Breath as a Bridge to Meditation

The practice of meditation connects me to my breath which is the bridge between body and mind, and this quiets the mind long enough to stop the cycle of judgements of shoulds, should nots, and what ifs. 

Slowing  down, being mindful of my breath, and breathing s-l-o-w-l-y brings my mind and my body into synchronicity.  My undisciplined mind jumps around from thing to thing; from joy to sorrow, from ecstasy to despair, and will not focus.  As my mind moves around in this chaotic fashion my body responds with sensations of anxiety, stress, anger, joy, or love.  It becomes a jumble of emotions translated into my physical self.

Drawing my mind and body into this synchronicity of balance creates a space to enter meditation.  My breath is the bridge to this happening.  Slowly breathing in and breathing out I begin to trace the path of breath in my body.  I experience the sensation of my breath and follow it through my body; slowly releasing out, before breathing in again.    

With my in breath I bring life into my body, with the out breath I release myself to the invisible, and then return to bringing that back into me again.  It has been calculated we breath in and out 21,600 times a day.  Breath is the essence of life, and by becoming mindful of my breath I am connected to my meditation.

As I breathe in and out I become conscious of the rhythm of my breath.  The sound of so-hum etches itself in my mind.  With my exhalation there is the sound of hum; my little self moves out to merge with the cosmos; and as I inhale to the sound of so the cosmic force flows back into me.  So with each out breath I merge with the greater self, and with each in breath I am reborn to me.  The sound of so-hum keeps my mind focused on this awareness.

Being conscious of my breath I am allowed to discern my thoughts and actions, and I can begin to live impeccably in each moment.  It is through this conscious awareness that I can effectively be present in the now.