“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”
– Oprah Winfrey
We are all born with an inhale, and we all die with an exhale. It’s what we do with all those breaths in between during our life that matters.
When was the last time you thought about breathing? Probably not lately. You wake up and breathe. You go to sleep and breathe, and during the day you are breathing without having to put any attention on the process, right? And rightfully so.
We are fortunate enough not to have to think about breathing, as we are “being breathed” by a mysterious life force. (That’s a whole other topic.) Every single time we breathe in, we are breathing in life from that grand field of loving intelligence that exists in the cosmic universe. Every single time we exhale, we are breathing out our own unique expression of life.
It is widely reported, a person at rest takes about 960 breaths an hour, 23,040 breaths a day, and about 8 ½ million breaths a year! Someone who is 50 will take about 400 million breaths. That’s a lot of breaths!!!
What do you do with all your breaths?
What do you do with all your breaths? How are you living your life? Are you making the most out of your precious life or do you spend your precious breaths unconsciously doing stuff you’d rather not do, out of guilt, or out of anything other than love? When breathing, do you breathe from the chest up in a shallow way? Do you sigh a lot, compromise your own values for the sake of others, giving way to what “they” want you to do? Do you value your own breaths?
When we are not able to breathe very well, we can’t function properly. When we don’t have oxygen to the brain, we can’t think straight. In fact, we get confused, and our ability to discern and respond severely diminishes. Make sure that you are breathing from your belly up, so your diaphragm muscles help your lungs expand, taking in as much oxygen into your blood as possible, and releasing all the carbon dioxide, which is toxic if you have too much, to keep your body functioning at its best.
Being conscious of your breathing is one way of reminding yourself that THIS is the only moment you know of having, and it’s another way to reduce stress. Be conscious of what you are bringing into your life and what you are letting go of in your life. It’s all in the cycle of inhaling and exhaling. Breathe baby breathe.
Love,
Shelley
It’s your life. Enjoy the journey. And remember to bring love into everything you do.
