I Almost Died Meditating!
Well, practicing breathwork
Breathwork has been my jam for nearly two decades. Every sunrise, I roll out of bed, stretch my limbs, and then venture outdoors for a 10-15 minute breathwork practice to kickstart my day.
Picture this: a time long before my wife, kid, daily golf grind, and juggling multiple businesses, I'd indulge in 1-2 hours of breathwork daily. It was my love affair.
So, here's the scoop on the day I almost met my maker while meditating.
Once upon a moon, I, accompanied by my late dog Sasha, strolled along the ocean. I stumbled upon the perfect sit-spot with not a soul in sight. Seated on a hefty log, I delved into my breath practice.
Normally, it involved about 10 minutes of what I coined "Cowabunga Breathing" – my pre-Wim Hof era creation. Then, I'd follow up with "Breath Locks," holding the exhale and inhale for as long as humanly possible.
For the uninitiated, it's a mind-blowing experience. You tap into the life force swirling around us, entering a realm where worries, pain, fear, or sadness dissolve into nothingness. You become a point of light, where only love exists.
But let me tell you, doing this five feet off the ground on a log can be risky business.
In nearly two decades, I've only blacked out twice from this breathwork style, and this was round one. I lost touch with my physical roots, momentarily lost consciousness, and found myself upside down in a pile of rocks with Sasha licking blood off my face. Lucky for me, I walked away with only a big face bruise and a few cuts – no concussion. I dodged a serious bullet.
Now, you might ask, "Did you ditch meditation or extreme breath practices like this after?"
Hell no!
I just added a helmet to my meditation gear or stuck to meditating closer to the ground.
Now, here's the kicker:
a) I'm not just spinning this yarn to inspire you to embrace daily breathwork (although it will change your life).
b) Nor am I suggesting you breathe until passing out.
The lesson is this: Failing or getting hurt doesn't signal surrender.
Remember that time nobody signed up for your program? Doesn't mean you should throw in the towel and grab a 'real job.' It means your marketing game needs a improvement!
Or that time you created subpar content – should you ditch your artistic pursuits? Hell no! Practice more, learn from the masters, and channel your life into becoming the purest expression of an artist you can.
Ever had a breakup? Just because one relationship fails, doesn't mean you should close down your heart and stop loving forever!
A rough financial year as an entrepreneur? It's not a cue to abandon ship but a nudge to learn, grow, and revamp your game. Our failures are the best teachers. Remember that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going?
As I spilled in my "Grit, Growth & Gut-Wrenching Moments" piece, these challenges mold us.
Just because I took a tumble meditating doesn't mean I threw in the spiritual towel. Nope, I meditate daily because it makes me a better, grounded, clearer, and happier human.
I've witnessed too many talented souls quit before tasting success. Adopt the mindset that you're on a lifelong journey. Your current mountain is just a pitstop – there's a whole range to explore. Pace yourself and relish the adventure!
Don't let stumbles, setbacks, or failures shackle your progress. If you're down & out, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, keep breathing and keep going!
Now, wrapping up this tale, you might wonder about the second time I kissed unconsciousness during a delicious breath practice – it's a chuckle-worthy story that I'm happy to share for entertainment purposes!
I found myself in the Arizona desert at a retreat, guiding a breath session for a couple of newfound brothers. Sitting by a pond, after our third round of breath holds, Nirvana took the wheel. I left my body, slipped off my meditation stool, and somersaulted down a five-foot embankment into the water.
My unexpected splash brought us all back to reality.
The looks on their faces when I emerged from the pond, drenched, were priceless. We shared a silent moment, exchanging shocked looks, before erupting into hysterical laugh til we cry laughter – It was pure bliss.
Lesson two: water is a softer than landing than rocks.
So you've read or listened this far. Aside from meditating on flat ground, what are your takeaways? What have you abandoned due to a sour experience? Resilience is built in picking yourself up and forging ahead. Are you ready to dust off and try try try again? I encourage you to!
Wanna get your breath on? Download my world-class audio meditation library. It's been loved by millions of meditators and bet you'll find at least a few practices that you want to come back to everyday! Just practice on the ground. ;-)