The Knowing Breath
Where To Begin?
Breath is always a good place to start when learning about the nature of the mind. Breathing is an interesting phenomenon because it can easily switch between “there is the one who is doing the breathing” and, “there is an activity of breathing without the one doing it”. In other words, one can jump in and take charge of the breathing in a way that he or she wishes at any given moment, or one can be busy doing other daily things and the breathing takes care of its own thing and does all the work by itself to sustain life. Realistically speaking, however, if one were to be fully in charge and were required to consciously breathe every single moment to stay alive, he or she wouldn’t have time or attention to do anything else during the day. It is quite a serious and demanding task to sustain life, after all. Nevertheless, the subtlety of the mindfulness practice of sitting in silence and in stillness is that the practice is not about taking full control over the breathing but only knowing or being aware that there is an activity of breathing going on at the present moment. This awareness can provide us with the anchor we need for observing the mind.
Who is doing the breathing?
The phrase “letting go” is used too often these days – almost to the point that we don’t know what it really means anymore. Or the phrase goes into one ear and leaves out of the other ear right away without having any significant effect on our way of thinking. It is either because we don’t actually know how to “let go” or we just don’t want to. In any case, paying curious attention to the breath can give us a glimpse of what it feels like to learn to let go. While breathing in, do we notice that there is a slightly cool sensation at the tip of our nose? And while breathing out, is there a slightly warm sensation at the tip of the nose that we feel? If and when we are truly present with these sensations, we get a transient understanding of what it means to let go. In a sense, our ability to observe our breaths (even if it is temporary) makes us be in tune and question who it is that is actually doing all the breathing. Without a question, we know that we are in charge when we choose to pause our breathing; we also know we are in charge when we choose to breathe in or out, intentionally long or short. But when we just watch the process of breathing and rest our attention on the awareness of the breath, we are letting go – because in a way, we’re just letting the breaths breathe and we’re just allowing the breathing to happen naturally as it is.
Only Breathing…
As we already know (even if it is only in theory), there is freedom in letting go. But how far are we willing to let go? How badly do we want to be free? In a conventional sense, however, “letting go” implies a feeling of a loss. For example, we let go of a marriage, and we lost it; we let go of a house, and the house is gone. But in the grand scheme of “letting go”, these examples are just the tip of an iceberg. The difference can be pointed out if we apply the “letting go” idea to the process of breathing here. Quite obviously, when we let go of breathing, it is not like we lose our breaths, we die. It is not a loss. But it is not a gain either. It just is – only breathing. We do not lose anything; we are only letting it all happen the way it is meant to be.
What To Do Now?
Sitting in stillness and silence may not sound like the most exciting thing in the world. It’s not only counterintuitive but can seem downright boring at first. But when we anchor ourselves in the simple awareness of our breath, we begin to uncover the true nature of our minds. As we grow in this awareness, we learn to let go and connect with the world in a way we never thought possible. In each moment of mindful awareness, the truth of our existence is revealed. This is where we find the peace and happiness we've always longed for.
At Recovery Collective, we specialize in a truly holistic therapy approach. By integrating mindfulness, bodywork, and breathwork, we help you connect with your inner self. Reach out to us for a consultation or to schedule an appointment.
