Breath of Life

Breath of LIfe

Once upon a time there was a village in a distant land, surrounded by high mountains and lush valleys, called Vashista Gufa. In this village lived a wise old sage named Kaalagha, whose teachings were sought by people from far and wide.

Kaalagha was known for his deep understanding of the spiritual power of the breath. He believed that the breath was a sacred bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds and that it contained the essence of life itself.

One day, a young man named Zephyr came to Kaalagha's humble abode seeking guidance on his spiritual journey. Zephyr was restless and longed to find meaning and purpose in his life.

Kaalagha greeted Zephyr with a warm smile and invited him to sit down. He began to share with him the deep wisdom he had gained through years of contemplation and reflection.

"Zephyr," said Kaalagha, "your breath is the gateway to your innermost being. With every inhalation and exhalation, you connect with the eternal rhythm of the universe. Pay attention to your breath, because it is the key to self-realization and spiritual awakening."

Zephyr listened with fascination as Kaalagha continued: "When you breathe in, imagine that you are drawing in the life energy of the cosmos and filling every cell of your body with divine light and wisdom. And as you exhale, let go of all tension, worry and doubt and allow them to dissolve into the vastness of the universe."

Zephyr followed Kaalagha's instructions and focused his attention on his breath. With each inhalation, he felt a sense of peace and clarity come over him, and with each exhalation, he felt the weight that had been weighing him down fall away.

Days turned into weeks, months, years, and Zephyr diligently practiced the art of conscious breathing. He discovered that he could anchor himself in the present moment through his breath and leave the worries of the past and the fears of the future behind him.

One evening, as Zephyr sat in meditation, a deep realization came over him. He understood that the breath was not only a means to find inner peace, but also a way to connect with the divine essence that permeates all of creation.

Suddenly, Zephyr noticed a small injured bird perched on a nearby branch. Its wings were broken and it seemed to have lost all hope. Zephyr's heart filled with compassion and he gently took the bird in his hands.

As Zephyr held the fragile creature, he felt a warm breeze caress his face, and he heard a gentle voice inside him whispering, "Breathe life into it, for the breath of all creation flows through you." These words were once spoken to him by Kaalaga.

With these words in mind, Zephyr closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to inhale the life-giving air that kept him alive. As he exhaled, he directed his breath towards the injured bird and shared his own life force with the delicate creature.

To Zephyr's amazement, the bird began to recover, and over the course of the week, its broken wings began to heal and its eyes sparkled with renewed vitality. It stretched its wings and took to the skies, soaring high above the river and free once more.

Overwhelmed by this wondrous encounter, Zephyr realized the profound truth that the breath that kept him alive was the same breath that connected all living beings. From that moment on, he became a guardian of the natural world and dedicated his life to protecting and nurturing the interconnected web of life.

He embarked on a journey to find out more about the breath. He read many books in his mother tongue, Tamil. He longed to know everything about air, breath and life force.

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Translation: "The world revolves because of the vitality of the living; this alone is the essence of life."

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Translation: "For the happy, there is no greater joy than self-control, for it ensures that evil does not take hold."

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Translation: "Think of the one who thinks of you as if your life depended on it, and remove the enmity."

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Translation: "Those who forget their breath of life are considered dead."

"Rama, with a controlled mind and a regulated breath, is fully aware of his every action." (Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda)

Zephyr found that air is the ingredient, breath is the mechanism and life is the product, and that these three are interwoven to become God.

"Like wind, breath is invisible but omnipresent. Like breath, the divine is subtle yet omnipresent." - Ramayana

In the Ramayana, characters are confronted with the consequences of their actions, and it is implied that a person's actions in this life determine his future outcomes and potential for rebirth. When a man aspired to action, the breathing patterns changed accordingly

Every animal, every bird, every fish and every plant breathes according to a different pattern. Only man is able to learn every kind of breath through his free will.

The breath of the child is soft, deep and gentle; that of youth impulsive, fiery, impetuous; that of man in the fullness of his vitality, wide, deep and persistent; until old age and second childhood, when it subsides and seems to fade away like a lullaby in those who have spent their days in the practice of virtue; and finally, imperceptibly, it closes like the sound of music passing over calm seas or through unclouded atmospheres; it becomes so imperceptibly fine that the tranquilized listener scarcely perceives the moment when it ceases to be heard.

Or we inhale most deeply when we have objects of natural joy before us. We open ourselves to take in the elixir of the morning in great gulps, the ambrosia distilled in the sweet breath of the flowers that fill the summer garden with fragrance.

The lover breathes most where the sphere of his beloved radiates a subtle joy; the kind and faithful husband who has surrendered from the harsh struggles of the outer world to the welcoming voice of a pure, devoted wife

wife. And how they both breathe a sigh of relief together as they caress the childlike pledge of their tender affection or observe the rambles and joys of sporting childhood.

The contrasts too. When the lungs have to inhale a foul atmosphere, they absorb it in minute quantities. We involuntarily hold our breath to protect ourselves from foul odors and toxic inhalations. The lungs constrict and breathing becomes difficult when we are with our rivals and mortal enemies. The pure woman holds her breath in the presence of libertines, and the chaste man carefully and sparingly sucks in the atmosphere that whores breathe.

Moreover, when we have resolved to do deeds that may affect life or destiny, the resolution is accompanied by a full, drawn-out inhalation and exhalation, as if we were raising ourselves up with the collective force of the powers of the air.

And when great deeds are to be accomplished, we inhale fully and then strike. Gluttons and drunkards breathe uncontrollably, but the breathing of the temperate man is also temperate and chaste.

The learned man breathes in a calm equilibrium that is conducive to thought processes.

The artistic man breathes many-sidedly, his breathing, like the pointer of a scale, recording the moods of delight, of doubt, the birth pangs that accompany the development of his works, the triumphs of a rich and exquisite performance.

The craftsman is graded on a lower scale in his breaths, the lout on an even lower scale. Think of the ox and horse breath of the agricultural laborer and the pig breath of those who are of low and stupid character.

The fisherman breathes dreamily, calmly, and in accordance with the soothing influences of the angle; the hunter with lively elasticity and mercurial freedom.

Note again: the breaths of a mob moved by violent passions are themselves a horde of violent breaths, whirlpools in the air that gather into a whirlwind and explode.

If a controlling spirit, powerful with a magnetic art of speech, succeeds in calming them, their breaths calm down in long, even waves, like the sea after a storm.

People control their breath by controlling their passions.

The child discharges its anger in small, stormy gusts. The dangerous people, hellish or earthly heroes, breathe while moving with a calm force, the winds are gathered as if in a hand cave. In the caves of jealousy, in the human breast, the dormant air forces are evoked by everything that powerfully appeals to interest, avarice, generosity, hope, love or imagination.

Men listen with dilated bosoms when their favorite object of desire flares up in stately speech or reaches them in the power and majesty of a singer's voice or the accompaniment of an orchestra. But wherever thought rises, or love soars, or hope soars beyond natural desire into a purely spiritual realm, the thinker and the listener undergo corresponding increases in breathing, become more refined, lose volume, until finally, at the climax, the entranced audience sits with bated breath, or the solitary thinker remains for the moment in breathless silence.

Similarly, in the highest reveries of religious feeling, the ecstasist almost loses his connection with the natural air, and prayer in its final intensity is accompanied by breathlessness.

It is to be observed that as the spirit leaves the realm of natural things, breathing becomes weaker, aggravated and lost: utter despair hardly breathes at all, and utter faith in the supreme hour of its transfiguration is also at the end of its respiration.

At the first shock of great sorrow we fall back, and the lungs lose their hold on the atmosphere in a temporary paralysis. But at the same shock of a sudden joy too great for the heart to hold, the movements of the breath stand still.

As a rule, as we plunge into the physical nature, the purely natural breathing becomes stronger and more vigorous, while the exit from nature is equivalent to a stoppage of breath. Abnormal mystics retain only a fluttering of the air in their trance states.

People gasp for air in painful colorations and cling to the receding columns of earthly auras as if with the hand of the lungs.

But where, under favorable physical circumstances, those who are ready or willing to shed mortality walk, mysterious vibrations resound in the depths, intimations of a gentle detachment of the spirit from the flesh and finally an extinction of breathing from the nostrils, as if the spirit were slipping out of its ethereal garment to enter unclothed into the bosom of its god.

The higher, the new, the divine-natural respiration is quite different; or rather, it retains all that is the lower as its basis and fulcrum, builds upon it and uses it for its service.

The good man, who possesses only the natural respiration, seeks God in prayer; but when he rises to the heights of communion, where speech is drawn up to thought, and thought then comes to rest in the silence of love, scarcely a breath is felt in the body. It comes down from its height because it lacks the lungs to breathe. The step beyond is the end of breathing and the spirit's exit from the abandoned body.

With the new breathing, it is diametrically the other way around. The highest prayer is not connected with breathlessness, but with breathlessness; and the nearer we come to the sublime object of our worship in the disinterested fullness of our love, the more abundant becomes the flow of that divine atmosphere which, pulsating through the spirit, expands and enlivens the breast.

In every act of worship, then, a marriage takes place in the breast, in which the heavenly atmosphere glides down into the bosom of the earthly atmosphere and fertilizes it with its own eternal qualities. This is the great point of distinction, but the point is the center of a universal circle.

Zephyr traveled through forests, mountains and meadows, spreading the message of unity and reverence for all living beings. Along the way, he encountered wise ancient trees whose leaves whispered ancient wisdom and flowers that bloomed in vibrant colors, reflecting the beauty of the world.

Zephyr shared his teachings with people from all walks of life, inspiring them to recognize the sacredness of every breath and the deep interconnectedness of all existence. He urged them to honor the animals, birds, plants and fish as their kin, for they all shared the same life force that flowed through their bodies.

As Zephyr's message spread, people began to see the world with new eyes. They realized that every breath they took was a gift, a connection to the intricate web of life that nourished them. They learned to appreciate the animals that roamed the land, the birds that filled the sky with their song, the plants that nourished them and the fish that swam in the rivers.

In this newfound awareness, humanity found a deeper sense of purpose and harmony with the natural world. The air they breathed became a sacred bond that reminded them of their responsibility to protect and nourish the interconnected web of life.

Each breath is a precious gift, a reminder of the interconnectedness with the vast and intricate web of existence.

From that day on, with every breath, people remembered the sacredness of life and the deep connection that links them to the animals, birds, plants, fish and all other living beings on earth. And in this remembrance, they found the inspiration to live in harmony with all of creation and to breathe in love, compassion and gratitude with every beat of their hearts.

With this newfound understanding, Zephyr felt a deep sense of gratitude for the breath that kept him alive. He realized that every inhale was a gift, an opportunity to take in the life force of the universe, and every exhale was a chance to let go and let be.

The ultimate aim and advanced stage is that to retain the inhale without exhalr. It is important to focus on the inner prana instead of looking for external sources of energy. By gently blowing the breath into the center of the forehead, known as puruva madyam, and igniting the "fire eye" (sushumna), one can transcend one's desires and attain enlightenment. This process involves regulating and controlling the breath and directing the life energy inward to achieve spiritual growth and self-realization.

Armed with this wisdom, Zephyr returned to the village and shared his experiences with others. He taught them the art of mindful breathing and showed them how to connect with the sacred rhythm of life that is inherent in every breath.

As more and more people in the village adopted this practice, a profound change occurred. The air seemed clearer, the colors brighter, and the bonds between the villagers became stronger. They realized that through their breath they were not only nourishing their own souls, but also fostering a collective harmony and unity.

And so the village became a sanctuary of mindful breathing, where people from all walks of life came to find solace, healing and spiritual growth. They revered the breath as a sacred gift, a reminder of their connection to the divine and to each other.

The legacy of Kaalagha and Zephyr lived on as generations carried the wisdom of conscious breathing. And in every breath they took, they found the gateway to love, peace and self-realization, transforming their lives and shining that light out into the world.

And so the story of the village and its inhabitants became a timeless reminder of the profound spiritual power inherent in the simple act of breathing, inviting all to embrace the present moment, connect with their innermost being and embark on a journey of self-discovery and awakening through the sacred breath of life.

Zephyr is celebrating birthday today. Zephyr means breather of air in Greek.

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