 • by Dawn King • Sometimes we find ourselves swept up in the frantic pace of today’s demands. It can throw us off center, make us feel out of sorts or overwhelmed. Each moment we have the opportunity to bring our consciousness back to the calm center of simplicity within. Just take a conscious breath.
Like a deep-sea diver, breath is our life line to existence here in a physical body. Without breath we lose our connection not only to here and now on planet Earth, but to our own spirit as it’s functioning here. Spirit will go on after the body loses breath, but in life we regain our spiritual connection and strength each time we take a conscious meditative breath. Yoga teaches us a lot about breath.
In our daily practice, we can combine frequent conscious breaths with consciously calming and centering ourselves—remembering we are spirit inhabiting this body for only a short time in eternity. This is exactly what we do in meditation, which can lead us to life-changing revelations, feelings of complete love and joy, states of ecstasy.
When I take a conscious breath during a busy day, I recall the peace, or the joy, or some other tremendously comforting experience from a meditation. It could be from an experience I had many years ago. These experiences are precious gems that can develop like illuminating crystals within us if we continue to honor and recall them.
Brother Lawrence wrote: One way of easily recalling the mind is not to let it wander during the day. I keep myself in God’s presence by simple attentiveness and a loving gaze upon God which I call the actual presence of God. Or to put it more clearly, an habitual silent and secret conversation with God. The more we keep our minds on God during the day, the easier it will be to do so during meditation.
Your own spirit wants to lead your life, to give you all the wonderful insights and experiences that would inspire you to find joy in each day. You only need to take a breath with complete desire and openness to experience the unconditional love your spirit truly knows as its own.