…Most of the time we are asleep and we presume many things, not the least of which is breath itself. Breath is life! If we contemplate these three words alone, we can understand our responsibility in being conscious of our breath and also gain encouragement in learning how to breathe under all circumstances. In our contemplation we can say BREATH is life, breath IS life, or breath is LIFE, each emphasising a different aspect of breath to be discovered. In order to be truly awake we need to understand the importance of breath. We can, for example, follow the breath through the nostrils and watch its circulation in the body. We can see its transforming effect on the cells and molecules, and know that it can be a carrying force of healing energy to those parts of the body that need it. Our breath is not just limited to our own body but can be transmitted across time and space…

…If we are on top of the breath, then our consciousness is not submerged by our emotions. However most of us get it backwards. What consciousness we have is totally immersed in a sea of emotional turmoil.

There is hope! Through learning, first of all, why it is useful to breathe, and then learning how to breathe, we can once again get on top of the breath. The higher aspects of our being, interconnected as they are with the Higher Worlds themselves, can then work through us, carried on the wind of change that blows through a conscious man or woman. This is the necessary change from stagnation, illness and negative emotions. It is a great challenge…

…The more we work with conscious breathing, the more we will be able to live in harmony in a chaotic world. We will find that we identify less and less with situations and thus can stand above the grinding clash of opposites in the bank or supermarket. Gradually we begin to build in an inner observer that is more sensitive to the moment and so we are able to see what is needed at any one time and also know how we can best help.

If we are sitting in a room with a group of people, we are all apparently breathing in the same air and breathing out the distilled air after it has passed through our systems. Yet there is also a way of choosing the air we breathe, although only by making the experiment ourselves can this be shown to be true. It is well worth the trouble taken. The key is to choose the finest quality of air we can. This is done with what is sometimes called 'Creative Imagination'. It is not fantasy but rather an inner gift which can be brought forth as a creative act…

…Breath is life! We breathe in only to breathe out and thus we learn to balance the in-breath with the out-breath. We watch the breath and see how it enters us, and how it can be used for good. We visualise as we breathe. We breathe for others in times of stress. Through visualisation and breath, we gather the beauty and energy we need in order to be of service. As Ibn al' Arabi, a great Sufi mystic, once said, 'All is contained in the Divine Breath, like the day in the morning's dawn.'