Here we are, at the end of the first month of 2012. Did you set intentions-sankalpas for the New Year? (sankalpa:resolve, resolution; san is an idea formed in the heart and kalpa is a way to proceed, a vow to manifest your heart’s desire) It may be that you did set intentions, and perhaps that you even wrote them down very carefully. But what happened? Maybe you have not had time and/or energy to do much more. We can all relate to that!
During the last month of delving into my intentions for the New Year, I have become increasingly aware of the power of my breath (prana) to help me stay on track. We often hear the expression, take “one moment at a time.” I think another more easeful, manageable and helpful phase might be to take life “one breath at a time.” Because, in reality, this is truly how life unfolds for each of us! The power of our breath is as vast as the Divine. Let us remember, that the greatest gift of our breath is that it keeps us alive. In each breath, lives the Divine. God is breathing us in each breath. We so often forget this… The other great fact to remember is that we are never going to run out of breath while we are alive. When we do run out of breath, we will have died and we will have no need to worry about our breath!
The breath, each breath is an invitation to relax and de-stress… Literally and simply sitting and breathing in and out thru our nose for five minutes will create more spaciousness and calmness. The simple and remarkable act of mindful breathing (pranayama) will awaken us to sublime peace (Shanti) and joy (Ananda). The more spacious we are, the more we will be able to continue to work towards our intentions, especially when we feel like we are not making any progress.
By keeping our focus on the breath, each breath, we have the opportunity to awaken to the presence of the Divine and our spiritual power. Our breath is the gateway to awaken to Spirit and to live in alignment with the Divine. How do we do this? By simply mindfully breathing, one breath at a time. When we live with an awareness of our spiritual power, we create the energy and motivation to manifest our heart’s desires.
When we get off track and feel we are not in alignment and our intentions have fallen to the wayside, the gift of our breath can also bring us back to realignment. Getting off track does not have to become a problem-it is something that invariably will happen. The issue is what do we do when we get sidetracked? The power of our breath invites us to remember that we always have the capacity to shift and realign, to start again-one breath at a time.
Further, when we awaken to the presence of something much greater than our self, and our innate connection to this bigger energy (Self-the Divine), we are able to live from our place of spiritual power. Then, we can keep pulsing with the Divine and take one breath at a time to manifest our intentions for the New Year! Try it-one breath at a time.
If you want to learn more about the power of your breath and living in your spiritual power, join me for yoga, pranayama and meditation. Please see list of classes on our website.