Conscious Breathing I

The Breath of Life
Charla Shamhart

Charla Shamhart

In Sanskrit “prana” literally means “breathing forth” the universal life force.  In yogic teachings it is the life-giving spark in the air that we breathe.   Though the “Breath of Life” is non-material and invisible, it contains intelligence and has been likened to a spark which ignites the motor.

This subtle form of energy is brought into and stored in the body, animating it and increasing the fire of life within.   It is through the spiritual essence that we feel the presence of Creator as in when we get goose bumps all over and a feeling of knowing without knowing HOW we know.   The ability to store this life essence in the body also means that we can use it at will to expand our connection with Creator

Breathing is the bridge between mind and body; the connection between consciousness and unconsciousness.   The “Breath of Life,” nishmat hayyim in Hebrew, is synonymous with ruach, a word commonly used for the Holy Spirit in the Christian Bible.   It is also used interchangeably for wind, breath and the human spirit.  In Latin anima means breath or soul whereas animalis, the adjective form, means HAVING breath or soul.

What oxygen is to the body, prana is to the Soul or Spirit within.   The concept, found in so many cultures, of the Creator making humans from the dust of the Earth and breathing into them the Breath of Life to animate those bodies, illuminates the dual ideas that not only does all physical life come from the Earth, but also that it is the life-giving quality of prana that quickens the consciousness.

Prana may also be thought of as the food of the soul.   Should we not take the time to nourish our soul, which is immortal, as well as our physical body, which is temporal?  It is prana that brings us into communion with the essence of life itself.

We develop our spiritual connection with the higher realms and come into a perpetual place of inner knowing, inner wisdom and inner guidance from consuming an abundance of prana.  It is of interest to note that breathing is the only physical function that we can perform consciously as well unconsciously; it can be a completely voluntary or involuntary act.  Breath is also dualistic in as much as it is controlled by two sets of nerves, one belonging to the voluntary nervous system, the other to the involuntary or autonomic system.  Breath is the bridge between these two governing bodies.   When we turn to that expanded awareness within we come to know that the Creator’s Breath and Spirit lives within each of us and gives us life.

The awareness that they contain permeates us and brings us health, balance and wholeness on many levels, including the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.   By learning to store and direct this prana, this Breath of Life, we are better able to understand the Spiritual Masters’ teachings regarding the expansion of consciousness.

Swami Vivekananda, of the Vedanta system of Yoga from India, says this of prana:

 “Suppose a man understood the Prana perfectly, and could control it.
What power on earth would not be his?  He would he able to move the
Sun and stars out of their places, to control everything in the Universe,
from the atoms to the biggest suns, because he would control the Prana.
This is the end and aim of Pranayama.

English/Tibetan Master Ding Le Mei concurred with this view when he wrote the following in his 1932 book Life’s Elixir,

“Breath is Life!  We have all heard this before, but the sentence has
lost its true meaning for us.   All life is expressed in forms, in embodiments
…men and women, trees, flowers, the earth, the heavenly bodies, in all
things in the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms.   You are a human
being.   You are a live human being, of grace and beauty or homely and
dejected, because of your Breath, which IS YOUR LIFE.”

Since each human being is a carrier of Creator’s Breath, Spirit and Mind, it therefore seems logical that this is the reason why focused breathing and deep relaxation are such powerful tools for healing and health on all these levels.   The Breath of Life permeates us, guides us and brings us awareness of our Divine Selves.  Spirit speaks to us when we enter the inner chamber of our mind, where we find both our Higher Self and that which we call God.   Breath is free, but you must remember to breathe and not just to move air in and out of the body, but to truly breathe, correctly, so that you may commune with that Presence Within.

South African author, playwright and blogger Nymph Kellerman writes:

“Breath is a rhythm, the life-rhythm of every living cell.
Breath is an activity, the rhythmic activity of every living cell. 
Breath is a force, the active force behind every living cell.
Breath is a truth, the Divine truth in every living cell.”

Kriya Yoga, an ancient spiritual tradition from India which was taught by Yogananda, places the utmost importance on the breath.  It teaches that breath control is self-control; breath mastery is self-mastery, and that it brings a state of deathlessness.  According to the Bhagavad Gita, verse 5:27,   “We are to fix our attention in the pituitary, take a very short breath and touch Him (meaning God) in the pituitary (the pea sized gland housed beneath and within the folds of the brain) and in the fontanel”  (the soft spot at the top of the human skull which allows for its expansion, or contraction).

 If we are seeking that which will bring us speedy progress on our spiritual pathway, we need look no further than this.   The Breath of Life is that tool which, correctly used, can be a safe, fast track back to one’s Divine awareness.  It has the amazing ability to open the consciousness, thereby enabling us to clear away the cellular and genetic blocks that come from wrong thinking and beliefs.

 In his Book of Secrets, Rajneesh, also known as Osho, says, “If you can do something with breath, you will attain the source of life.  If you can do something with breath, you can transcend time and space.  If you can do something with breath, you will be in the world and also beyond it.”

Begin to learn now, how, to “…do something with breath,” the Breath of Life, the Breath of God.   It will change your life forever, but you must DO IT, not just read about it!  Words are nothing; ACTION is everything.

© 2014 Charla Shamhart