The breath is such a strange thing.
Breath in.
Fill the lungs. Take in life. Take in the air around you.
Breath out.
Cleanse the body. Let go. Fill the space around you.
Breathing is so automatic that I almost forget that it is a working system in my body. It is almost as if it can detach itself from the mind without permission. Yet, the breath and the mind work together seamlessly. Loyal and consistent.
Lately I have felt out of touch with my natural rhythm. I have felt out of sync and run down. There is no doubt in my mind that the things that are disrupting my clarity are inhibiting my breath. This concept has been making more and more sense to me through studying the Koshas.
For one, my life is cluttered. Physically, more so than emotionally. I find myself being weighed down by stuff. Whether it is a closet full of clothes I don't wear or the obligations I am tied to to afford stuff in general. It all revolves around my need to own things. My need to possess. This is not a bad thing. It is okay to have things. Yet, for lack of a better term, I am a bit of a hoarder. I collect anything that resembles any memory for myself. This attachment keeps me focused on an external desire that brings me more stress than happiness. For this, I must continuously work on minimizing my consumption. Not only that, but getting rid of the clutter I have that plays no role in my every day life. It is not healthy for the body to hold on to these things.
Also, I feel like I am constantly battling my body when it comes to my own nutrition needs. It takes a lot to find a method that works for your own body. Mine for the last few years has been limiting my intake of gluten and dairy. It has proved to benefit me in many ways. I feel the vitality that comes with an efficient diet. This has been working for me for some time now, but my body is yet again demanding change from me. The body always knows what it wants and acts accordingly when it is lacking. While I ensure that I eat in a way that fuels my unique needs, I have been experiencing backlash with every thing I eat. Looking into this more, I feel like this resistance is more likely due to the build up of chemicals and toxins in my system from the foods I eat. Things like pesticides, GMOs, and processed foods can still be very harmful in small doses. Especially for those that make a point to stay away from these things. In order to reassess my needs, I plan on bringing myself back to a place where I am eating to nurture the body directly. I plan on fasting for a few days to clear my system and then do a juicing cleanse to detox. Of course, recipes will be posted in one place or another!
Now, it is back to building blocks for me. I need to calm the chaos in my physical life to bring calm to my breath, my vitality, my pranamaya kosha.