I've been taking many long, deep breaths lately--- mostly to regroup and take stock of the moment. In the last post, I described the situation about my sweet and loyal pup who is dealing with an inoperable tumor on his spine. Since that time, and thanks to the wonder of both conventional drugs and a holistic vet in the area, my poor little guy has been restored to 'near normal' in terms of his quality of life. I was near tears in my deep moment of breathing last night as he joyfully and continuously squeeked a toy for almost 20 minutes straight-- a true sign that he was happy to be alive. I stopped what I was doing to go sit on the floor by him to experience his joy and breathe in the moment.... that turned into many more moments of squeeking. At any other time I may have been annoyed that I couldn't hear the news in the background. But in those wonderful moments, I too was elated that he was alive.
I'm guessing that many people are taking their own deep breaths of consciousness right now. Between the horrific weather patterns, the grueling election campaigns, the state of the economy, the various health problems, family stress, emotional and physical exhaustion and so on... these moments of consciousness are much needed to really evaluate where we are in life and where we want-- or must go.
One of my favorite authors, Pema Chodron, explores this awareness from the buddhist perspective in her book "When Things Fall Apart". When asked how she got through many of her own trials and tribulations, she answered "breath by breath". And sometimes that is the only consolation one can accept as they make it through their days.
It sounds simple-- to breathe. But once I ask someone to become aware of their breathing, it often becomes more difficult to breathe! We have made a very unconscious process very conscious and in doing so, we become labored in our most natural effort in life. Recently, a few workshop participants admitted that the request to become more conscious of their breath actually created a fear reaction. They had to become quiet and 'listen'--- something that was all too unfamiliar for them to feel at ease in doing.
But in times of stress or duress, sometimes our breath is all we have. It is literally and figuratively all that may sustain us in that moment. But it is also in that moment that the most potential for change lies. We cannot evolve without these moments of consciousness--- these pauses in which our souls can finally catch up with our human condition and instruct us for what we need to do in order to not only take the next breath, but also to learn from and grow beyond it.
While life may be about taking one day at a time, a conscious life is about living breath by breath. For me, it is not enough to simply live. I want to be conscious of every moment I am lucky enough to have.
