Don’t Forget to Breathe
Eugen Herrigel journeyed to Japan to study archery with the world’s greatest masters. As he recounts in his book Zen in the Art of Archery (first published in 1953), it was nearly a year before the masters allowed him to even touch a bow or nock an arrow. First, they taught him how to breathe.
About a month ago I was on a flight and fell into conversation with the young woman sitting next to me. She had purple hair and exquisite tattoos and told me that she played bass guitar in a punk rock band. I told her that in my next life I was going to play bass in a blues band.
“Why wait for the next life?†she asked.
Why indeed!
My son Doug is an accomplished multi-instrumental musician, largely self-taught. He recently completed his PhD and started a new job, so he’s living back with Mom and Dad for a while. And is teaching me the basics of playing the bass line in a blues song.
Last evening, I was practicing and trying so hard to concentrate I realized that I was holding my breath – which did not, of course, make me a better bass player. It reminded me of the wisdom of Herrigel’s teacher in insisting that he master his breathing before he attempt to master the bow. “The only successful way of rendering this disturbance [the meaningless jumble of self-talk, moods and emotions, desires and worries] is to keep breathing quietly and unconcernedly,†the master had told him.
Hardly a day goes by without the word “crisis†appearing in news headlines. These crises are real and serious. They sometimes reach into our personal lives, for example if a family member is addicted to opioids or if our home has been damaged by Hurricanes Harvey or Irma. And they should be taken seriously.
But we should also remember the wisdom of Herrigel’s archery teacher – wisdom that no doubt we’ve heard before from others. Especially when under stress, don’t forget to breathe.
This coming week you can supercharge those deep breaths by exhaling them with a prayer for the people whose lives have been smacked by Harvey and Irma.