True breathing is like a flower blooming. If we hold our breath, the bud never opens.
~~Chungliang Al Huan
No one seems to be breathing normally these days. The state of the world is reflected in our breath—erratic, shallow and labored. Why is it that at the times we need a deep breath most, we find ourselves lacking the very thing that keeps us all alive?
I spend my days talking about the importance of body, mind and soul—the trinity of the human condition. Breath is related to each, yet in different ways. We all know the body can’t survive without air passing in and out to get oxygen to our organs. Without adequate air, our thoughts become muddled, we lose memory, our judgment is off and we feel confused. But what happens to the soul when we fail to breathe in this necessary element of life?
To answer this, we must first remember what the soul truly is: it is the energetic essence of who we are. It is not a physical aspect but it holds the greatest substance of our being—all of the energetic material that makes each of us unique. Without the soul, we would all be the same; we would be carbon copies of every other human on the planet.
Air is energy as well. In fact, it is the elixir of life itself, activating us to animate the physical nature of all that lives. Without oxygen, everything would cease to exist. Nothing would either survive or thrive.
When it comes to conscious evolution, or the willingness to knowingly participate in one’s progression throughout life, breath takes on a different meaning. As philosopher and dancer Chungliang Al Huan said, “When you hold the breath, you hold the soul.” This has two implications. In a nurturing way, when you intentionally prevent the intake of air, you pause long enough to cradle your sense of being—you stop the world so you can more fully access and acknowledge who you are. Breathing then, becomes the vehicle to becoming more conscious and aware. On the other hand, if you hold your breath or only take in shallow ones without thinking, you block the soul’s most natural state, which is joy and contentment. When we fail to slow ourselves down, we not only overlook what needs attention, we also deprive our innermost ally of attaining its most natural state. We prevent our conscious evolution and stifle both the healing and growth of our soul.
We cannot lead a soulful life if we don’t stop to breathe. Many outrun their lives and their souls, some intentionally staying busy to avoid having to face themselves, their fears and/or their faults. However, our problems and challenges have a way of finding us in one way or another. At times, this may happen through the manifestation of health issues to slow us down (colds, aches and pains, or more serious illness or injury, emotional upset (whether or not recognizable as messages from our innermost self) or through various ironic or unexplainable events. Regardless of the method, our soul and the Universe seem to conspire to help us wake up—or at least pause to gain insight into whatever it is that we may try to avoid.
It won’t surprise many when I say I’ve always been a high achiever.
I knew from a young age that I was supposed to accomplish a lot and went after every opportunity to learn, grow and advance myself in whatever made sense. Of course, some of this came from insecurities and never feeling good enough in my early years, but most stemmed from my unending drive to pave my way for a fulfilling future. At the time, I didn’t really know what I was driving myself toward, I just knew I had to “get a lot done”. In college, I pressed hard to complete papers and exams then inevitably got sick or had a migraine which stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t know these were messages from my soul to slow down; instead, I saw these experiences as inconveniences and something that got in the way of moving forward.
Eventually, I learned that the source of many of my migraines came from holding an unrealistic pace. My brain would literally swell and prevent me from pushing on. Once I learned this, I did pull back to balance my life and I haven’t had a full migraine in over 25 years. It has been a long time since I even felt the beginning of one, but when I do, I know the cues and promise myself and my soul I will redirect my behavior. This always stops the progression and I can go on with a slowed pace and more relaxed approach to whatever I’m doing.
However, habits die hard. At the beginning of the pandemic, I kept hearing Spirit tell me, “Just rest. Just rest.” Even before COVID hit, I had been driving myself hard with purchasing a new office space, renovating every single inch and building a whole new group of professionals to work together at what I called “The Soul Health Center”. I had also been thinking about writing another book and providing a variety of workshops to educate others about the soul. After the pandemic shut us down, I my work ramped up. As a helping professional, I worked to get clients on the calendar to support them through the unprecedented event. Because we couldn’t really interact with friends and family, I directed my “off” time to redoing my back yard, spreading mulch, etc. All the while I still heard, “Just rest. Just rest.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t stop to listen and breathe as directed. I ended up tearing the meniscus in my left knee and believe me, there was NO WAY I couldn’t stop and slow down at that point. Now as I write this, I chuckle to realize I became a “good patient” mostly to overcome my limitation quickly so I could get back to work. The funny thing is that exactly four months to the day of injuring myself, I fell through my attic floor into my meditation room as I did my annual weatherizing for the fall and winter. Once again, I was sent to the couch to ice my body, heal, and yes—to rest. This time, I took the healing process more slowly and seriously, spending even more time reflecting, journaling, reading and watching inspiring movies and documentaries. I did, in fact, rest, breathing my way back to health.
If you’re going to injure yourself to the point of limiting your activity and movement, there’s no better time than during a pandemic when you are already expected to lay low and stay to yourself.
How do you use breath to lead a more soul-centered life? Several years ago I created an acronym for B.R.E.A.T.H.E. to help others live more intentionally. Below is an explanation of that acronym.
B—Breathe into the experience. Pause to observe yourself.
R—Release the need to control an outcome.
E—Experience the moment for what it is. Learn, observe and reflect.
A—Appreciate your awareness. Acknowledge your insight will help you evolve.
T—Thank yourself for your willingness to learn about your experience.
H—Harness your truth. Own your growth and intention to evolve.
E—Exhale as you breathe into the next moment. It holds equal wisdom.
We literally would not live without breathing air and we will not evolve without breathing into our experience to extract the lesson held within the moment. Ask yourself how you can “hold” your breath to embrace each moment for your infinite growth.
Remember to breathe. It is, after all, the secret of life.
~~ Gregory Maguire
Katherine T. Kelly Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
With 35+ years of direct clinical experience, Dr. Kelly doesn’t just believe in helping others to heal; instead, her mission is to help them to evolve. Using her own integrative and trademarked framework—the Soul Health Model—Dr. Kelly approaches her work with clients from a “whole person” or “whole organization” perspective. She provides a uniquely progressive, yet down-to-earth approach and is well-known in therapeutic, medical and corporate communities. She thrives as she helps clients and organizations to reach what she calls “conscious evolution” through a variety of self-designed strategies. Her dedication to healing has been widely recognized as she was the recipient of the Provider of the Year Award by the regional Mental Health Association and was nominated as an Incredible Woman for a local community television network, which spotlights role models to inspire young women to pursue their own passions.