Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
The breath is of special significance to the experience of life, is highlighted in many areas of study and further, perhaps even considered a lost art form. Egyptians believed that breath was given to a person at birth and was the source of energy that gave life. In the Bible, it says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” (Genesis 2:7) While in Hinduism, “Prana” is the Sanskrit word for breath, meaning life force or vital energy that permeates reality. Even in many modern healing modalities we understand the breath is the energy generated to become the thread that transfers from healer to the person receiving what we call a healing or better yet, new life. Think about the function of breath in connection with exercise, in order to move beyond the comfort zone and past limitations, we need to access deeper reservoirs of breath as a requirement to fuel the body, the muscle, the mind, well beyond its barriers and into a state of life-giving energy. My yoga teacher says, “Your strength is not in the muscle, it’s in your breath. Your breath will keep you up.” In these scenario’s, breathing now becomes tangible proof of life and a knowledge that we exist as a living being within the power of that life-force.
~ Breath is life and life, is breath ~
But how often do we consciously connect with our breath and utilize that life-force to magnify our reality? There are so many people, places and things that can pervade our minds and state of reality, especially in today’s current events. At times, we can feel held back or stuck in past events that invade our current circumstance. We may not feel as balanced or whole because a sense of emptiness speaks more loudly than silence, stillness or a deep inner calm. The breath keeps us present, away from past patterning and future projections. The breath keeps us solid in the now with the present or gift of awareness. Prana or breath feeds the aura and the aura, is the home that contains our life energy or our personal atmosphere. If there are holes in the aura, life energy leaks out and we don’t feel as vibrant, happy or whole. This is to say that breath feeds our personal existence or vibrational emanation with life. Where there is life, emptiness cannot exist. Where there are no holes, wholeness exists. Therefore, to feel whole and complete is to be filled with breath.
~ But how often do we connect with our breath? ~
This question now becomes a magnitude of great proportions and our exploration becomes a road map to leading a full life experience. If we let go of the past, we strengthen the aura. A stronger aura makes us feel more whole. Feeling a sense of wholeness allows us to feel more relaxed. The more relaxed we are, the deeper the breath. The deeper the breath the more life force is generated. The more life force generated the lighter we feel and more life can fill into our personal atmosphere. The stronger our personal atmosphere or vibrational emanation, the more energy we have. The more energy we have, the more we feel better and better; and stronger and stronger. Practice long, deep breathing. Practice being present in the moment. Practice connecting with your breath and identifying the thoughts, emotions, intentions of behavior and breathe through to the other side, without attachments to old thinking, patterns of behaviors, belief systems, or constructs. Practice awareness, being conscious in your state of being as a source of light and life. When you’re present inside your life force, you can influence the moment in a positive, life giving way. Let’s add life to the atmosphere of existence. Let us relax into a new reality, consciously creating and let us share that with the world. Discovery Practice: Deep breathing with (1) count retention: 1. Begin with long, deep abdominal breathing 2. Inhale slowly and retain breath for one count 3. Exhale slowly and retain breath for one count 4. Continue this cycle for at least 5 complete rounds of breath or more
~ Jennifer Circosta, AFSI Blogger, www.jennifersmusing.com, Health and Wellness Coach