When you think of stress relief, what comes to mind? A quiet house? A warm bath? A house filled with family and friends? An evening out with someone you love? A weekend getaway? A seminar? Whatever your answer, know that you have a simple, effective path to peace with you no matter where you are, but the chances are you have been holding yourself apart from this calm. Although it’s wonderful, and important, to set aside time to take care of yourself, reconnect, and release the stress of the day, know that you don’t need anything at all to access deep, abiding, peace of mind. The answer lies in something you have with you in every moment: the power of your breath.
Fear, worry, disappointment, overwhelmed: all of these emotions arise only when we look outside of the now. We worry about what happened yesterday and what we did or didn’t do. We feel overwhelmed by everything we have to get through today, tomorrow, this week. We fear what may come to pass, or not come to pass, as we move forward. We are disappointed by what we went through last year. All of these concerns are either about the past or the future. Of course, you experience these emotions in the present, but the circumstances eating at you are not here. Consider that you are clouding out the peace of the here and now with these illusions and dreams about what may be, or what has been.
The most effective way to come back into contact with the serenity of presence is through your breathing. Breathing is the ultimate manifestation of presence: you have been doing it every moment of your life, and will continue to do so, and yet, you can only breathe in the here and now. You cannot take a breath for tomorrow, or yesterday. There is simply this breath, this moment. This is why focused breathing is the core of meditation. Make a habit throughout your day of returning to the oasis of peace that is your breath and be alive to the present. Pause and focus on your breath as if flows in and out, in and out. Sit in your breathing until your mind is clear of yesterday and tomorrow. Let it clear away the tension of stress and open yourself up to the now. Reach out and see that right now, nothing is going wrong. Sit and breathe and know that your life is lived in this moment, and all is well.
