Breathing Is Underrated

A few years ago, I noticed that I had gotten out of the habit of breathing. I mean, really breathing. Taking in this life-giving substance called oxygen, fully and deeply and regularly.

In my early years as a child and then as an actress in tune with her “instrument” I had been a good breather. As I’ve gotten older though, no longer in the environments of voice, acting and dance classes and performing, I’ve forgotten to breathe.

I noticed this couple of years ago. One day I was at my kitchen sink washing dishes like I’ve done a thousand times before, and I noticed that I was stressed—physically, emotionally, mentally. And I thought, “Why? What could possibly be stressful about washing a pan?”

And what I noticed was that I had stopped breathing, that I was holding my breath. “Hmmm, how long has this been going on? How often throughout my day does this happen,” I wondered.

And why? Was I stressed and stopped breathing, or did I stop breathing and become stressed?

Both. Creating a vicious cycle of blocked energy. Around and around we go. And it happens dozens of times throughout the day.

We have something amazing called a body, that moves and stretches and breathes, and is more than an apparatus to carry around our minds.

Take a breath. Take a deep cleansing breath. Allow yourself such a gift…multiple times a day.