Have you ever had an experience where you were so focused on trying to fix something and then out of the blue, the solution appeared right before your eyes?

I have.

The solution was always there, but I was looking in the wrong place.

This is how I feel when it comes to my breath.

I have shared many times, how I spent my early years scrambling to try and find peace, always looking outside of myself for solace.

For most of my life, my breath was something I overlooked. I took it for granted.

At the time, it felt like I was battling my breath. When I focused on it, it made me feel even more anxious.

To think, the very thing that was keeping me alive, the same thing that connects me to Source, and I was in constant fear or conflict with this moment.

The anxiety and inner turmoil got so intense and yet gratefully, something within me opened and I had the willingness to let go and trust.

There was a part of me that wanted to live, rather than just get by.

There was a part of me that wanted to feel, rather than numb myself.

When I started to feel my breath, I started to feel my body, and I started to feel alive.

In a world that can feel so complex and out of control, it is possible to find solace in knowing we don't have to look outside to feel safe and whole.

The breath is within.

We can only observe our breath in the present moment - not the past or future.

So, anytime we stop and take a conscious breath, we guide our mind and awareness to this moment and a deeper level of consciousness.

In its own gentle way, the breath brings us to the present - by being itself.

Something so simple and yet so deeply transformative.

The breath is a mystery, everchanging.

The breath is within you and me, and it is there waiting to provide support and comfort. It is simply a matter of noticing and connecting with our breath.

As I take a deep breath right now, I feel gratitude.

How do we take the first step to make this connection?

In simple ways.

Right now, pause and take a breath.

Notice your breath as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

Take a moment to consider, what would happen if,

We were curious about getting to know our breath in a more intimate way
We had the willingness to let go of stories of what the breath is or isn't.
We let go of trying to breathe the right way.

The body is breathing whether we notice it or not.

When we make a conscious choice to observe and connect with our breath, we are connecting with a friend who is there to support us.

If you have tension or a feeling, ask the breath for help. Take a deep breath, and breathe into the feeling or tension. This is powerful.

When we let go, we can lose sense of a ‘me’ breathing, or ‘my’ breath - there is just breath.

We dissolve into Oneness.

What does this look like for me?

When I wake up in the morning, I focus on my breath and notice the breath flowing through my body. As I lay there, I say, "I am grateful for…."

During the day, I stop, pause and breathe. I welcome life into all parts of my being. It's simple, transformative, and it's a choice.

When I'm lying in bed at night, I connect to my breath with gratitude as it flows through my body. I enter sleep with meditation.

The breath has been my longest relationship.

From the moment I was born, we've been together. It has provided me with so much healing and improved my overall well-being. It can do this for you, too.

We take our breath wherever we go during the day, so what better way to soothe our body, mind, and soul than to stop, pause and say 'Hello, Breath'?

Peace, comfort, and wisdom are within us, and the breath will take us there, one breath and one moment at a time.

In loving kindness,

Diane