We all have those rituals we do.

The ones that seem to keep us sane.

Whether it’s savoring the morning cup of coffee or the walk in the park. This is something different,  a practice accessible in all moments, and anytime you crave that same peace of mind.

For years, I ran continuously from place to place. College, careers, a booked-up social life and my get-it-done attitude left me with no time to catch my breath. The days were packed full.

This may sound all too familiar to so many of us.

I had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the path toward a life with no time for listening or paying attention to what was taking place around me. I was set on barrelling through to the finish line, to dominate my ego-centric world.

This happened until the day I fell. It was a hard fall. I tripped and skidded down the path. The realization that life was passing me by, while I was too busy to slow down and smell the roses was a painful one. It was hard and at times, an ungraceful transformation toward appreciation and awareness.

It began with a simple realization that my productivity level did not equate my self-worth. I forced myself to slow down and place real meaning behind my actions and how they made me feel. I’d lay or sit on my bed, I began enjoying the silence. I focused on my breath. I finally had time to breathe. In these simple moments of meditation, I would have colossal realizations about myself and how I navigate through the world and the existing constructs in it.

My life did a 180.

My breath caught up to me and with it the awareness of the present moment. That’s what breath brings. That’s the job of the breath.

Every time.

Breath is life.

The present moment is solely where we live.

In moments where you feel disconnected, stressed about the future, or depressed about the past, come back to your breath. It will not fail you. With it, it will bring awareness of the present.

What do you hear, see or feel right now?

We shall not fear the silence for it is when your soul speaks. We have every answer to every question we’re looking for, but in order to hear, you need to agree to pay attention. Without stopping to listen, you will never hear the answers waiting for you.

~

Author: Annette Huebner

Editor: Caitlin Oriel

Image: Katia Romanova/Flickr