The Rhythm of the Sacred

In the midst of my recovery from Covid, coinciding with the haze of wildfire smoke descending upon our area, I found myself reflecting on the preciousness, and the profundity, of the breath.
 
Consider your breath as the rhythm of life moving through you. The pumping of the heart, the cycle of the days and night, the turning of the seasons, the ebb and flow of ocean tides; everywhere and on every level, life moves in waves of pulsating energy. This universal dance of expansion and contraction, arising and dissolving, filling and emptying, is present in every breath you take.
 
The teachings of the Nondual Tantric tradition refer to the dynamic, creative pulsation of consciousness the spanda principle. This subtle, vibratory quality of consciounsess is recognized as the mechanism by which the absolute moves into manifest form and the transcendent becomes immanent.
 
In the same way, the breath breathes life into us, bridging form and formlessness. The breath unites our inner and outer worlds and links us as individuals with all of life. 
 
How exhilarating it can be to breathe with this awareness of life moving through you. That simple remembrance can be freeing, it can open you to wisdom, comfort, and refuge.
 
Feeling the dance of life within the breath we can gain insight about what it means to act with full engagement, and to let go equally fully, harmonizing our actions with the universal rhythm of expansion and contraction. 
 
Above all, our breath is our constant reminder that that we’re not merely spectators, but active participants in this grand dance of life.