Just Breathe

Our most gentle and powerful spiritual tool is available to us in every moment. It is our breath. With our breath, we live. By just acknowledging that we breathe, by stopping to become aware of the continuous flow of our breath, in and out with regularity whether we notice it or not, we validate being alive. In getting down to that very basic idea of “I breathe,” we are reminded of the preciousness of being. The vast and perfect consciousness that created all of life moves through us. I breathe, and I am.

There are many wonderful awareness, relaxation and meditation techniques that help us focus our attention on our breathing. As with all things, I don’t think one technique is best, or right for everyone. The important thing is to find what works for each of us.

I have the opportunity at work to teach a class on some of these techniques, and it is always a delight and a privilege to witness people finding, often for the first time, the quiet place within them that resides in the breath. It is a gift to learn that such quiet exists within us in the middle of a busy world. Once we have accessed the place where everything is quiet enough for us to hear the soft but constant voice of spirit within us, there really is no turning back. For me, it was a feeling of “I knew it.” I knew that there was a deep connection with something bigger than what I had known, but didn’t know where to find it. Focusing on my breathing helped me quiet my thoughts enough to hear my own gentle truth which had been there all along.

I enjoy watching people soften on the outside and lighten on the inside, as they recognize the quiet within them. I recognize the joy of it. There is a peace that comes from being reminded that “all you have to do right now is breathe.” All we really have to do, ever, is breathe, and be. As my son used to say, the rest is all gravy.

I wrote a post awhile back on focused deep breathing, which is one technique for connecting with our breathing and quieting the mind. A great thing about becoming more connected with our breathing is that it is helpful whether we sit and spend a half hour or just stop for half a minute. By doing so, we are able to remember that in the middle of all of the changing details, the one unchanging constant is that we breathe.

May this tool be a blessing. . .