Practice 2 -- The Breath of Oneness

Practice 2 ~ The Breath of Oneness

“All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together.”

— Morihei Ueshiba

“Ancient lovers believed a kiss would literally unite their Souls,
because the spirit was said to be carried in one’s breath.”

— Eve Glicksman

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness,
which unites your body to your thoughts.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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Exercise

Begin this practice by becoming aware of your breath, expanding it throughout your entire body. Allow your breathing to organically circulate, connecting cells and organs, blood and bones. Feel the beauty and elegance of your body’s intricate design. Through each inhale and exhale, allow yourself to be filled by the Spirit and filled with Oneness . . . then permit yourself to become empty, in Spirit and in Oneness.

The Hebrew word for breath is ruach, but it also signifies spirit and wind. It is your breath that connects you with Spirit and your Soul. It sustains your Soul. Now, with your breath, animate and give expression to your Soul, knowing that breath and Soul are from one origin. Allow yourself to be filled with the breath of Oneness, which is love, joy, peace, and unity. Exhale separation; inhale Oneness. Exhale fear and anxiety; inhale God’s loving presence and power.

Imagine that you’re breathing with every living being and organism on the planet and in the cosmos. Breathe with the trees and with the ocean. Breathe with the children in Africa . Breathe with the monks in Tibet . Breathe with the saints and mystics from the past: Jesus, Buddha, Krishna , Moses, and Muhammad. Breathe with your friends, family, and community. Breathe with those you consider “different.” Breathe with the planets and stars. Breathe with all of creation and know the truth of “I AM One. We are One.” Come alive with the breath of Oneness! Dedicate your breathing as a prayer for all sentient beings. Allow a single word or phrase to arise on your lips, and send it out to the world through the breath of Oneness. In this practice, your breathing becomes a prayer and a profound act of sacred activism.

Practice the breath of Oneness for at least five minutes at the beginning and end of your day and your Soul will settle into a heavenly peace. Return to it often throughout the day in order to practice the presence of God wherever you are and in whatever you’re doing.

Affirmations

I AM breathing Life, and Life is breathing me.

I AM forever connected to my Soul in the Spirit of Life. I AM, I AM, I AM.

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James: Following one’s breath is one of the primary focuses of almost any meditation practice. It’s also a wonderful way to understand Oneness. We breathe in and out, and although these are separate actions, we need to do both to survive. If our breath went in one direction only, we’d die. Yet they are really the same. If we follow the breath and use it as our focus throughout the day, it can help us stay in a state of active relaxation; thus, we can sense Oneness to a greater degree.

Anakha: The breath of Oneness connects us in all directions. It connects us in the present moment to ourselves, to those who have come before us, to those who are here with us now, and even to those who will come after us. It’s a beautiful process: connecting internally and vertically by breathing in the Spirit of God; and also experiencing a horizontal, external link to each other through our breath. We come together through the simple awareness that we’re all actually breathing in life together.

For all the differences we might experience on the planet today, there are basic experiences we share. Everyone, in this very moment, is breathing in life. That’s really beautiful when I think about that . . . about really connecting in that sameness, in that Oneness, to my brothers and sisters around the world.

James: I like your explanation of “breathing in life together.” When you think about it, every time we breathe we’re taking in at least a million atoms that were also breathed in by Jesus, the Buddha, Gandhi, and every other person who has ever lived. Every single breath connects us with every other person and every other being who has ever lived on this planet. So each breath we take literally links us to a state of Oneness, not just in theory, but in actual physical practice. So we can use our breath throughout the normal course of our day to remember Oneness . . . just by being aware as we breathe, acknowledging our connection with every person who lives now or has ever lived.

Anakha: That’s beautiful. If I’m consciously breathing with and even for different people or places around the planet—I’m thinking of Israel, for example—then through this awareness, through my love-filled breath, I can begin circulating my compassion to Israel or to any of the areas on the planet that are experiencing separation, conflict, or war.

What if I’m able to circulate love just through my conscious breathing? You’ll notice, when you start to breathe with another, that you can actually change and regulate the pace and depth of the other person’s breathing. As I was practicing this morning, I started to become aware of different places on the planet. I could actually feel my heart soften as I experienced genuine compassion being born out of Oneness through conscious contact with my very own breath.

James: So the breath of Oneness is a tangible way we can begin the softening of our own hearts in order to feel this state of Oneness that’s all around us . . . something we can apply to the most ordinary moments of our lives.