Conscious Breathing is My Anchor—Even in Times of Isolation

"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." —Thich Nhat Hanh

Many years ago, I was a preschool teacher and took children swimming a couple of times a week. I had twin boys in my class, Charlie and Joey. Charlie was a little frog, easily meeting all the goals to get his swimming badge, but his brother Joey was petrified of the water. He was devastated that he couldn’t earn his badge like Charlie. It bothered me that we put Joey in that position. Why do that, I thought, when he can’t help having his fear?

Finally, I said I wanted to work with Joey. Every day, I told him, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. But I’m here for you when you’re ready. And when you can jump in, you’ll get the badge.”

One day, I was in the deep end and I heard “Miss Mary! Miss Mary!” I turned and Joey was coming toward me, mid air. He had thrown himself straight into the deep end. He just needed to know that someone was there and follow his own timeline. 

It’s like that with breathwork. When you have someone present with you, it helps you go to a beautiful place. You can be bold and daring and plunge into feelings you’ve been avoiding. 

Maybe that scenario feels like the opposite of what you’re facing at the moment. We all have pandemic fatigue, and it can seem as if we’re being thrown back, again and again, into isolation. Maybe it’s not as intense as it once was, but these times continue to challenge us on different levels. 

I’m hearing things like, “I’m exhausted and overwhelmed.” “I’m so over this.” “We take one step forward and three steps back.”

We were not born into this time by accident. But what is the message we are supposed to be learning? 

Think about the birth process itself. The mother feels the contraction, the birth progresses, then feels stuck. She is not in control and must give in to a power much stronger while the baby moves at its own pace, emerging from the darkness. 

In the same way, we must allow the soul to lead rather than forcing our will. Collectively, we are moving into a new dimension. 

This is where I look to whales as great teachers. They can travel among many dimensions. Sperm whales can dive as deep as 2000 meters; that’s more than a mile! They reach amazing physical and energetic depths. 

The ocean is a different dimension from the earth. It can be a dangerous place and many are afraid to dive into it. When we view the ocean as a metaphor, we ask, “How can we meet the new world of the ‘ocean’ as an earth being?”

Time is another dimension. We’re letting go of our will-centered, patriarchal past, and moving into a soul-centered time, guided by love and the divine feminine. How can we meet the future if we don’t trust the present?

The answer is: the breath. It’s the one thing that brings the present to life. When you surrender to the breath for even one hour, you will go on a journey, just like you would if you were to dive into the ocean. You will meet your soul, your deepest self. You will connect with your intuition about who you are and why you’re here.

When we let ourselves just breathe and BE, we allow the soul to step forward and take the reins. Our will lives within the limbs of who we are—in arms, legs, bones, and movements. We tap into the soul through our senses—eyes, taste, ears, heart and feelings. It’s the soul that’s connected to the universal rhythm and that’s where healing occurs, on the collective level. 

As a breath facilitator, I hold space and allow you to release stuck energy. I encourage you to listen and then move from that place of listening. When you give your monkey mind space to quiet, you find that your breath is always there for you, even when you’re discouraged or frozen in fear. 

It will meet you when you’re ready. 

"Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment." —Thich Nhat Hanh