Breathing is the clearest channel on which we can apprehend God. Breathe (part I) was on December 6, 2017—it was reassuring to find I am on the same path. Breathing is the most elemental thing we do—even more so than eat or drink or anything else. We take breathing for granted, just like we take God for granted.
George Floyd and Covid-19 have made us starkly aware of the terror of not breathing. All of us have felt the tremor of it at times in our lives. I remember being caught in the undertow of a falls. I could see the sky, and the water was pulling me into darkness, and all I wanted was air and light. That was a brief moment, and it was awful. It’s not even a speck compared to… We all have to take a final breath, but we should make it as easy as we can for one another.
That’s one of the reasons I’m extolling the virtues of breathing. Are you enjoying it? Do you pay any attention? Are you realizing its benefits? Of course, mystics of various stripes have realized this for ages. It’s free. You can do it anywhere in privacy (unless man or mortality takes that away from you). It is healthful—your lungs appreciate the attention. It is calming. No matter the form of anxiety, stop and breathe—it will help. Not cure, just help. I’m not a scientist, but I also believe it clears your thinking. You kind of step back and see a bigger picture. It’s almost indispensable in situations of anger and frustration and hopelessness. The hard part is remembering to do it and sticking with it.
I also think it heightens your spiritual awareness. After all, God breathed in us to get us going. I’ve been doing a breathing exercise to get more in touch. In my Zen youth, I heard of a mantra/koan called the Jesus Prayer. (breathe in) Lord Jesus Christ; (breathe out) have mercy on me. I have no idea who started it—I got it from Franny and Zooey by J D Salinger. I don’t drone on with the prayer…that would be mindless. I go for ten times and then just concentrate on the breathing—then I fall asleep (no joke!) It also works if you’re bored or antsy or uncertain—not the sleep part.
I go back to my first statement: Breathing is the clearest channel on which we can apprehend God. My phone tells me that apprehend means: to understand or perceive. Obviously, understand is out of the question when it comes to God (see Job). But perceive…to me (not using my phone) that means: to get a glimpse of, to see on a deeper level. When I slow down, when I am still, when I check my breathing, my perception increases. I’ll never apprehend God, but I’d like to easier to catch.
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