There is so much that we take for granted. For one, we pay so little attention to breathing, which is something we do all the time! What is taken to be one’s birthright, which takes place as though on auto-pilot, is in fact such a great blessing and gift. Even for a minute if we stop and observe what’s going on within us, we see a beautiful and vital process taking place. Contemplating on that and investigating its source can bring us to complete awe, stillness and peace. Move over TV, cinema and OTT – this is the greatest show on earth, and it’s happening within us day in and day out!
Ever thought about this?
What happens once we breathe in? Firstly, is what we are breathing in different to what we are made of? That’s not possible otherwise how could it be compatible with us? And is that energy simply lost when we then breathe out? No, that energy is delivered to every single little part of us. It is oh-so-simple while being oh-so-fabulously complex and fascinating!
How come the breathing process seems so natural and simple? Because we are made up of energy and we breathe in energy. Energy enlivens us; it is our life source. It breathes life into each cell. The body then moves like clockwork, with each of its functions coming alive. An alive body is known to be that way by its pulse. Our breath becomes our pulse, and our pulse runs and generates heat within us.
Ever thought about this?
How is it that we are able to maintain a consistent body temperature even in the most freezing climates? Superficially, we may need heaters and fires to warm up our skin, but deep within the body there is a fire of another sort. When we say that the body is made up of all the elements, that includes fire, just as it does air.
The fire in us does the job of burning, breaking down, purifying and digesting. Without that fire, the nutrients from our food would not reach the right places. A healthy body is known to be that way by its warmth. An increase in the fire in us also tells us when something isn’t going so well. Isn’t fever the first sign of many illnesses?
Now you’re probably wondering what this has to do with the Bhagavad Gita, but it is covered in Chapter 15. Let’s not forget that Krishna wanted Arjuna to go beyond. When we look at how air becomes breath and breath becomes the pulse and the pulse becomes the warmth in us, we recognise the nature of matter and energy and we come to inquire about what enlivens us. That inquiry takes us beyond, to the Ultimate Truth, to the SPARK THAT SUSTAINS. It is the same spark which comes to us as energy, beats and pulsates within us, and takes the form of the fire of digestion and assimilation.
This lesson has not come to us so that we can merely know about the body and its functions. We have biology classes for that! In fact, from the body we can learn how to inquire and look beyond. When we inquire, we find that there’s no end. We reach the realm of the endless and the Infinite.
