Breathing in Fall

Fall is not the only reason or season to breath, but it certainly provides us with a colorful splash of wonder. The beauty, the sounds, the crisp morning air that hangs so heavy with moisture as winter creeps closer every day. My absolute favorite season for hiking and walking in the midst of nature showing us how beautiful it is to "let go". Orange, yellow, gold, red, brown, green...the forest is glowing with brilliance and when I remember to gaze upwards, the contrast against the bluest of skies, well, it takes my breath away.

I ponder the sweetness of breathing on days like this. The flawless rise of inhale and fall of exhale...a perfect circle. The exhale making room for the inhale. In and out, ebb and flow, empty and full, continuing unphased, so casual and fluid. Stopping only when we no longer occupy this earthly form.

Breath is life. It does not cause me any emotional pain or physical discomfort to exhale. I don't over-think, obsess or read self-help books about this letting go process. I am not wondering about whether or not I should inhale and let oxygen enter deeply into my lungs. There's no approval to seek or options to weigh. Just beautiful, rhythmic, breathing.

Unless, of course, I decide to alter or control my breathing in some fashion. A rare complex motor task that is both automatic AND voluntary. Science believes our breathing muscles may be controlled via two separate pathways, which is why we can "take over" our breathing when needed. The research is still preliminary and while the mechanics can be fascinating, they are not my focus. Science cannot explain how glorious it feels.

No alternatives, tricky hacks or time saving shortcuts can change this cycle and I see breath as the perfect blueprint to a life of balance. Let go, receive, let go, receive. What are we letting go of? Carbon Dioxide. What do we receive and inhale? Oxygen. Perfection of balance with nature.

Flora and fauna (plants and animals), exist in harmony with this beautiful exchange of breath. Plants prefer and utilize carbon dioxide and don't have much use for oxygen. We intake oxygen from the atmosphere and return carbon dioxide. Plants use photosynthesis to assimilate the carbon dioxide in the presence of sunlight and return free oxygen. Almost all free oxygen in the atmosphere is a result of photosynthesis. Are the dots starting to connect? We utilize nature's unuseable oxygen and she benefits from our conversion and supply of carbon dioxide. It's a team effort and we both win. We need each other to survive. Period.

Can this magic transfer of oxygen to carbon dioxide be a system I can apply to other areas of my life? Nature is very straightforward in her expression and I wonder about exhaling unbeneficial emotions. Could breathing be the template for "letting go" of supressed, hidden or painful feelings? Is forgiveness just another word for exhaling the carbon dioxide? Can it work in a similar manner?

We all hold on to shit we should have long since let go of. We grab onto anger, bitterness, revenge, sadness, and hurtful experiences to our own detriment. Over a lifetime these become toxic and dis-ease comes a knocking. Aches and ailements appear and life just isn't quite as happy or free as it once was and we wonder why. The accumulation of gasses we can't use has no place to go because we haven't exhaled. We don't let go. When we hold our breath, no new oxygen can come in. Do I have space for the wonderful new life experiences and feelings or am I so chock-full of toxic waste that the "no vacancy" sign is blazen red?

I wish our emotional storage closet came with some automatic systems in place. If only there was a tipping point where negativity was simply off-gased. I have currently found no "get out of jail free" card. It takes some serious searching and willingness to sweep this closet clean.

I have now read the book "Letting Go" by David R. Hawkins twice and am deeply grateful for his insights into surrendering noxious and largely ignored feelings. As a self-proclaimed ice queen, leaning strongly toward emotional stoicism, his words have been life changing for me. Much like shadow work, he helps navigate the obstacles and provides hope for breaking unwanted and misguided default methods that have plugged up our systems.

While you are breathing and enjoying this splendor of fall, consider some areas where you could benefit from a bit of vaporizing off any emotions or feelings not bringing you joy. What are you carrying around that weighs too much?

Bring more breathing into your heart. Follow the colors and remember to look up. Exhale and inhale deeply and remember we need them both! Breath out to breath in. Give love to receive love. That includes love for yourself, love for your life. Find ways to exhale to make room for all the beauty. Create the space for love to enter your life.