What do you take in every second, of every minute of every day of every week of every year of your life?
What do you give back during that same time period?
What can you never own even though you need it to survive?
Your breath. This is part 1 on the importance of breath if you want to live a healthy and happy life.
The word breath and spirit come from the same Latin word; Spiro, which means to inspire. Together, you fill the body with breath and fill the spirit with divine awareness.
Without breath you are merely an inert physical form and without spirit, your life is meaningless. If you are without breath, you die physically, and to be without spirit is to die in your soul. When you do die, both the breath and spirit depart from the body.
So why is all this so important?
Well, did you know that you can transform how you feel simply by changing your breathing pattern?
Every feeling you experience is reflected in the length, depth and type of breath that you take. This could be from superficial and quick breathing at times of panic or stress, to deep full breaths when you are completely relaxed. Anger makes the breaths shallow and fast, fear makes you either hold your breath or breathe very quickly, and sadness can make you gulp or gasp, and breathe irregularly. When you are able to breathe deeply the chest opens as when you are joyful and happy and the tension is released.
Breathing marked your entry into this world. When you took your first breath you declared your independence. Difficulties in breathing can be connected to lack of boundaries, to feeling unclear about where you begin or end, and others can easily take over or breathe for you by influencing you or even dominating you.
Breath is about trust. It demands that you trust in the letting go of the breath and that there will be another one to take its place. You breathe the same breath as your loved ones and your enemies. As you breathe out, another breathes in and we all share the same breath.
The entire respiratory system represents your independence, your separate life, as well as your desire for life.
Why, besides living is it important?
You can literally create “Peace of your mind” when you first begin to regulate your breathing and bring it under control. But when your breathing is irregular, then the heart can be troubled and have a flow on negative effect to your life. You can simply transform how you feel by changing your breathing pattern. By shifting the focus of your breathing, you can change your stress level and when you breathe fully and with focus, you can in a very short time, own your life and personal power.
In Part 2, I will look at some very important facts related to breath, how the breath can heal, how you can reduce pain and then in Part 3, I’ll demonstrate how the breath can take you from fight or flight to rest and digest.
But it is important to remember between now and then, that your breath not only brings essential life, it allows you to bring calm, peace and focus to your mine, body and life, hence why it is the basis of most forms of meditation.
In just a 2-minute exercise you can reduce all stress in the body, and let’s remember, stress and anxiety cause illness and disease. Wouldn’t be better if you can become more present and grounded which would allow you to focus on the important things in life instead of being distracted, lost or in pain?.
