Breathing in, pause, and breathing out, pause.  I read somewhere a quote from the Buddhist tradition that there is only one thing that we absolutely have to do, and that is to breathe out, that everything else is a choice.  While I do not under any circumstances advocate for stopping any part of one’s breathing process, I find this quote inspiring, if you can excuse the pun.
 
When we breathe we do so with purpose – we are staying alive.  We do so with rhythm – gathering in and letting go.  We do so with harmony – balancing our inner being with the expanse of all around us.  When we pay attention to our breathing we have the opportunity to improve our experience of life, build our inner sense of ourselves, and integrate with the energies of the world around us.  On our projects of healing, self-discovery and personal growth, our breathing is one of our team-mates.
 
So, breathe, and do so consciously, without changing anything else except bringing your conscious awareness to your breathing.  What do you notice?
 
Do you notice any physical sensation in your body?  As you continue to breathe, notice each sensation and then let it be.  For now you don’t need to do anything with it as your body already knows what to do.
 
As you breathe do you notice your thinking patterns?  These can be like a busy shopping mall on pay day, full of intense bustle, until we find that item on that shelf in that shop that we are searching for, and the bustle fades from our awareness for a moment.  So, notice the bustle of your thinking, and let it fade a little bit, as you focus your awareness again on your breathing.
 
Are you able to tune into your emotions as you breathe?  Is there joy, fear, anger, sadness or some version of these arising within you?  Again, notice any emotion as it arises; acknowledge it – “Hi there, anger.”  “Hi there, joy.”  And then let it be, bringing your awareness back to your breathing.
 
And continue to breathe, breathing in, pause, breathing out, pause…
 
Does the air you breathe have a smell or taste?  Are you aware of the temperature of the air, the quality of the air that goes into your body and comes out of your body?  Again notice and allow it to be as it is, while you return your awareness to the activity of your breathing.
 
Are you able to hear any sounds, from within you, or from somewhere around you?  Listen carefully for a few moments, to hear the sounds behind the sounds, and then let them all be, while you give your attention again to your breathing.
 
Do you have your eyes open or closed?  Either way, what is the quality of light that you are receiving?  Notice it for a few moments, notice the subtle shades in the light around your field of vision, and then soft focus your eyes, letting go of the detail, and return your awareness to your breathing.
 
So, now, softly settle your attention just on your breathing, without analysing, judging, or criticising, but just noticing your own breathing.  And if your attention should surreptitiously slip away for a little bit of distraction, when you are ready, you can gently bring it back to rest in peaceful awareness of your breathing… breathing in, pause, breathing out, pause…
 
And as you do this exercise, before you finish it, notice what the experience is like for you after having tried it.  Do you notice any positive changes in your experience of yourself?  In your body?  In your thinking patterns?  In your emotional energies?  Invite any positive change to continue to be with you for the rest of your day.
 
As we breathe in, and pause, and breathe out, and pause, we have also allowed our attention to rhythmically move to our breathing, and then to some other experience in the moment, and then returning to our breathing.  Like ocean waves we have been moving towards and moving from and moving towards and moving from.  As long as we are alive we are breathing and engaged in rhythms of life, intimately connecting with the life within us and the abundance of life that is all around us.
 
Developing a sense of your own self, growing in relationship with all of the life around you, it all begins with breathing in, pause, breathing out, pause…