The average human takes about 20,000 breaths per day, and yet most people don’t really give breathing much thought until perhaps they are coughing from a glass of juice going down the wrong pipe. But this simple act; this sustaining, inescapable wave we ride to survive, and our most intimate way of intermingling with the outside environment, has always fascinated me on so many levels. Because it’s something we either can do consciously or unconsciously, awake or sleeping and we can even purposely stop breathing (hold our breath) if we so choose.
Breathing is one bodily function we have a strange amount of control over and interaction with and I’ve come to find with also studying ancient teachings such as the Vedas (Pranayama), is that the breath is a bridge. With breath-work, we can learn to control other bodily functions such as heart rate and thought-processing. And then we learn to open doors to higher states of consciousness as focused breathing leads to calm connections to your silent center.
When we take even one moment in our day to take a big, deep, focused breath, we are giving ourselves the chance to connect with our body, rather than running on auto-pilot. Focused breath is nourishing to the soul and replenishes the spirit with the pure essence of life. This is why we “sigh” when we are at a loss, irritated, etc. It is an innate response to push our exhaustion out and away from us through our breath and thus then pull back from the ethers a quick re-connection to life-force energy.
Breathing calmly, yet deeply is one of the quickest ways to reduce anxiety and nervousness. And for the same reason, I just mentioned above. It re-centers and re-connects. And to be honest, I feel this is actually the very first step on the actual path of Spirituality. Let me explain…
When someone finally “wakes up” and starts asking questions about themselves, life, the world at large we live in, and the great expanse of the Universe, they may do what I did and feel like they need to learn EVERYTHING…NOW.
I honestly couldn’t tell you when I woke up as I came out of the womb questioning authority and making my own rules, but ever since I can remember I’ve been drawn to every New Age (even though I’m not a fan of this term), Spiritual, Anarchist, Hippie-esque, Eco-Loving, Quantum Physics, Ancient Civilizations, Sacred Geometry, Anti-Orwellian, Hidden Knowledge & History, Hermetic Laws, Pleiadian, Nikola Tesla book I could get my freaking hands on.
But the greatest thing perhaps I’ve ever read was a simple phrase that said, “Everything you ever need to know is already within you.” Reading this quote for the first time literally froze me in time, I’m convinced of that. It stood still, I’d bet my life on it.
You all know that feeling when life hits you with such a realization/revelation, it is like Source itself cracked open your soul and imparted you with a remembrance of who you are. You feel so grounded and at peace, it’s like nothing can touch you because you are in everything. 
And this comprehension opens the door to understanding that the acts of inhaling and exhaling within biological forms are mere reflections of the grand breath of Source…the pulse of Divine Creation. We are here to learn ONE lesson and ONE lesson only; that we are ONE with everything and everyone. There is NO separation. And we achieve that learning by starting to pay attention to one single breath.
With this single breath, we can see that the inhale is constricting, hard, tense. Everything feels like it’s under pressure and pushing against one another. “Matter” is condensed and space is tight/cold. The exhale is freeing and a release. It is pure expanse and movement; energy/heat. In the breath, we witness the balance that is in all of Nature; the Yin & the Yang.
And this reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine the other night about how the breath of the Universe could be applied to matter .vs antimatter with the former being the inhale (condensed to a single form) and the latter being the exhale (explosion).
To think that “breathing” is how the Universe physically creates is a mind-boggling, humbling, and heart-warming perception. We can actually witness this via Quantum wave-function. (It all starts with a sound, but let’s save that for another article).
Ahhhhhh….It’s great to be alive!
And don’t forget to inhale the good sh*t…exhale the bullsh*t! 
Tamara Rant is a Co-Editor/Writer for CLN as well as a Licensed Reiki Master, heart-centered Graphic Designer and a progressive voice in social media activism & awareness. She is an avid lover of all things Quantum Physics and Spirituality. Connect with Tamara by visiting Prana Paws/Healing Hearts Reiki or go to RantDesignMedia.com
Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.
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