The Gift of Breath
Breathing is something that comes
naturally to the body. Part of our autonomic system, our bodies breathe for us
without our even thinking about it. Breathing brings oxygen into our bodies,
which helps us digest our food and expel toxins.
We breathe to center ourselves, to
bring about calmness, to concentrate, to relax. Breath decreases anxiety,
worry, stress, tension, unrest.
In yoga the practice of breathing,
called pranayama, is the foundation upon which all other exercises are laid. In
meditation breathing is used as a tool to open the unconscious mind.
The act of breathing is found in
many medical treatments for people who have Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and
military personnel who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD.)
The breath is our link to the
divine. It centers our souls with our bodies.
As is the body, so is the breath.
If the body is calm, the breath is calm. If the body is anxious, the breath is
anxious. If there is no breath, the body cannot function.
I have been ill for two weeks now.
Thankfully, this virus is not anything serious. However, I have had many respiratory
issues, which has made it hard for me to breathe.
The ability to breathe easily and
deeply is something that I can say that I have taken for granted. The breath is
our lifeline. When you cannot breathe, you will do anything you can to breathe
again.
A day or two into this illness, my
cats noticed my breathing pattern had changed. I was making a wheezing sound
every time
I took a breath in. Both of my cats came to me when I was breathing
in that manner. They instinctively knew that my breathing was not normal, and
came to check on me.
Now that I am nearing the end of this illness,
I am feeling much better. Yet, I am still having respiratory problems. Many
nights in the past two weeks I awoke in a panic, unable to breathe. I could not go
back to sleep again until I was able to breathe again. Some nights it took me over
an hour to be able to breathe again.
Now that this virus is leaving my
body, I am thankful and grateful for the gift of breath.
If there is breath in your lungs,
if you can breathe, be thankful. Be thankful for breath. Let it fill you up.
Never
take it for granted.
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