“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
Breath.
It's something we all take for granted. The average person will take over 672,000,000 breaths in their lifetime. I doubt most of us give our breath much thought - our body does it without our paying attention to it. In fact most of us are only concerned about 2 breaths in particular - our first, and our last. (The fact that so many people willingly poison their precious breath dismays me - but I digress.)
I would like to say that I am a person who is conscious of my breath - that, in practicing my own brand of mindfulness, I often return to my breath and use it as a centering force in my life. Sadly, this is not the case. (Resolution??) Yet dealing with a minor chest illness has caused me to consider the importance of my breath. When a bout of coughing that is associated with this illness strikes, every breath becomes uncomfortable. This becomes especially unpleasant at the end of the day, when it's time to begin a time of rest and relaxation!
It seems that we often do not notice things about ourselves until they are taken away from us. Perhaps it's as simple as a sore hand or foot, causing difficulty in handwriting or walking. It may be more complex, in the case of an internal injury or illness that make anything painful. My discomfort is minor, but it illustrates an important point - nothing in life can be taken for granted because it is very easy to lose it, especially something so precious as one's health.
I'll venture more into this topic as my thoughts evolve, as it certainly deserves more consideration when I have a little more time. My run was short today, a simple 2 mile recovery on a treadmill followed by weighted chest and back exercises.
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