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One Breath at a Time is Acceptable
Alex
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44 Comments
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Drinking Infinity
In….
…
…and…
…
out…
Yum. Another deliciously smooth sip of air.
Breathing – feels good duddn’t it?
‘specially now that you’re aware of it.
Wake Up from Your Walking Daze and Elaborate Drama
Maybe my imagination is a lil overactive, or maybe I just watch too many movies. Both methinks.
But you ever seen a movie scene with somebody passed out and then they get a vapour waved under their nose and boom – they’re instantly awake and alert.
…or ever laid down to rest before doing something, only to fade into dreamland and then snap yourself back awake?
Well that vapour is right under your nose – so to speak – all the time.
And the ability to snap yourself out of dreamland is there too.
But I’m not talking’ ‘bout the dreamland with rainbows, harems, monsters and adventures.
Nope.
The more subtle dreamland – the one that most people call their lives.
Most people aren’t really alive. They’re not in reality. They’re somewhere else.
It’s like they’re in an elaborate movie. And they’re the star. Not the hero, the star.
Caught up in crazy dramas, all sorts of problems and wildly elaborate plots.
And it feels really real. Like a dream does when you’re dreaming. Walking dream.
But it’s not reality.
It’s a fictional narrative. A movie. Based on a true-story. But only kinda.
..and you can wake up from it – you can wake up from the elaborate drama of ‘what ifs’, struggle, problems and frustration.
And you can wake up to full raw unleashed perfect immersion in life. Real Reality.
Problem-free. No struggle. No frustration.
The situations are still here. But the problems are gone. The elaborate plots are gone.
Pure, non-fictional, undiluted existence.
All it takes is one breath.
The one you’re taking right now.
One Breath at a Time is Acceptable
Sit up straight. Mouth closed. Just be. Be still. Slow it all down.
Finish the breath you’re on. Exhale fully.
Then breathe in. Slow. Long. Smooth. Unforced.
As you begin;
Notice the tingle at the tip of your nose as your breath spreads to the back of your throat.
Become aware of the texture, the taste, the temperature, the colour, the buzz.
Feel the breath dance into your diaphragm as breathes life into the depths of your being.
Blurring the light around you and imagining breathing it in may help, visualising it illuminating it’s path to the core of your chest, the light seeping and spreading into the rest of your being, warming your heart as you continue to breathe.
Focus your awareness on your chest expanding, the energy being kicked up by the first conscious breath you’ve had in way too long.
Feel the aliveness within your chest as the breath tickles your soul.
The movement. The lack of movement. The energy. The space.
Then see if you can sense that same aliveness in your hands, your arms, the top of your head, your lips, your neck, your eyelids…
Feel your being smile.
Notice where the breath is coming from, the infinite expanse all around you.
Notice where the breath is flowing into, the infinite expanse within.
Then blur the two distinctions.
As you exhale you can visualise all the struggle and stuckness and problems and conflict within dissolving, unwrapping, being released and breathed out.
Rinse. Wash. Repeat.
Melt into reality as the breath melts and permeates your being.
Feel the heightened aliveness.
Remix Your Perspective
Once you get a sense of that beyond within, that aliveness pulsing through your body, the tingly warmth of your being, …see if you can fully concentrate on it. Expand it. Zoom in.
Now notice that part of you which is noticing the aliveness. Awareness aware of itself.
Breathing happens. It’s not something you do so much as something you’re aware of and witness.
Much like you are aware of yourself being aware.
Feel your perception dilate and dissolve as you become infinitely more aware of this moment.
The aliveness. You. Life. Awareness. Everything that is going on right now.
Feel yourself blur into the moment. Feel the infinite expanse within. Feel everything slow down and dissolve into this. Life. This. Feel yourself blur into the moment – this moment.
Aware of the aliveness that you are. Melt into reality. Notice the loud depth of this moment. The details. The lack of details. The distinctness. The lack of separation. Feel it all vividly blur together.
Just watching. And breathing.
Problems, frustration, struggle, stuckness – all gets eclipsed and dissolves when you become aware of the aliveness that you really are. Right now, there are no problems. The problems are stories about what’s happening right now. Movies you project in your mind that you mistake for reality. Becoming aware of the aliveness that you are, becoming aware of real reality – is like realising that you’re in the movie theatre and not in the actual movie. And sure, you can carry on watching the movie; it it’s entertaining… but real life is way more fun.
And each breath is an opportunity to wake up from that dream.
No two breaths are the same. Each perfect and fresh and new.
Like each moment.
A new start.
A choice.
The situations may still be there but how you choose to live them is up to you. Dreamland. Movies played in our head. Fictional narratives. Elaborate plots… it’s all entertaining. And familiar. And an easy way to hide from reality. An easy excuse. An easy isolation in an effort to protect our stories that we’ve invested so much in.
Each moment.
A choice.
Choose to be caught up in the elaborate fiction, the stories, the problems, the diluted existence.
…or choose to live. Right now. Unleashed. In reality. Immersed in life.
A choice you make with each new breath.
You’re about to make that choice. Not long until you breathe in again.
Which choice are you going to make?
Unleash Reality
Alex
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Alex lives on the bottom tip of Africa where he rides lions into the sunset and raindances to the sound of the universe laughing...
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***** Previous Article: Emotional Sleight of Hand: 5 Practical Tricks to Feel Good Right Now *****
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Hey Alex!
Thank you for making me slow down and appreciate the now… I need that today. I’m so caught up in thinking what I need to be doing in the future, what new job I need to find, what amount of money I need for this or that, and even when I need to start getting ready for plans for tonight…. I’m so far off of the NOW. Getting into the now is so simple, yet so elusive. Yet your post describe it’s tangibility so well.
Karen
http://www.dreaminthelife.com
Hey Karen!!
another amazing comment. if my post made you feel full now, your post made me feel full happy
so glad it had that effect
keep well karen booo!
a
damn dude. Powerful post. Crazy how wonderful breathing really is. It’s funny… while reading this I felt the excitment in your words. I can’t say that about many other blogs I read. This post really ties the theme of your blog together which I like.
The moment we stop replaying our ” horror films” is the moment we truly begin to experience really being. Our movie isn’t created by the past or future but from the now.
Bud you legend!!
super glad you likes
…and thanks for the kind words. really means a lot.
keep well mate
alex
I love to deep breathe and most of, cultivate awareness of not just the breath, but the buzz of my body being alive. It is very subtle. Once I do that for a few minutes, I feel at peace. I really loved your article and the way you wrote it. Just beautiful. Thanks!
Dayne
TheHappySelf.com
Hey Dayne!
Yip. that’s what i was hinting towards.
breathing is just one cool way that you can use any time to reconnect to that aliveness. that life. that oneness.
just didn’t wanna get tooooo deep. might bust out some deepness soon though
so glad you liked
means a lot.
…and great to see you ’round these parts
keep well mate
alex
This was a really, really great post. I was so moved reading it and it really made me think about living and making the choice to live every moment to fullest. Loved reading this!
Dani Deluxe!!
so glad it had that effect.
makes it really worthwhile.
so thank you
Hey dude, this is a really great post.
“Right now, there are no problems. The problems are stories about what’s happening right now” – always a good reminder
I like it when you write long posts, though I think your style suits shorter and more frequent posting, if you know what I mean. Snacks of pure presence.
Note what time I’m up btw, getting out to the gym.
Hey man
really glad you liked it. told you it’d be the LOG
to quote ozzie. for ozzie’s sake.
yeah. length depends on the space i’m in mostly methinks. how creative and lalalala i’m feeling as opposed to logical. got my circadian rhythms on lockdown now time wise so can crank it out easier… but i also prefer shorter posts
damn man. 7am gym. yikes. 7am stats is fine. but gym?!
respekt-o
Hey Alex!
thank you… Keep up the great work.
I got really lost in this post, really poetic and mesmerising
Jen
Hey Jen!!
glad it had that effect… and still made some sense
can’t even explain the amount of text i deleted cos it sounded way too happy clappy ‘lets just hold hands’ – too poetic
but finally found a way to make it make sense and still sound like we’re sitting under the poetree 
of course i keep it up. always
this won was a lil delayed because been back at university these past two weeks – 6AM wakeups and lots of work… but back in the swing so i’ma keep it coming 
keep well jenny dearest
alex
There is more to smell even; research has shown that smell is actually the sense that creates the strongest memories. So smells of a memory will be stronger tied to a specific memory than for example, the surroundings of that memory.
And deep breathing is good indeed. The reason (for me at least) is that shallow breathing means you are mostly working with your brain, being cognitive. When you breath deeply, you are more in touch with your emotions. That is why people tell you to ‘take a deep breath’ sometimes…
Hey Jesse
interesting. never heard about memory link but def read some interesting things about sense of smell… more and more lately i’m interested in textures and spacial feelings. the elusive 5th scent. and maybe beyond. maybe not a scent at all, maybe my imagination
never thought of shallow breathing as being logically or cognitively correlated… but i def know that when my breath is deep and smooth, i do better with intelectual stuff. maybe it’s the panic or frustration that is associated with intellectual stuff that makes breathing shallow. reverse causality. thinking makes it shallow, not the other way round.
…something been really interested in actually in terms of the best time to write and best time to do intellectual oriented things. i’m doing actuarial science – maths, stats and finance at university so i’m flipping between souper creative and souper intellectual… and sometimes it’s tough to do the one cos i’m in the other headspace. find that it switches periodically throughout the day. “circadian rhythms”.
thanks for stopping by mate
keep in touch
alex
Hey Alex!!
I tried to comment when you first posted this… but I’m afraid it didn’t go thru! :/
Anyway… good stuff, as always!! Your words really made me slow down and remember the NOW. It seems like such an elusive concept, despite the fact that that is all we have… right now. I’m so caught up in what I need to be doing next week, tomorrow, next month, or whenever in the future, that your words hit home about just concentrating on the simplicity of breathing. Love it.
Hey Karen!!
you always so happy. it’s adorable.
noticed some strangeness earlier wif comments but sorted now.
glad you likes
…and super glad had that effect.
that’s the funny thing… as you say… is that it IS an elusive subject. and yet it’s the the only subject. it’s the paper on which everything else is written.
it didn’t seem like you were really going to write it when I was there. You seemed quite stuck with it. But you wrote it really well. must of been pretty inspired when I left….
I dig the article…
“And each breath is an opportunity to wake up from that dream.
No two breaths are the same. Each perfect and fresh and new.
Like each moment.
A new start.
A choice.”
I particularly dug that part
Mikey G – defeating the dark forces of swine flu since ‘88
yeah. was way stuck. but that’s half the process… ya know, getting into the zone. the boxing zone. of glory. hyperspeed full flow.
and i finally hit the flow. after i watched bourne ultimatum. put me in the full zone. jason bourne = legend. i’ll hoook it up next time you come by. made me feel SOOOO power. you’ll see when you watch it. one of those movies ya know. like the bob dylan song “hurricane”. walking on sunshine feelin’.
thought you’d digg that part
haha.
keep well brah. and come jam thurs if pos.
Alex,
It’s funny. It seems like the message of the day according to all the blog posts is “Live in the moment.” Dani@Positively present wrote about the same thing. I wrote about how surfing teaches you to be present. No doubt, presence is something we need to master.
Hey Srini!!
really dugg your surf article. could feel how it must have been to be surfin’ it up and decide to write it. the zone. …winter here… surf time soon though
tempted to say something about collective consciousness and spooky hippy magic… but i wouldn’t say something like that
Alex, stumbled!
You nailed it. The “situations” are still there. Perspective is everything. Your emotion comes from your thoughts about the situation and not the situation itself.
Aside from that this was a unique and wonderful article. I loved it.
Stephen!!
yip. pesky thoughts about the situation. kinda what i was getting across in an article a while back called “feeling good is a choice” – not the choice to just feel good, but the choice to stop attaching meaning and thoughts to situations…
unique. couldn’t have asked for a better compliment
keep well mate
a
HI Alex,
I have been following your posts for a few weeks now and really love ‘em. You write about the things we know but we forget because we get caught up in the drama! The emotional waves. Ever been pulled under by some huge wave and gripping undertow? Say a beach in Rio? Everything is bliss…sun..surf…bikini..smiles…and then BAM! Out of nowhere we lose our footing and under we go somersaulting… not knowing which way is up? What were we fighting for…our breath! Thanks for your words. Waves of words that inspire! Keep them coming!
Francesca
PS: I too like exploring the places in between the endpoints. The gray places where life is lived. Ever thought of learning how to tango? Great place to practice breath, joining the within and the without…while listening to your partner! Let me know if you try!
Hey Alex,
Relaxing and enjoying the miracle of life is really something we need to do more. Every day we have goals to attain, books to read, bills to pay, shows to watch etc. But, most of use fall victim to our own realities and fail to take deep breathes and enjoy breathing that sweat oxygen!! Or be happy to be alive and Happy!
hey jonathan,
“enjoy breathing in that sweat oxygen” – yuck
“victim to our own realities”
-really like the way you put that.
keep well and in touch
a
Thanks for the compliment bro.
You have a great blog and wish you
much more success buddy!
To Awesomeness!
thanks mate.
really like the way your site is coming along. glorious.
here’s to lording the net
keep well
Hi Alex,
Great title for the post. Sometimes we forget that just breathing well alone can substantially improve the quality of life. And your detailed step-by-step guide is very useful, helping the reader to visualise and feel what breathing has the potential to be like.
Hey daphne!!
yeah. i made a tshirt that has the title on it ages back and decided it was cool title and idea for a post
glad it had that effect and was clear
keep well and in touch!
alex
Hey Alex!!
Thanks for the reply. You got the balance just right in my opinion, inspiring read and practical… I’ve reminded myself of ‘one breathe at a time’ quite a few times in the last few days. It puts things in context doesn’t it?
Jen
yip
it’s kinda like those games where somebody’s sitting in a chair and they get dunked in a big bath of water (they have them at the cricket here but also seen ‘em on kids shows)… only instead of throwing a ball against a target, you’re taking a breath… and instead of being dunked in icy water, you’re dunked into right now.
if that made any sense
ey Alley my man
Definitely agree with whole notion of taking a step back when things seem start becoming unmanageable, and your perceived ‘problems’ start to cloud and distract from the real problem at hand. I think this is your message behind the idea ‘take a breath’
However Im not sure I agree with this concept entirely, cos the reality is some problems are bigger than those which we ‘create for ourselves’ and I can see how the line between real problems and perceived problems can easily blur.
Then one may start dismissing the symptoms of the ‘real’ problems for those one ‘creates’. For example an addiction – but the none substance abuse type – like a TV or gambling addiction, one could start trying to breathe to resist the cravings of the addiction which could possibliy work. However the underlying route cause of this problem is not dealt with, because you never acknowledge the problem – its constantly being passed off as a ‘created’ problem.
Then you land up in a kind of limbo – never being happy because you constantly fighting this addiction, but at the same time never dealing with the addiction and thus never growing and developing past the problem.
That got a bit heavy and Im not speaking from experience so I could well be missing something here. That being said, how would you address such a hypothetical situation?
Was cool seeing you yesterday, sorry if I didnt seem ‘all there’ I was very distracted by the masses of freebie seeking students. haha
Keep up the awesome flow
Just
hey j!!
awwwsome question.
way too deep a question to get into a comment so i’ll rap to you when i see you next… awesome question though.
considering doing a series of misconceptions clarified style post series
lemme know when you game to jam. post sedona of course.
keep well man.
a
Woooshaaaa!
You know, from Bad Boys, where you have to grab your ear and say Wooooshaaa to calm you down when you’re angry
You really have a unique style of writing, nice to follow and I can really picture and feel what you’re describing!
Keep well and Peace!
Diggy!
P.s. no partying in stellenbosch soon, too much swine flu going round!
woooooo shaaaah
thanks man. that’s the effect i’m game for. really means a lot that it’s having that effect.
i’m tellin ya man. vegetarians are immune to the swine flizzle. true story
Hey Alex, you are becoming very good on this. I’m surprised, I’m actually find myself reading this the third time.
oscar!!
haha so glad
awwwsome compliment
Alex,
I think you wonderfully put your personality into your post. Loved reading it and your unique “blogging voice” makes it even more interesting and useful.
Hey Sunny!!
Thank you so much for that jamming jazzed up comment. really ‘ppreciate it
…and great to see you ’round these parts
keep well and in touch mate
alex
Nice article – following the breath is so deceptively simple and yet powerful. In sitting meditation, I found that eventually I stopped repeating my “mantra” to myself and only needed to be aware of my breathing. And being aware of one’s breath at work is highly effective for becoming calmer and able to think more clearly even under high pressure.
Hey Paul!
Yip. great description.
i seem to remember finding something my yoga teacher said to be prophetic – “the breath is the mantra”
definitely helps in calming too. i find it helps to visualise out breath as releasing ala sedona method too so ties into helping to calm like that too.
cool to hear from you mate
keep well
a
Alex,
you are so right! In fact, I am in the process of turning my life around. Got sick of missing the ‘moments’ and not getting what I want out of life. And getting it NOW!
Keep it up buddy!
Yavor
Alex,
Loved this post! For me it strengthens the notion that that sometimes the most effective things in life are also the simple things.
Thank you for comment’s about this topic about on my blog, I can’t wait to hear more from you!