The Breath - are you aware?

The Breath - are you aware?

Nothing in this world teaches us more about life and death than our own breath. Every time we inhale and exhale, there is always the possibility, right before we inhale again, that this could be our last breath. We don't like to think of it, which is why it is so important we do. The more we understand our breath, the more we will live each day fully, and stop wasting our breath on things that do not benefit our existence.

Inhale teaches us to receive, in this case oxygen. We create space in our lungs to feel life. We should do the same with things we want in our life; create space for them. This is why it is so important to exhale.

Exhaling releases carbon dioxide from our body and creates space for new oxygen to enter our lungs and to give us life again. Without the cycle of the breath; the inhale (receiving) and the exhale (releasing) life would not be possible.

The reason we get stuck in life, is because we do one too much and we get "out of breath". Some of us get stuck because we hold on to the old so much, that the new has no space to enter. In other words, we don't exhale fully. Some of us are so afraid to receive that we only give even when we are exhausted and "out of breath". We don't inhale.

Start asking yourself:

Who are you?

Are you inhaling properly?

Do you allow yourself to pause, slow down, inhale life?

Are you exhaling properly?

Do you allow yourself to release, let go and surrender to create space?

So next time you are "out of breath" or "feel stuck"

Ask yourself; Am I living the full cycle of one breath?

Hila Naftali - Psychologist and Yoga Teacher