditation classes are taught and delivered by trained teachers, Helen says. Helen herself initially trained with Mindfulness UK, studying the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme. This programme was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, who practised with the Buddhist Monk and peace activist, Thích Nhất Hạnh. Helen says that ‘following the principles of the MBSR ensures that my teachings remain authentic,’ and believes that ‘one-to-one teaching is the best way to grasp the core principles of mindfulness and meditation.’
So, while mindfulness and meditation have revolutionised, this revolution must be celebrated rather than condoned. Meditation remains a highly powerful practice, not only affirmed by its ability to stand the test of time, but its power to change lives.
I believe there is no fault in using the breath to cope with the complexities of modern living. I meditate every morning after completing Helen’s 4-week mindfulness programme, and it has shifted the way I approach situations, communicate with people, and the way I think. The fact that daily deep breathing continues to have such a transformative impact is astounding and confirms why meditation has lasted: for its simplicity and effectiveness.
Clearly, meditation will continue to evolve as technology revolutionises and bright people come up with even brighter ideas. This is exciting. The trick is to seek out practitioners who place a heavy emphasis on the grounding capabilities of the breath, because after all, without the breath, the practice of meditation would lose its lifeline.