When We Breathe, We Live!

Our greatest gift is being human. When we move beyond the four animal urges (our need for food, sleep, sex and self-preservation) and experience release from the five afflictions called “kleshas” (namely, ignorance, egoism, attraction, aversion, and fear of death), we can truly experience happiness. Our greatest gift as a human being is our incredible nervous system and our free will.

As Psalm 139:14 in the Jewish bible says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.”

As the Jewish-Christian Scriptures say, “God created mankind in the image of God.” (Gen 1:27)

As Swami Rama of the Himalayas says, “Human beings are divine, infinite and perfect.”

The Divine Source of Life has given us all the tools we need (our nervous system and our free will) to fulfill our purpose in life and experience union with our creator. All we have to do is make choices that release us from the suffering of our afflictions. All we need to do in order to become knowledgeable of our true self is breathe. We often go through life sleeping. Breathing, as the Yoga Tradition says, gives us the opportunity to awaken ourselves to our Self. Breathing helps us change the script we are living and create a new script, a new destiny. Breathing is the Yoga Tradition’s first step on our path to becoming awake and living fully.

It sounds a bit infantile to suggest that breathing is the answer to all our questions, but that was our first entry into this world and the first breath was the beginning of our earthly journey. Just take some time and watch your breath. Notice how it feels as it enters your nose and travels from the bottom edge of the nostrils up through the cilia and turbinates to the bridge of the nose. Feel the cool air moving upward and settling in a sweet spot at the bridge and then, after being warmed and humidified by the body, returning down the cooled inner nostrils to the cooled tip.

Notice how that breath activates the center of your brain. As the oxygen goes down to the lungs feel the energizing quality of that life force move into the center of your brain. Then, after a period of three minutes or so, paying attention to those feelings, notice the deep relaxation and quietude that begins to engulf your body and mind.

This is life! This is the experience of the Divine, Infinite and Perfect reality that is us!

Happy breathing! Happy life!

Namaste’