Breath

A little late again this week on the Pagan Blog Project, but at least I am posting 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about our breath.

On a purely biological level, breathing is crucial to our survival as it brings oxygen into our bodies and gets rid of the toxic-to-us carbon dioxide.

On a magical level, it’s also critically important.  With our breath, we can bring energy into our bodies, and with our breath we can direct energy to a specific point.  Our breath is life, and with that life we can control energy.

Martial Artists, for example, understand the power of syncing your breath with your movements.  If you hold your breath, you quickly become tired.  But if you breath in as you setup for a strike then out as you land the strike, you find that there’s a lot more power in that strike.  It’s not just your physical strength that’s hitting them.  You’re also hitting with a bit of your magical power, your Ki, and that makes the strike even harder.

If you’re trying to stop someone from coming towards you, or going away, or are just trying to get their attention, you yell … only do it consciously, project your voice, your breath towards them and see the difference.  It’s not just volume then, it’s magic.

You can also use your breath to stabilize your own energies.  Try this exercise when you’re feeling stressed or frustrated:

Find a quiet spot where you can be alone for a few minutes.  In a busy office, outside is best but the bathroom will suffice.

Take a couple of deep breaths to center yourself, and imagine yourself surrounded by a warm, soft, golden energy.  Know that this is the energy of life, of the gods.

On the count of three, take in a deep breath.  Feel the air flow into your nose, through your nasal cavity, down your windpipe and into your lungs.  As the air flows into you, so too does that warm, soft, golden energy that surrounds you.  It flows with the air through your body and into your lungs.

Now hold that breath for a count of three.  Know that the air, that precious oxygen, is flowing from your lungs into your blood stream and through your body.  As the air moves, so does that wonderful warm, soft, golden energy; flowing through you, flowing into the very cells of your being.

Breathe out on a count of three.  Feel the air flow from your lungs, through your windpipe, up your nasal passages, and out your nose. This time, it leaves that soft, golden, warm energy behind.  If it is appropriate, also imagine that as the air leaves your body, it takes with it some of the frustration or stress that you feel.  Feel your body relax as the tension leaves it.

Make sure to empty your lungs completely, then repeat the breath.

Follow this pattern for at least three breaths, and you should be more energized and relaxed that you were before.

If you have the time, try repeating this pattern for nine breaths and see what happens!