Sit or stand comfortably,
But with good posture and erect spine.
You may wish to close your eyes.
For this meditation,
Breathe in and out slowly,
Deeply,
And gently.
Consider the air that you are breathing now,
A mix of nitrogen,
Oxygen,
Argon,
And various trace elements and compounds.
Each breath contains an astonishing number of molecules,
More than all the grains of sand in all the beaches and the deserts of the world,
More than all the stars in the observable universe in each breath.
And with your next breath,
Consider how these air molecules are entering into your lungs,
How the oxygen molecules in particular are flowing into your bloodstream and being carried to every cell in your body,
Literally becoming part of you.
On your next breath,
Expand your focus to encompass the room where you are now,
In the larger building.
Consider how the air is circulating through the rooms of this building,
How this same air,
These very same molecules which you are breathing now,
Have circulated and will circulate through the bodies of the other beings in this building.
On your next breath,
Expand your focus to encompass the surrounding neighborhood or campus or city,
The larger community where you are situated.
Consider how the air is circulating through this larger community over a larger time frame,
How this same air,
These very same molecules which you are breathing now,
Are circulating through the bodies of the other beings in the larger community,
Humans but also other animals as well as plants who take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
On your next breath,
Expand your focus to encompass the larger biome or ecosystem,
The larger ecological community,
Be it swamp or forest or prairie or mountain.
Consider how the air is circulating through this larger community over a larger time frame,
How this same air is circulating through the bodies of the even more diverse beings of the local ecosystem.
These very same molecules which you are breathing now have been and will be exchanged by animals,
Plants,
Even fungi and innumerable bacteria.
Even the fish are breathing oxygen which dissolves from the air into the water where they dwell.
On your next breath,
Expand your focus now to encompass the entire continent where you are.
Consider how the air is circulating over this larger landmass,
Comprising numerous different but interconnected ecosystems.
It takes several days for the winds to move across the continent,
Yet still the same air is circulating through the bodies of the beings who dwell here,
These very same molecules which you are breathing now.
On your next breath,
Expand your focus to encompass the entire planet.
Consider how the air is circulating over the surface of the earth,
Permeating the soil and dissolving into the oceans.
This same air is circulating through the bodies of virtually all the beings who dwell here,
These very same molecules which you are breathing now.
It takes only a matter of weeks for air to circle the globe.
And on your next breath,
Expand your focus even further in time.
Consider that this same air,
These very same molecules of air which you are breathing now,
Have been circulating through the atmosphere for hundreds,
Thousands,
Millions of years.
With each breath,
You are drawing into your body molecules of air which pass through the lungs of Cleopatra,
As well as countless dinosaurs,
Indeed of virtually every living being that has drawn breath on this planet.
And this atmosphere not only sustains life,
It is a creation of life.
Living beings create and sustain the atmosphere.
This air we breathe is a gift of the early ancestors.
With each breath in,
We take in the results of their great creativity.
With each breath out,
We give back.
Hold this image of the swirling,
Interconnected,
Living earth.
Hold this image within you.
To know is to love.
And on your next breath,
Slowly open your eyes.
As your mental image dissolves into sight,
Carry this vision forward.
You can bring your knowledge of interconnection into your daily interactions and dealings with others.
Thank you.
