Breath / Breathing

This is a poem based on mindfulness practices, yoga, and meditation that I wrote on silent retreat in contemplation of the breath and breathing. The poetry in this series highlights a facet of mindfulness practice.

Transcript

This is a mystery. Someone, I think it was Iyengar, Said that it's predestined the number we get. And so he taught and practiced lengthening to draw them out, Essentially wanting to increase how much time we have. Like a balloon, It moves, Filling up our cavity, Then holding, Holding, And then releasing. And with that, Deflating what was once fully expanded, Always this exchange. Like two animals whose nostrils are close together, Taking in the other's exhale, Creating a circular motion, Or more subtle, Almost unconsciously, The way we inhabit this space and this body, This reciprocity of animation, Nearly imperceptible, I suppose, Except it's so cold sometimes, There's a visible imprint we leave behind for a moment, Like what comes out of a chimney stack, Some energy, And then it's gone. Wanting to have fans flamed, Heat stoked, A whole system dependent on what we have to ingest, We would be nothing without so many things, Each other, This land, A delicate ecosystem, A quiet, Almost imperceptible, Goes by unnoticed, Interchange. What is it? What do you call it, Miracle? This is what I'm after, This union we can't put into words. Like a spritz cookie, Seriously, Who created that simple deliciousness and the machine that makes it? And what did we do before? And what I mean by that is the grandmother or family matriarch who so lovingly makes and gives this treat from her heart. Right now, That's what this moment is like, This gift, This art, This wonderment, This tenderness, This life that we all share. We all share the same breath. We are all supporting each other's existence, Spoken or unspoken. This is our agreement. We are waking up to, Through choice and awareness, Breath or breathing.