Spirit and breath

I have become fascinated by breath; its meaning, its impact on the mind and body, and its intimate connection with our spirituality. It is no wonder so many mindfulness and meditation practices begin with and focus on the breath.

Notice the impact your breath has on your mind, body, and spirit if right now you pause, close your eyes, and take a deep, slow breath. It is such a small and simple thing that has a powerful impact on our souls.

On a physiological level, our breath is part of our autonomic nervous system which includes our heart rate, digestion, blood flow, the function of our glands, etc. Our breath is the only part of that system that we can consciously influence or change.

Our nervous system has two main states, one is the sympathetic state which is a stress response and it is the state of “fight, flight, or freeze” – our heart rate accelerates, adrenaline is released, blood flow to our muscles increases, blood vessels constrict, pupils dilate, digestion pauses, we may begin to perspire, and we are ready for action.

In the parasympathetic state, or the “rest and digest” state, our heart rate decreases, our muscles relax, blood flow redirects to our vital organs, digestion is activated, the brain releases feel-good hormones like seratonin and oxytocin, and this is the state in which our body recuperates and is able to heal.

Our lungs are surrounded with nerves that stimulate either state. The nerves at the base of the lungs stimulate the parasympathetic state, which is why deep, slow, diaphramatic breaths are so effective at calming the mind and relaxing the body. The sympathetic state nerves are higher up in the chest area, and are stimulated by shorter, faster breaths.

The vagus nerve is a two-way communication line between the brain and our vital organs, including the lungs. Our brain sends signals that either promote the sympathetic or parasympathetic state, and conversely, our body sends signals to the brain.

Paraphrasing a passage from the amazing book Breath by James Nestor,

Most of us experience a low level of stress on a consistent basis, which prevents us from being able to fully relax. We are half-asleep in the day and half-awake at night, in a gray zone of half-anxiety. The vagus nerve stays half-stimulated, communication from our brains to our bodies is staticky. Our body stays alive but doesn’t stay healthy.

We develop aches, pains, minor dysfunctions of the body. This is due to communication problems along the vagal and autonomic network, brought on by chronic stress. Eight of the ten most common cancers affect organs cut off from normal blood flow during extended states of stress.

Conscious breathing is a way to trigger the vagus nerve and increase healthy blood flow to our vital organs and improve communication in our autonomic system. 

While all of this is fascinating and incredibly useful, there are spiritual perspectives and meanings about breath that deeply enhanced my understanding and practice with breathwork. It’s amazing to me that these spiritual meanings can be found across many religions and wisdom traditions around the world.

In Sanskrit, the word prana means energy, or life force, and it is also the same word used for breath. In the Vedas, breath is described as the lord of the bodily organs, and next in importance to the soul or Self (Atman). Breath is a means to attain higher states of consciousness, self-realization, and ultimately, union with the divine.

In Chinese traditions, qi has similar meanings. The Chinese system of conscious breathing is called qigong: qi, meaning “breath,” and gong, meaning “work.”

In Hinduism breath symbolizes life, energy, movement, purity, fire, soul, divinity, protecting power, source of speech, measure of time, and lord of the senses.

In Hawaiian, ha is the breath of life. The meaning of aloha is so profound: alo means presence, or face, followed by “ha.” So together, it is the presence or face of the breath of life. And it is believed that ha possesses mana, or spiritual power, so it is through breath that we receive our life and power.

In my first breathwork session with Louie Hamner, he taught us that the greek word for breath is “pneuma,” which is the same word for “spirit.” I later discovered that in Hebrew, the word “ruach” means “breath” or “wind,” which also connotes “spirit,” and is sometimes used in conjunction with Elohim and Yahweh, or Jehovah. It is Yahweh’s power through His ruach that breathes life into His creation.

In the book of Genesis, God breathes into Adam the breath of life, or his spirit. In John 20:22, the resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples and “breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Even the name, the Holy Spirit, could also be interpreted as the Holy Breath.

The same meanings are in the Aramaic word rukha, which is fascinating in the context of the first Beatitude. In the KJV translation, it is written, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

From the Aramaic text, the translation is a bit different and profound...

“Blessed are” came from “Tubwayhun” which can be translated as mature, developed, fulfilled, having reached a state of fullness; awake or conscious. Mark Hattas described the meaning this way, “Latent within each of us is a neural network; when active, it leads to happiness and well-being.”

“Poor” came from “l’meskenaee” which means rooted in, firmly based on, a solid home base or resting point, or holding fast to something.

“in Spirit” came from “b’rukh” / “rukha” which is the active forces of God; breath, wind, energy, magnetic forces, spirit (similar to “ruach” in Hebrew).

“For theirs is” can be interpreted as: to be in tune with, or attuned to.

“the kingdom of heaven” is from “malkutha d’bwashmaya” - the kingdom of light, vibration, sound, radiation, resonance, name or word; vibrating throughout the universe.

Altogether, a modified translation of the first Beatitude might sound like this:

“Awake, fully conscious, and fulfilled are those who find their home in the breath, the Spirit, the Divine; for they are attuned to the kingdom of God in light, vibration, radiance, His name and word.”

Pres. Russell M. Nelson taught,

“The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.” The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,” “spirit,” and “breath.”

Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to ‘repent,’ He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies.”

Brigham Young taught, “The Elders of Israel…live beneath their privilege; they live continually without enjoying the power of God. I want to see men and women breathe the Holy Ghost in every breath of their lives, living constantly in the light of God’s countenance.”

The name Yahweh itself carries profound significance in association with breath. This beautiful passage is from Sandra Thurman Caporale of the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston:

“There was a moment when Moses…asked God what his name is. God was gracious enough to answer, and the name he gave is recorded in the original Hebrew as YHWH.

Over time we’ve…added an “a” and an “e” in there to get YaHWeH… But scholars and Rabi’s have noted that the letters YHWH represent breathing sounds, or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without intervening vowels, it actually sounds like breathing.

YH (inhale): WH (exhale).

So a baby’s first cry, his first breath, speaks the name of God.

A deep sigh calls His name – or a groan or gasp that is too heavy for mere words.

Even an atheist would speak His name, unaware that their very breathe is giving constant acknowledgment to God.

Likewise, a person leaves this earth with their last breath, when God’s name is no longer filling their lungs.

So when I can’t utter anything else, is my cry calling out His name?

Being alive means I speak His name constantly. 

So, is it heard the loudest when I’m the quietest?

In sadness, we breathe heavy sighs. In joy, our lungs feel almost like they will burst. In fear we hold our breath and have to be told to breathe slowly to help us calm down. When we’re about to do something hard, we take a deep breath to find our courage. 

When I think about it, breathing is giving him praise. Even in the hardest moments!

This is so beautiful and fills me with emotion every time I grasp the thought. God chose to give himself a name that we can’t help but speak every moment we’re alive.

All of us, always, everywhere.

Waking, sleeping, breathing, with the name of God on our lips.”

These beautiful truths and concepts have given me an added awareness of the power of breath and enhance my experiences with yoga, meditation, breathwork, and in every day moments where I become conscious of my live-sustaining breath and spirit which are gifts from God.

In my first breathwork practice (full account here), my thoughts turned toward the earth and her breath — the breath of the waves of the ocean, the inhale of the sunrise and daylight and the exhale of the sunset and night, the inhale of spring and summer, the exhale of fall and winter — and I felt deeply connected to all of it.

My breath. The earth’s breath. The breath of life. The breath of God.