Tag: breath

Breathing Change Into The Moment

Millions of people all over the world know the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” first recorded by Sam Cooke in 1963.  This song speaks to so many things – among them the hope for freedom of a people “enslaved” for so very long, the inevitable change that occurs in daily life, the connection and bond between people that can help to create change, as well as the intentions that lead to change.

This is a deeply soulful song, and when breathed into quickly becomes alive and vibrant.  By it’s very nature hopelessness, judgement and misunderstanding can be transformed into possibility, clarity and compassion within a few breath moments.  This is what happened for me this past week when I found within me judgement and misunderstanding.  These places within ourselves are particularly difficult to face, especially if we see ourselves as compassionate and aware most of the time.  But trust me…they are there.

A few months ago now I had an experience within the contact improv and free movement dance community that made me avoid a certain person and make a number of judgements about him that it turns out were not accurate nor compassionate by any means.  In the name of supposedly “protecting” myself an assumption was made.  These assumptions were based on projection and not on the truth of this particular person.  It was through another that I learned about some disabilities that could have kept this man from ever even trying to move and dance….but instead he was there and “dancing” seeking joy, pleasure,  and freedom just as all of us on the floor that night.

In the moment that I learned the truth about this person compassion and understanding came flying in.  In those breaths that held the clarity a deep change arrived within me.  I, like anyone else does from time to time, fell into the error of making judgements based on assumptions.  I was completely wrong about what I had judged.  Within a few breath moments everything changed and compassion came roaring in.

Wake up call?  By all means yes!  Our mind may create stories that are based on ours or others opinions, past experiences, or judgements, but where is the real truth?  The real truth lies in the moments of breath that it takes to be willing to open awareness , to suspend judgement, and to really listen and observe from a place of openness and expanded heart.

We all walk this life together even though we may seem to be separated by race, gender, religion, or nationality.  Many changes are sweeping our world and our planet at this time.  Shall we take the opportunity to suspend judgement and wait for the breath to inform us of the” change that is gonna come” within us.  That is where it begins and ends…

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER  BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

A Silence That Is A Fountain of Action and Joy

“There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence that is a fountain of action and joy.  It rises up in wordless gentleness and flows out from unseen roots of all created being.”  Thomas Merton

Sometimes I ask myself the question, “What am I doing with this one wild and precious life?”  My mind rushes into the past and conjures up what I have done…pretty extraordinary, and ordinary, all at the same time…or it rushes into the future – into those precious few days that I have left of this lifetime.  And then, like the wild child that it is, mind comes to a complete halt stubbornly refusing to budge….and then realizes that this is the place that it was seeking all along and plops down to rest in the stillness of the moment.

The silence where all is born, the creative well of possibility which delivers the clarity that reveals the next action to be taken.   And at the same time complete and absolute peace, well being, and yes – joy.  There is a saying “if not now, when?”  Over and over we rush headlong into our days forgetting that all around us there is a continuous fountain flowing from unseen roots feeding us from source

There are many roots we can choose from in order to drink from this fountain.  The breath is one of these.  Opportunities to connect in intimacy abound. G. I. Gurdjieff in “Views From the Real World” says:

“Our mind is like a cabby who sits in a pub and drives passengers to different places in his dreams. Trying to work with the mind alone will lead nowhere. The power of changing oneself lies not in the mind but in the body and feelings.”

What if, as in my yoga class today, you chose to root yourself in the breath, the souls of the feet,  the openness of your heart, or any single point of focus and allow the sediment of your day to drift down to the bottom of your being and clear the way for the experience of now.  No pretense.  No defenses.  Simply sharing internal worlds from an open heart and willingness to connect intimately with yourself, others, nature….. the world.

How would your life be then?

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Gratitude to Keith Kachtick of Dharma Yoga, Austin, TX for once again an extraordinary class!

GAYE’s WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Pure Spacious Presence

Between the head and feet of any given person is a billion miles of unexplored wilderness. ~Gabrielle Roth

Both Dennis Lewis and Gabrielle Roth speak of spaciousness to explore in the quotes above.  Using the breath as a vehicle for exploring this spaciousness is a practice that is well worth your time and attention.  Have you ever spent a day, or even a moment, exploring the spaciousness that is opened up within the presence of your breath?

Let’s take this and ground it right now.  We can talk esoterically or spiritually….but what is it really like to do something no one – including yourself – ever imagined that you could achieve.  That would take a full embrace of everything you are – this spacious Presence Dennis Lewis speaks of and the “wilderness” that Gabrielle Roth suggests.

Purpose and capability is part of this exploration.  Wander through the video below about Kyle Maynard.  His journey speaks to the pure spacious presence that can be found when you say yes to, and embrace, the full present life that you have been given.  No room for anything less than this after seeing what Kyle has embraced!

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Breathe Into This Moment of Beauty

When faced with the depth of natural beauty that this picture of Alberta, Canada clearly evokes one’s breath is almost “taken away”.  Right in this moment in fact my attention is taken by a stunning bird with bright blue wings standing on my fence outside of the window.  As I watch the bird my breath is embodied and the moment is captured on my lifeline.

How is it that we are faced with unquestionable beauty every single day of our lives and yet we allow it to pass by?  A girlfriend and I were having a discussion about money the other day as we walked around a beautiful Austin lake.  Like the breath and the flow of the water in the lake, money is meant to circulate.  The inhale of receiving and creating….the exhale of letting go and giving out.

This natural cycle of breath, nature and wealth happens in each moment making us increasingly aware of flow and the very experiences that make up our ground of being…and that of everyone and everything around us.  All pulsing with life and begging us to immerse in the beauty of the moment being breathed into and out of.

Not all of our life moments seem beautiful. We often contract around them as if there won’t be another moment or another dollar…or another smile or sunset.  Is it our ultimate demise that has us forgetful and rushing to grasp the next experience? Yet what if we saw each moment as an opportunity to breathe more fully…to actually pay attention to our life now.

Like another friend of mine who is taking a mindful photography class.  She is taking on the practice of waking up to life flowing through the gift of the senses.  As you view the exquisite video below – meant as a promotional video for Alberta, Canada – remember to breathe into the moments of beauty, movement and awe…this is your life!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

WEBSITE:
www.ResonanceWithLife.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

This Is The Way, Breathe Within It

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”  – Isaiah 30:21

What if within the passage below you added the word “Breath” in companionship with “Me”?   There is great inspiration to be found out in the world – within nature, our Spiritual beliefs, and within others.  But what if we realized for just a moment that we also carry something with us that can provide not only a means towards a healthy, vital life – but also guidance as we step forward.  Not a voice behind us…..but the simple breath taken in and given back out.

I AM LEADING YOU along a way that is uniquely right for you.  The closer to Me you grow, the more fully you become your true self–the one I designed you to be.  Because you are one of a kind, the path you are traveling with Me diverges increasingly from that of other people.  In My mysterious wisdom and ways, I enable you to follow this solitary path while staying in close contact with others.  In fact, the more completely you devote yourself to Me, the more freely you can love people.

Marvel at the beauty of a life intertwined with My Presence.  Rejoice as we journey together in intimate communion.  Enjoy the adventure of finding yourself through losing yourself in Me.

Take some moments this week to be present to what your breath is telling you and be willing to listen.

*A tight and contracted breath when interacting with another may be telling you to let go and be present within the moment in the fullest sense.  An entire relationship can change as it is breathed into.

*A held breath might provide wisdom as to what is making you afraid.  Awareness of this can be transforming.

* A rapid and shallow breath may take you into understanding what you may be running away from as you slow the breath down.

*A full embodied breath can lead you to a deeper enjoyment of the delicious moment before you and an anticipation of the next.

The quality of our breath and the sound it makes travels with us wherever we may go.  Might it not be a wise idea to pay attention?

www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/