Our breathing trees

In my progression with the Presence Process suggested by Michael Brown, I am becoming more and more aware of my breathing. My breathing pattern and my periods of non-breathing during certain activities throughout the day. Just the simply fact of practicing breathing twice a day for 15 minutes is training me to actually pay attention to my breathing. And so breathing is becoming something I do more and more consciously, even if it’s only moments of awareness during the day, it’s more than I was experiencing before. The results of that is I am becoming conscious that breathing IS the central part of all of my experiences. I realize that if I can become conscious of one thing alone, which is to breath - I may gain way more benefits to this simple conscious habit than anything else I may learn. Simply to remember to breath and to stay connected with my breathing consciously IS the one and ut most centered and generous presence I may develop in my earthly life experience. This is becoming more and more clear to me.

I’m aware that this is essentially what trees do. They breath and the grow.  I remember how I’ve always enjoyed as a child being in the presence of trees. Either climbing or swinging from a branch or simply sitting in a tree or against a tree. I’ve always felt safe around trees. I’ve felt less alone around trees. I remember crying against a tree as a teen ager, or having my first sexual experiences lying under a tree. I remember sitting and reading books, or chatting endlessly with my girlfriend under a tree. I remember meditating and playing music sitting against trees. And every tree I met I seamed to have the same familiar connection with. I’ve always felt such awe at how a tree remains present to what is and stands and breaths, no matter what wind  or rain storm hits it, no matter what scorching sun or endless cloudy days, or  ice falling from the sky, the tree can never hide. It has to experience it all. To this day, this has always fascinated me.

Trees are perfect reminders to me that breathing IS our fundamental life experience.

Feel and breath.

Breath and feel, just like the tree does.

Marie