“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”
THICH NHAT HANH
We enter this world on an inhale, and we leave it with an exhale! This breath or prana is our link that binds our Spirit essence, Soul Self to our finite, body self through the duration of our incarnational life.
We could not sustain life or exist without it. Such is the power and sacredness of breath. The infinity symbol represents this essence where the infinite and finite come together. At the center of this is the spark of life, which is the breath. When we transition in the sacred passage of death, this pranic element breaks apart which releases the Soul to journey back to its original realm.
Because of this significance, one of the most powerful ways we can become masterful in our lives is to train ourselves to consciously breathe. It is considered a most effective way to reset our body and mind and to connect with our innermost Self. This can be as simple as taking a deep, mindful breath in and out a few times allowing us to tune into our state of mind, emotions, and body. An amazing perk of utilizing the breath as our main go-to for tuning in, regulating, and calming ourselves is it’s free, always accessible, and truly easy to use.
Learning to pay attention to the quality and consistency of our breath facilitates an enriching relationship with our breathing rhythms. This offers deeper insight and awareness of how we respond to our experiences and environments, which supports us in coming to know ourselves better. When we ascertain how to connect with our breath, deepen it, and slow it down, we foster the ability to choose our responses in a more attentive way rather than a reactive or defensive one. Enhanced emotional regulation allows us to control our emotions and responses and provides additional management and reduction of anxiety, anger, and other strong emotions. It aids in the calming of the mind which facilitates the minimizing of distracting and overriding thoughts, improving overall mental health and stability. This includes improved focus and concentration.
This practice creates a strong foundation for us to be in our conscious creatorship and therefore sovereignty. Embarking on the pathway of being masters of our domain rather than being mastered over.
Breath is a significant stress reducer because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, inducing the body’s relaxation response. This can reduce stress hormones like cortisol.
Additional benefits include the slowing of heart rate, balancing of blood pressure, lowering of inflammation, and reduction of lactic acid in the muscle tissue which can aid in pain management as it can help reduce pain perception and improve tolerance.
Aside from improving mood and enhancing overall well-being, it may even lower feelings of trauma and symptoms of PTSD.
As the body and mind relax, breathing can boost better sleep quality, making it easier to fall and stay asleep. And is also a great tool or technique to utilize when dealing with sleeplessness.
The key to reaping the most impactful benefits of breath is to engage in diaphragmatic breathing. When we breathe in a full belly breath, our diaphragm contracts and moves downward. The space in our chest cavity opens allowing our lungs to expand. This also allows the muscles between our ribs to enlarge the chest cavity enhancing lung function. This creates a vacuum which draws air into the lungs. When we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes which then urges the air out of the lungs. Improvement of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems are included as advantages of deep, mindful breathing.
The breath helps to fully oxygenate the body and therefore aids in the detoxification process as it aids in the removal of toxins. It also enhances blood flow to the digestive organs and therefore aids in improved digestion.
Spiritually, the breath contains the elixir of life itself. So, when we want to unify deeper with our hearts, our Soul Self or to come back into alignment with our purpose of being alive, tuning into our breath is the seat of that gateway to connection. It can be a miraculous healing and restorative agent. It cleanses and boosts the energy channels and chakras, guiding us into our divine consciousness, and fostering mindfulness, inner peace, and liberation from a chaotic mind.
Breath literally gives life! That is the Power of Breath!!!
