Every Breath You Take

Both the title of an excellent song by The Police, and also perhaps the most powerful tool we possess, both from a physiological standpoint, but also psychological.

Of course, without respiration, we’re dead. On the basic level, that is obvious. Further still, the complexity and wonder of how gas exchange occurs in the lungs, moving oxygen into the blood and to every cell in our body is easy to forget. It happens autonomously for most of the day, without us even realising.

Each time we tune into to our breathing, noticing every breath we take, the effects can be profound. We can feel more calm, relaxed, and focused on the physical level. Endless patterns of breathing styles, exhales, or holds exist to provide avenues for us to manipulate our breath in beneficial ways. This is not news to you.

Whilst tapping into the limitless reservoir of breathing patterns or exercises is almost always useful, simply observing our normal, random breathing, as it naturally flows in and out of our body can be equally valuable. It is the baseline state through which we can notice our moment-to-moment impermanence, or allow ourselves to feel reality as it exists, undisturbed. From this simple focus , I’ve found that immense gratitude and perspective arises. You can begin to appreciate the myriad ways in which our bodies keep us alive, working in the background of every moment. Everything hinges on another breath coming in, then yet another going out. Stopping to watch it all unfold in that light can prove very grounding in my experience.

I was motivated to write this because I don’t think I really understand the full importance of our breathing. It is fascinating and undoubtedly crucial, both as a vital life function, and a Swiss Army Knife of a physiological tool, but I think there is more. I’d like to explore it more deeply from all angles. We’re already equipped with it by default, so we might as well learn how to best leverage it.