Breathe in, breathe out. Focus on your breath and its sequence of inhalation and exhalation. Many use this focus in their practice of yoga or meditation. Because breath, with it’s rhythmic cycle, is always the first step to going deeper, to that place which is the core of all being, to that place of mystery we know as the basis of spiritual practice.
Breathe in, breathe out. Every breath we take can energize, soothe, heal, even take us on unexpected journeys of the mystical kind. Breath is, ultimately, our key to a wonderfully rich and rewarding life. Breathe in, breathe out. Our physical existence is based on breath. To sustain life as we know it, we need to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. This means we owe our lives to the rainforests and oceans which act as our planet’s lungs, manufacturing (through photosynthesis) and releasing oxygen, then drawing in and storing carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere.
Breathe in, breathe out. The world has reached a new agreement recently. It’s commonly referred to as COP21 or the Paris Agreement to fight climate change. Its goal is to keep global temperatures down to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by reducing carbon emissions. Some people will experience this global agreement as a sigh of relief, a breath of exhalation to rid the body of crushing anxiety and hopelessness. Follow this, though, with a deep inhalation filled with excitement and anticipation, and life feels magic again. Breathe in, breathe out. With each breath we have a chance to examine and explore new opportunities as to how we will choose to live in this world. Will we choose acceptance over fear? Will we choose generosity over greed? Will we find it acceptable to harm others if it is to our benefit?
Breathe in, breathe out. There are so many ways to be in this world. Will we choose short-term gain over long-term pain, or will we opt for an existence of karmic kindness? Now that we have a global climate-change-fighting framework, how will we exist in a planetary sort of way? What will we choose as a way to live our individual lives? And, how will the latter affect the former?
Breathe in, breathe out. A wise friend once explained to me how transitions are messy. Births are messy; deaths are messy; pretty much any kind of change is messy. With Canada’s commitment to fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions, I think it’s fair to expect quite a bit of mess and confusion and fear as we transition from 20th Century carbon-based energy to 21st Century green energy. With each contracting breath of fear as to what the future might hold during these times of transition, know that there can follow an expansive breath of hope for a future with scores of new green-style jobs and opportunities being thought up and created even as I write this.
Breathe in, breathe out. Imagine what prosperity might look like in this new green future that the world has agreed to pursue. Will it result in more than just the arithmetical adding up of numbers when it comes to carbon emissions and greenhouse gases? I hope so. Let’s use our second chance at life on this planet to truly get it right. But, to do so will require some digging. Take a deep breath as you profoundly explore what it means to be human on this planet, what it means to genuinely co-exist with life instead of dominate and destroy it.
Breathe in, breathe out. Find your center. Find your passion. Find your role. Be a part of something bigger than just yourself and your immediate surroundings. Recognize the important part you play in this thing we call life on planet Earth. Breathe in, breathe out. Find your connection. Understand that connection brings balance. Find your balance. Understand that each cycle of breath brings stability, while each aspect of breath brings change. Expand and contract, expand and contract. Find your equilibrium.
Breathe in, breathe out. May each of us envision a beautiful future, then together co-create a beautiful life. Now that’s in our best interest.
