Guided Meditation Podcast: Sama Vritti or "Box Breathing"
Take about 15 minutes to relax and practice Sama Vritti. This is a simple skill in meditation that some call “box breathing.” I prefer to use Sanskrit words whenever and wherever possible.
Welcome to guided audio meditation number 7 for subscribers!
This week, you’ll take about 15 minutes to relax and practice Sama Vritti. This is a simple skill in meditation that some call “box breathing.” I prefer to use Sanskrit words whenever and wherever possible.
(If you want a Lululemon tight asses, “spiritual materialism,” yoga as exercise 🙄or watered-down Western yoga, meditation, and Reiki—this isn’t the place. Here, we are authentic, all bodies are welcome, and we pay homage to the systems of yoga and Reiki in culturally-appropriate ways).
Sama means “equal.”
Vritti means “mental fluctuations.”
My personal definition of meditation is that it is the absence of fluctuations of the mind. This place exists and this is what my teachers have taught me. Now, it’s my joy to bring it to you.
I want you to experience the absence of the fluctuations of the mind.
Those fluctuations can be but aren’t limited to the following examples:
- Distractions
- Entanglements
- Judgment
- Self-criticism
- Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs)
- And other subconscious habits that make up the mental fluctuations we want to escape. 🫶
With box breathing, you have 4 equal steps:
- Inhale 4 counts
- Hold 4 counts
- Exhale 4 counts
- Hold 4 counts
Repeat.
This helps you find balance in your breathing while also giving you a task to focus on. Sama Vritti focuses your mind while also relaxing you and slowing down the mind.
Funny story, my cat today didn’t want me to record this meditation without him in it! In order to have peace and quiet to record, I had to hold him in my arms like a baby. He fought this at first because he has a LOT of free will. But by the end of the meditation, he was quite relaxed and didn’t want to leave my arms. If Sama Vritti can relax a hyper Bengal cat, it may work even better on you.
But if it doesn’t, that’s OK too!
There are days any type of meditation can be difficult. On those days, you will have Sama Vritti in your toolbox. On hard days, just try. Release expectations and give it a few minutes. Or one minute. Don’t judge. Just do. Or as my teacher says, “Do your best and relax with what is.”
Never call yourself a bad meditator or tell yourself you “suck” at this. Just keep practicing. This is why it’s called a meditation practice, not a meditation perfect.
Further resources:
Here's my blog about Sama Vritti.
Read about Sama Vritti in the Destiny Architecture Blueprint (newsletter) and on Instagram.