It's a universal language, primarily involuntary and a natural action we do our entire lives. Breathing.
Our breathing functions around the clock sending essential oxygen to every single cell in our bodies in order for us to be able to be here right now. That's a mammoth undertaking and fortunately we don't need to remember to do it. Our physical body keeps right on breathing even when we are asleep. It so often goes unnoticed as we go about our everyday happenings, though there is deep wisdom in our breath - it can inform us a great deal about our relationship with our own life and is a powerful tool for positively shifting our thoughts and feelings, especially when we might need to ground our energies or calm the self down.
The depth of our breath speaks to us of our openness to life.
In a rested state are you more of a shallow breather or do you take long deep breaths? It can be useful to consciously breathe deeply at least once a day. Take a deep breath in to allow fresh air to fill your lungs and belly, and breathe out to release any stale air so to speak. Exhaling with a sound such as a deep sigh from your belly can feel great too.
The rhythm of our breath speaks to us of how we move through our life.
In a rested state what is the rhythm of your breath doing - is it calm, even and easeful or challenging and out of sorts? If your breath feels easeful though your life feels somewhat out of sorts you can consciously tune into your breathe to help invite more of its easefulness into your life.
The source of our breath speaks to us of our alignment with our centre.
Breathing from our belly gets more oxygen into our system. When we enter the world we innately breathe from our diaphram/belly. We are centred in our being, connected to our divine flow. However as life unfolds, we can switch to upper chest breathing which can leave us feeling out of our centre, agitated without knowing why or breathing too much/too fast. If you desire to return to breathing from your belly be patient with yourself as it can take time to reprogram a primarily involuntary action.
The presence of our breath reminds us that we are transformational beings.
Our breath transforms after each inhale, when it flips direction and upon our exhale, flows out. We can literally use our breath as a tool to consciously flip our inner flow too. By bringing our awareness to our breath it can help ground our energies whenever we might feel anxious, nervous, agitated, irritated, frustrated or angry. When our mind and emotions are in overwhelm or overdrive, focusing on our breath can create powerful and positive change in our mental and emotional states.
How are you breathing right now? Are you giving yourself room to breathe calmly from within and in your life?
I'd love to hear from you. How does your breathing reflect your relationship with life? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.
Shine on, Jelena x
© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.
Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
