I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the universality of breath as sacred and how it is a common source of awe and wonder in many religions and ancient societies. I chose to focus on the breath this month because mindful breathing—and the sacred relationship that we can cultivate with the breath—can aid us in strengthening our ability to see, feel and, ideally, deeply connect with, celebrate and hold reverence for all the magnificence that surrounds us each day, as best we can, given what our life circumstances are.
As the breath sustains our life force, practicing mindful breathing—whether in a formal practice or as you move throughout your day—can help anchor you to the present moment, connect with the sacredness of the breath and, perhaps, begin to widen and deepen your feelings of wonder and awe for both the magnificent and also the seemingly mundane.
Mindful Breathing
Mindfulness comes from the Pali word “sati,” which means to remember to be mind-heart-body-ful in our noticing. We are encouraged to grow our attentional focus on what is in our thoughts, our feelings and our body.
The word breath has deep roots and meanings, dating back to the beginning of time. Here are just a few examples.
The Italian word for breath is “inspirare,” which translates to “to inspire, to breathe, to breathe new life into something.
In Latin, the word for breath is “spiritus,” which comes from “spirare,” meaning spirit. So that the breath is connected to spirit.
In Hebrew, one word, “ruach,” is used to communicate wind, breath and spirit. The corresponding Greek work is “pneuma,” and both words are commonly used in passages referring to the Holy Spirit.
For Christians, the phrase in Genesis, “God breathed life into man,” holds reverence for the breath—that spirit was placed inside and gave life through breath, making breath a holy substance.
A central conception in Hindu philosophy, “prana” (which is Sanskrit for breath) is seen as a universal energy that flows in currents in and around the body and is the body’s vital “airs,” or energies. Prana is believed to be the principle of vitality and is thought to survive as a person’s “last breath” for eternity or until a future life.
In Buddhism, “anapana” is the Pail word for breathing. As mentioned above, “sati” is the word for mindfulness. These words, commonly used together, create the word “anapanasati,” which is considered to be one of the most important subjects taught in the early discourses of the Buddha. In the practice of “anapanasati,” which literally translates into mindful breathing, practitioners are encouraged to let the breath happen, rather than make the breath happen. This conscious allowance of the breath to flow in and out freely encourages feelings of peace and calm and prepares the mind to also flow freely. In tandem with attention and clear intention, “anapanasati”can open up more spaciousness and elicit feelings of freedom.
So, in its essence, mindful breathing—to focus attention on the breath and its rhythm and flow with each inhale and exhale—can be understood as remembering, with mind, heart and body, to notice that we are breathing life into our bodies as we connect with spirit.
Perhaps this might feel inspiring to you—to see your breath as part of spirit, sacred, mysterious and with reverence and awe.
Feeling Into The Reverence Of Breath
Part of fostering reverence can be found through gaining a deep appreciation for the breath that gives life. While on a silent retreat, I recall that I found myself witnessing—with a sense of awe—my body breathing in and out the breath, moving into thanking the breath for entering my body to sustain my life force.
The breath is with all of us from the day we are born until our last moment in this incarnation, literally giving and sustaining human life. And yet, it is perceived by many to be mundane. Unless we’re practicing conscious, mindful breathing in yoga, meditation, through specific breathwork and even while exercising, breathing is something that our automatic (involuntary) nervous systems just do—without us having to think about it—which, in and of itself, is pretty incredible when we stop to really think about it. Yet, so many of us never really notice our breath. It’s mundane, yet sacred, and arguably the relationship that we have with the breath may be the most important and intimate relationship that we have while in this human form.
As you read through the rest of this blog and engage in the guided meditations—Opening to Sacred Awareness and Three Minute Breathing Space—which are designed to support you in noticing that, where and how you are breathing, perhaps keep in mind that breath connects us to spirit and to the sacred, which is ours with every breath we take.
Infusing Mindfulness Into The Breath
To expand more fully on what mindfulness means, mindfulness is the ability to sustain an attentional focus (awareness) in the moment that you are currently experiencing. In addition to sustaining and deepening awareness, the practice of mindfulness also includes infusing the moment-to-moment experience with an attitude of interest and a feeling of warm welcoming. It’s more than simply paying attention. It's thoughtfully integrating our moment-to-moment experience with curiosity, inquiry and an added element of warmth or tenderness to whatever the moment offers. The idea is to welcome it all, bringing a kind and compassionate presence into whatever comes into our awareness.
This story from an ancient Buddhist text illustrates mindfulness in this way…
A person stuck in a thicket of thorns is caught by the brambles. They will need to be very careful—very mindful—in how they move to be sure they don’t snag their clothes or worse, prick their skin. There is a carefulness, a slowness, and a sense of care for themselves because they don’t want to be harmed by the thorns.
The truth for us in this illustration is that this is like life. We are often faced with a world that pricks us, that it would be best for us to proceed with great care, with a compassion for ourselves and a careful tenderness as we negotiate the brambles of life.
Mindfulness has many elements, actually—it’s not just about attention—and it includes an attitude of carefulness, attentiveness, curiosity—of turning to the world with kindness and tenderness for ourselves and others, and keen inquiry. We cultivate a general habit of looking within, asking questions such as— how am I with this? What’s my energy level? What am I feeling? What do I need?
-Summary of part of a lecture at the the Insight Meditation Society by Afrikano Marc Weber: January 12, 2023
Mindfulness, Mediation And The Breath
Meditation is an effective way to practice mindful breathing as we deepen and grow our awareness—both in formal (sitting, lying down, or walking at a prescribed time) and in informal (whatever we are doing at any particular time, such as washing dishes, petting the cat, commuting, etc) practices.
Rooted in our intention to pay attention, whether in formal or informal meditation, through mindful breathing we seek to deepen, sustain and expand our ability to be engaged in what is actually happening NOW. Not the past and not the future, but, with each inhale and exhale, being with what is present, right now. The breath is a powerful tool to help us anchor into the present moment.
Expanding on the carefulness of kindly attention, I want to offer you a short mindfulness practice that you can bring into your day-to-day experience in just three minutes. Yes, just three minutes! This practice has the potential to increase your ability to get yourself out of the brambles of life. Practicing this regularly can come in handy, especially when you are in a bramble and need a specialized tool to support you in cultivating patience and calm presence.
This short breathing practice is essentially a mini meditation to help you step out of automatic pilot and reconnect with the present moment experience. It can serve as an important practice, especially if you are short on time, yet are seeking a boost in mindful practicing. The Three-Minute Breathing Space comes from a treatment approach for anxiety and depression called Mindfulness-Based CBT.
The exercise is about moving attention in specific ways to help us free ourselves or to get unstuck from some of the automatic thoughts that get us in sticky ruts of emotions or negative thought patterns. In the space of about three minutes we go from wide, to narrow, to wide again.
As you’ll see, this attentional exercise is set up in the configuration of an hourglass, which can be seen as having a wide opening, a very narrow neck, and a wide base, as explained by Zindel Segal in The Three-Minute Breathing Space Practice.
This metaphor of the hourglass describes the movement of attention. And, the movement of attention is one of the things that is really helpful about this practice. We learn to pay attention and to more quickly return to BEING in the actual moment-to-moment that we ARE in.
The recommendation is to do this practice three or more times a day. Try it, and see what you think! I’ve created a version that we’ll do with credit given to Jon Kabat-Zinn (perhaps the biggest influence in bringing mindfulness from the East to the contemporary West) in developing the practice with co-authors Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal in their book The Mindful Way through Depression.
Three-Minute Breathing Space
For this practice, the first step to become more aware of what is happening right here, right now, is to put your body in a more alert and attentive posture, whether standing, sitting, or lying down.
Close your eyes, or if you prefer, leave them open—whatever is most comfortable for you—and turn your attention to what’s happening inside of you right now. As best you can, focus your awareness on whatever thoughts you’re experiencing and, if you can, try identifying them (worrying, planning, self-doubting, distracted, for example).
Now, check in with your emotional state. Is it unpleasant, pleasant, or possibly neutral? Scan to notice if there is any tension or tightness in your body.
As you check in with your thoughts and feelings, practice being with whatever is present for you—perhaps inwardly saying to yourself, “All of this belongs; all of this is just how it is right now.”
Now that you’ve cleared a space to focus on yourself, the next step is to narrow your focus of attention inside of your body by anchoring your attention, as best you can, on the movements of your breath.
Notice the expanding and releasing of the breath as it enters and leaves your abdomen. Trace the breath from the inside and take several breaths to really watch the full length of each in-breath and the full length of each out-breath.
Use the anchor of the breath to bring you into a state of being present to the ongoing fluidity of NOW.
The third step is to widen the field of awareness to include more than just the breathing in your abdomen, and to notice that your whole body is breathing. From your feet to the top of your head, scan through and notice that when you breathe in, the breath expands into all of your body, and when you breathe out, the breath releases throughout all of your body, even if ever so slightly. See if there is a softening anywhere in your body. Notice your feet to your facial expressions, seeing if there is a subtle release of tension.
In closing, as best you can, try to bring this expanded and more spacious and accepting awareness into what will come in your day as it continues to unfold. Know that you can always create a “time-out” from day-to-day stresses by pausing and utilize this practice for a “time-in” with yourself through three minutes of anchoring your awareness into your breath and your body.
To help support you in this practice, you can follow along in the recorded Three Minute Breathing Space guided meditation here.
You can also access Opening into Sacred Awareness, another guided meditation I designed to help you connect with your breath as a sacred presence.
In closing, I’d like to offer a short poem by John O’donahue from his book Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.
When we walk on the earth with reverence,
Beauty will decide to trust us
The rushed heart and arrogant mind
Lack the gentleness and patience to enter that embrace.
Blessings,
Karen
P.S: If you’re interested in starting or deepening your meditation practice and becoming more skillful in navigating the many aspects of life, I recently launched a newsletter, Grow Your Inner Wisdom—in the midst of it all. This monthly newsletter includes a note from me discussing a different theme each month; the link to the most current blog, which includes a recorded guided meditation that you can access and enjoy at no cost; important and/or interesting news and information; suggestions on books, articles and podcasts; and a poem or practice to help you feel into and connect with the theme of the month. If you’re interested, you can sign up here now!
I also offer an online, donation-based meditation class/guided practice every other Monday night at 7:30pm EST in a relaxed and warm setting on Zoom. The only requirement is an interest in increasing mindful awareness and skills through practice and growing your inner wisdom. If you’re interested in beginning, reconnecting with or deepening your meditation practice in community, we’d love for you to join us!Get more details and register here.