Weaving more silence into the fabric of our days doesn’t have to be complicated. We just need an anchor, an inner reminder. Some people wear a red thread or a special necklace, some carry a talisman, a coin, or a stone. All well and good but easier to remember is something we’ll never be without, our breath.

We take more than 20,000 breaths a day. The rhythm of our breathing is our constant companion. It can also be a reminder, a meditation, or simply helping us ground into the present moment. Our breath can guide us to become increasing mindful and we always have the opportunity to practice. When we slow down to notice our breath it becomes clear where we hold on or where we flow.

Each in and out breath can bring greater awareness to what we wish to cultivate in our lives and what we wish to release. Let your breath be a mirror for what you truly desire or let it be a reflection of your soul. We can all get caught up in the endless doing and drama but all it takes to dissipate some of that chaos is a deep breath. Let your breath take you inwards, let it bring you home, back to center, or closer to nature.

Maia Toll talks about breath as the basis of our reciprocal relationship with nature. Every breath we inhale is the outbreath of a tree and our every exhalation is a tree’s inhalation. We breathe in oxygen which trees breathe out and trees breathe in carbon dioxide which we breathe out. We are intimately connected to the natural world through our breathing. We are each other’s breath. Sometimes it is the smallest truths that hold the most power and show us just how connected we all really are to each other and the environment.

Our breath can bring us back to this truth. Nothing fancy. Just real. Grounded. Constant.

The way to be more in touch with ourselves is by remembering to breathe deeply no mater else what is going on. Inevitable confrontation, breathe. Sticky situation, breathe. Transcendent joy, breathe.

Find yourself again and again in every breath.

kb