For centuries, mystics and spiritual seekers have reached for their connection to the Divine through the connecting and transformative power of the Breath. This breath acts as a bridge between two worlds: the divine and the human; spirit and earth; the upper and the lower; the enlightened consciousness and the false ego. A cherished saying of the spiritually inclined is, “As above, so below.” The breath is a living, breathing (pun intended), manifestation of this cliché.
Breath is pure energy, pure spirit. When we inhale, we literally invoke god/goddess/divine consciousness, filling our lungs with pure spirit. The breath is, therefore, the gateway to the spirit world. And what a brilliant design! We have access to the breath anywhere and anytime.
A short study of etymology will prove these claims. Think of the words ‘respiration’ and ‘inspiration’. Both share the same root word of ‘spirit’.
respiration (n.)
late 14c., respiracioun, "act or process of breathing, inhalation and exhalation of air by the lungs," from Latin respirationem (nominative respiratio) "breathing, respiration," noun of action from past-participle stem of respirare "breathe again, breathe in and out," from re- "again" (see re-) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)).
spirit (n.)
mid-13c., "life, the animating or vital principle in man and animals," from Anglo-French spirit, Old French espirit "spirit, soul" (12c., Modern French esprit) and directly from Latin spiritus "a breathing (of respiration, also of the wind), breath;" also "breath of a god," hence "inspiration; breath of life," hence life itself.
Here you can see that the act of breathing is in fact the act of inspiration, invoking the spirit. By opening the lungs for inhalation, we set the intention to fill ourselves with pure divine energy. It only takes a few deep breaths to feel this reality. Just two or three deep belly breaths will bring you a feeling of peace and calm. Some pranayama, breathing exercises, when practiced diligently, can take you to other realms of consciousness. Similar to experiences with plant medicine, the breath can bring you to full union with the Divine and open your mind to access higher dimensions.
A few more fun facts: 90% of heart patients in ICU are chest breathers. Learning to breathe fully and deeply into your belly can strengthen your heart as the diaphragm is physically connected to the heart muscle. Diaphragmatic breathing can therefore lower your ris
k of heart disease and heart attack. Deep intentional breathing can also bring in more oxygen, offering immediate relief to anxiety and pain.
Exercises
1. Begin by sitting in a comfortable, sustainable position, with your spine long and straight, either on the floor or in a chair. For this exercise you will inhale and exhale through the nose. Start by inhaling for a count of 3 and exhaling for a count of 3. Focus on creating a steady rhythm. When 3 seconds feels smooth, experiment with lengthening to 4 seconds. You can continue to increase the length of the inhale/exhale as long as you are not feeling dizzy or straining to breathe. Before beginning this exercise, choose a length of time that feels surmountable. Maybe start with 5 minutes and use a timer so you don't have to focus on the time.
2. Begin by sitting in a comfortable, sustainable position, with your spine long and straight, either on the floor or in a chair. For this exercise you will inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Place one hand on your lower belly, below the navel. As you inhale through the nose, focus on bringing the breath into the lower belly, feeling the belly filling, causing the hand to rise. Continue inhaling slowly and intentionally until the belly balloon is full to bursting. Exhale slowly with control, slowly emptying the belly, feeling the hand sink back towards the spine once again. Don't worry if you don't feel the breath in the belly at first or if you are still breathing into the chest. Stay with the practice and simply imagine the breath going into the lower belly.
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