”Each breath is an opportunity for a new beginning.” —yoga instructor’s words shared during our January 1st yoga session

To see the blue sky as we ramble about on our morning walk. To taste and savor a delicious bite of nourishing food. To look into the eyes of a loved one in an ordinary moment in the middle of our day. We do all of these things and more throughout our everyday lives with the support of our breath which provides the fundamental ability to be alive, to be well, to live without gasping, to live often without realizing how each breath gives us an opportunity to live more fully.

In becoming so accustom to being able to breathe freely and with ease, it becomes unremarkable, but when we live with awareness of the gift of our breath, with each breath we take, figuratively speaking, we lift the quality of our lives.

The new year began just a few short days ago, and while yes, this designated time on the calendar often symbolizes an opportunity to start anew, as our yoga instructor reminded us, we have this opportunity with every breath we take. What did she mean by this?

When we begin to live fully in the present moment, it is with each breath we take, when we pay attention to this gift, that we stay present.

• We see with clarity what is occurring, what is needed, and also know what we can give or what is lacking, but would be beneficial in that moment.
• We observe without distraction the actions, choices and words of others. We truly listen and thus hear without projection of our hopes, pain or any other emotions that we may have carried in the past when we weren’t being fully present.
• We no longer live mindlessly, doing what we’ve always done because that is the way we’ve (or others) have always done it.
• We notice with the wisdom of knowing ourselves, and honoring what we know, how we feel in that moment, how we respond to someone else’s energy or the environment’s energy where we find ourselves.
• We make courageous choices that have never been chosen before, but because we have the ability to discern what we can never know versus what can be understood paired with knowing ourselves, we also bring the awareness gained through listening with a critical thinking mind, asking the tough questions, we acknowledge what we need to learn, and we also no longer get in our own way and instead forge forward in a nourishing direction that will sit well with our conscience.

Deepening on how slow or fast you are breathing which is determined by the activities we are engaged in as well as our stress levels, the average human takes between 12-20 breaths a minute, which then averages out to 17,280 – 28,800 breaths a day (including while we sleep). So we have approximately (minus the breathing during let’s say eight hours at night) 15,000 opportunities each day to begin anew. 15,000!

It is our breath, each one we take every day of our lives, that gives us that moment to pause, ponder, how to be most fully ‘here’. To see, to experience, to witness and to engage with a loving heart that is also honoring what we need, so the term we use is to engage with integrity and loving-kindness.

When we are fully present, and the breath is our ‘post-it’ reminder of sorts to do this, we make decisions that will bring us peace long after that moment has passed upon reflection.

Let’s speak about breathing deeply for a moment because as was noted above, depending upon how fast we breathe, we may take more breaths, or fewer, in any given day. Something that is taught in the Contentment Masterclass is the power of our breath and how to use it to bring calm, clarity and thus lead us to, yep, contentment. When we breathe more slowly, we literally are welcoming into our body, nervous system and brain, more oxygen. This is calming. I don’t need to tell you that it is hard to be at peace or make a decision that isn’t rash when we aren’t calm. It doesn’t mean we are happy or that all is going well when we are calm, but, and I would suggest especially so, being calm ensures we make the best decisions in the most difficult of moments which will then enable us to be calm about how we engaged after we navigate through any difficult moments.

The physical benefits of breathing more deeply, so letting our breath originate in our core, our belly, and yes, slowly inhaling and exhaling, are plentiful: We lower our blood pressure because our heart rate is slowing, reduce muscle tension, oxygen intake increases, numerous immune system benefits are gained and relaxation-mode is activated because we are calming our nervous system which means we have signaled to the vagus nerve, which is the primary cranial nerve that connects the brain and the body, literally running from our head to the tips of our toes and fingertips.

We have the opportunity with each breath to care for ourselves well which bodes well for living a life with conscious awareness.

With conscious awareness, as was shared in this podcast episode (#391), every sense appears to be heightened. And I would venture as far to say, even those of us who are not HSP will feel more responsive to their environment in a way they never felt before. In other words, you begin to finally really ‘see’ and ‘know’ more clearly all that is happening around you because finally you are fully paying attention. The events or people may be exactly the same, but finally you are noting within yourself how you feel, why and now have the clarity and confidence to make better or the best decisions without hesitation. Why? Because now you know and aren’t doubting how you feel or are no longer uncertain if you should honor what you ‘think’ you know. Nope. The clarity is finally reached, and it all began with being aware of the breath, each one which held you in the present moment.

When we begin to realize how powerful our breath is and the gift of being fully present it gives us, we start to slow down our lives because we want to see, to feel, to know with more confidence, so that we can have that clarity which then brings us to calm and being at peace with how we live our lives and savoring when times go well and lovingly, but also with strength and trust navigating the difficult moments.

Much like the clear ice atop a pond, seen above in the photo with Nelle walking with ease above the water below, we can easily take our breath for granted and all that it gives to elevate the quality of our life. But when we finally do begin to live knowing of its gift, we give our entire lives a depth of both appreciation and awareness. May we begin, or continue, from this day forward, to let it awaken our lives to all that they can be, each and every day.

SIMILAR POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY

The Skill of Presence and Why It is at the Core of True Contentment, episode #350

6 Benefits of Meditation and How to Meditate in Your Daily Life

6 Important Skills and Abilities Gained When You Begin Living a Life of Contentment, episode #391