The practice: one breath at a time

 “Most of us have spent our lives caught in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt, or shame about the past.  To come into the present is to stop the war.”   Jack Kornfield 

Daily Reflection: Breathing brings us home as the body and mind can rest together in the breath. As soon as we become aware of breathing, we are in our bodies. Speed up the breath and there's new energy. Slow it down and we feel calm. Inhale and oxygen surges to the brain, arousing the sympathetic nervous system and accelerating the heartbeat. Exhale and the soothing parasympathetic nervous system is activated, the heart beats more slowly. The breath is a good barometer for your state of mind. With our awareness of the breath, we are home in our bodies and at home in the present moment.  So, how many times today can you pause and be aware of your breath?  Taking one breath with presence and intention? It is as simple as just one breath.

“Mindfulness is not only about paying attention and being aware but also about deciding where we put our attention.” Gina Biegel

Meditation Challenge: As you sit in stillness today, can you feel your breath? Rather than thinking about your breath, see if you can actually feel the sensations of breathing? Can you feel the breath at the tip of the nose? Or do you feel it more distinctly in the chest or belly? What does it feel like to breathe in? Can you feel the expansiveness and openness of each in breath? And what does it feel like to breathe out? Can you feel the releasing and surrender of each out breath? Is it possible to be fully present for the entirety of one breath… at the start… during the middle and at the end? It’s just one breath.

“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” Joseph Campbell