Dear Breath,
You are my life energy, my life support, my life-long companion.
You have kept me alive with such sincerity. You have been witness to all my joys and have stuck with me through thick and thin. Sometimes doing a gentle whiff when I am in a vacant mood, at other times, a nimble walk while I am happy and pleasant; at yet other times, gasping and panting in different rhythms while I frantically deal with my inner demons – my anger, fear and grief – as they arise from the airtight prisons of the dark basement of my unconscious mind.
Oh how little have I acknowledged you for this unflinching loyalty. How mean of me! I once read somewhere that ‘obvious’ stands for that which is right in front of us, yet not totally apparent.
Dear breath, you are most obvious – right there but most inconspicuous – just like God Himself. You keep me alive but ask for no compensation – just like God Himself. You are with me all the while, but neither impose nor demand – just like God Himself.
The day you choose to let go of me, life will choose to cease. Isn’t it then right to say that ‘Breath – thy second name is life’? Oh, just this thought, overwhelms me with such gratitude towards you – the divine air that cruises along my body’s air passages, nourishing my cells with all they need and relieving them of all they don’t.
As I write this, I close my eyes and I thank you dear breath, for tending to my life and my well-being. This life that you give is so beautiful in all its colors. The visit to this planet may be a fleeting one but it is full of God’s bounties. Bathing one’s self in the whole gamut of experiences and emotions that life offers, is akin to becoming a rainbow, that delights and takes pride in every hue of its own.
Thanks for giving this life to me, dear breath. I love you. And unlike most people who are ignorant about your power, i am privy to the secret that your bosom teems with gifts, waiting to be bestowed upon those who have mastered their dance with you. I too take my chances and do my dances – my breathing practices.
I pull you gentle and I pull you hard. I run you slow and I run you swift. I swing you seamless and I swing you in staccato. I savour you in every possible way. And the more I revel in you, the more you bless me dearie, with the rich treasures that only you – the source of life, possess.
Just like Alice who goes down the hole to find herself in a land replete with wonders, every time I sincerely ride your wave, dear breath, you too transport me into a world of sheer delight – that pure place of bliss, joy and vitality – well beyond the dirty grip of strangling emotions. That state lasts as long as it lasts, until I dance with you again and rediscover the bounties!
I have made it my life’s purpose, dear breath – to explore you – in all your nooks and crannies, to surrender to you and that way discover your treasures, to do all that it takes to introduce you and your ways to others, so that they too can find their bliss in you, the way I have.
Oh, what a delightful affair it continues to be, to tap dance with you in tandem, and dwell in this divine romance! Oh breath, my beautiful bride!
