Ions of Breath

Breathof life or spirit. The English word spirit comes from the
We live in an amazing time - a time of deepLatin spiritus which means breath but also soul. In Egypt
awakening and transformation, profound rememberingbreath was called ka which was seen as the
and rich experiencing. As we move through this timeconscience or guide of each individual, urging kindness,
we get to face fears, feelings, and thought forms thatquietude, honor and compassion.
have been denied or pushed aside. It is a greatTaoism refers to the Breath as part of the creation of
blessing to meet and accept ourselves on all levels, toHeaven and Earth. Yin, the 'dark side', is the breath that
embrace ourselves as a whole, look deeper then weformed the earth. Yang, the 'light side' is the breath that
are used to, and open to immense growth, increasedformed the heavens. Cherokee Medicine believes that
awareness, and heart-opening expansion.breath and saliva contain the powers of the life-force.
It is a great time to be alive.In Chinese medicine, the term for life, energy, breath or
We have been given many useful tools to aid us inspirit is chi (Japanese ki) which is comparable with the
healing, awakening, and embracing our transition to aHindu yoga term prana. It is said that breath, chi or
new way of being. The Universe has blessed us withprana is transformed by the metabolism into subtle
many incredible teachers and messengers, poets andvitality that follows certain energy channels in the body,
dancers, leaders and masters to serve our highestand it is related to the state of health of an individual.
good as we remember our true Essence.Knowing how to use breath skillfully for the highest
One of the biggest yet simplest blessings given to us isgood, and bringing its knowledge and unlimited potential
knowledge of our own Breath.to our practice and everyday lives, awakens us to the
Deep Breathwork has actually always been ahighest knowing and deepest wisdom of ourselves
powerful tool for awakening. Its power, simplicity andand the world. Actually, this knowledge and power of
humble availability have been attracting millions ofbreath or spirit is already within us. It has been covered
people to learn about it and from it for ions.up by patterns of subtle contraction, resistance and
Breath has been a common tie between differentshallow breathing accumulated through series of
religions, spiritual practices, eastern and westernpsychological and emotional reactions and repressions
psychology, biology, and other disciplines for manysince childhood. Yet, it is possible to uncover the
ages. All of these pillars of thought, to one extent orunlimited potential of our breath quite effortlessly
another, emphasize the Breath as our connection tothrough teaching and reminding our bodies the way
God, Source, or The Power Within.they were born to breathe, the way that opens us to
Early Greek Christians spoke of pneuma which isour endless ability to receive and give to life within and
breath and more than that - the soul, that which iswithout, effortlessly with deep satisfaction.
divine. Jewish people called it ruah which meant breath