Midweek Pause: Nourish

“Be in harmony with each breath, each moment, and know that in giving yourself this time to develop awareness and a steadiness of attention you are nourishing spirit, head, and heart. Let it be an adventure, and in the silence and the stillness that comes with practice you”ll discover wonders here for you, now.”

—Elena Rosenbaum
“Guided Meditation: Awareness of Breathing“

CONSIDER: how simple the act of breathing is. For most of us it happens with out effort and most often without awareness. The very basic step of placing awareness on the breath changes everything. Our posture, our pulse rate, our racing mind. This is nourishment plain and simple. As we seek ways to nourish ourselves in an effort improve our health, let us not miss the most elementary and fundamental source of nourishment, our own breath.

Do: take small breathing breaks today. Thich Nhat Hanh, in his mindfulness guide, You Are Here, suggests using a cue from your daily life as a reminder to bring your attention to your breath and come into the present moment. Your cue could be each time your glance at the time, each stoplight while driving, each time your child calls out, “Mom,” or each time you open the fridge. Find you cue and take a break of 5 cleansing breaths to nourish your body, mind and soul.