A Short Story About the Heart and It's Loving Sidekick – the Breath

Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash

…this morning,
while my brain
was busy reading
tea leaves
and while my
heart was staring
at old photographs 
I packed a little
bag and walked
to the door of 
my lungs.

Before I could even knock
she opened the door
with a smile and as
a gust of air embraced me
she said,

"What took you so long?"

-Just Breathe by John Roedel 

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Imagine you were born into a world where your heart was a ball of energy in front of your chest and to keep it alive, you had to manually pump it by hand.

From the moment you were born, you automatically and instinctively knew what to do, so you did. However, as you grew older, you began to pay attention to other things in life so the relationship with your heart became less of a priority. This, unfortunately, changed the way your heart responded to your touch.

As a result, you began to feel estranged and disconnected from the life you were living almost to the point where you wondered if life was worth living at all.

Without knowing which way to turn to next, you tentatively approached your parents who had some timely advice for you. However, they weren’t the ones to give it. They handed you a manual instead. In it were three very clear, simple instructions:

1. Pump your heart fast and everything in your body – your thoughts, emotions, body temperature, breath, and blood circulation will speed up.

2. Pump your heart slowly and everything in your body – your thoughts, emotions, body temperature, breath, and blood circulation will slow down.

3. For the next 6 months, practice, learn, and experiment with these two speeds and then return for your final assignment when the time comes.

“6 months!” You cried. “Why so long?” But there was no answer. There couldn’t be. Your parents knew that some things in life can’t be taught, they have to be experienced. So, they stayed as quiet as their parents did when they went looking for answers many years ago.

With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, you decided to pay closer attention to that little old heart of yours. And because you had to manually pump it by hand you quickly noticed that when you squeezed it tighter, it would beat much faster, your thoughts and emotions would speed up, along with your breath, and your body temperature would increase just as the manual said it would. You also noted that this made you feel more stressed and anxious too, even angry, nervous, and scared at times.

When you held your heart gently, on the other hand, it would beat much slower, your thoughts and emotions would soften, along with your breath, and your body temperature would stabilise. You also felt more relaxed, calm, loving, compassionate, and connected to yourself and others here too. You still weren’t 100% sure of the significance of this just yet but you duly noted it down anyway.

For the remaining months ahead you continued to experiment and observe like this, becoming more curious as you slowly relearned how to relate to your heart. Your heart then began to trust your touch once again. So much so that as the 6 months came to an end, you felt armed with enough experiential knowledge to confidently return to the manual and receive your final assignment. So, that’s exactly what you did.

“Well done!” It began. “You have come this far. You are on the right path! There is only one more step to go. Now, I invite you to gently place your heart in the centre of your chest where it will stay forevermore. However, instead of you having to manually pump it by hand

for the rest of your life, your breath will now do it for you. Everything else will stay the same, though, don’t worry about that. So, when your breath speeds up, everything in your body – your thoughts, emotions, body temperature, and blood circulation will also speed up. When your breath slows down, everything in your body – your thoughts, emotions, body temperature, and blood circulation will also slow down.

So, go forth my child! Carry this wisdom with you and let your breath guide your way. And don’t worry if you ever forget. That’s okay. Your breath will never leave you and it will never demand anything from you. So, simply return to it whenever you need to and start again.”

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“… if you are exhausted 
about your heart's obsession 
with the fixed past and your mind's focus 
on the uncertain future
your lungs are the perfect place for you.

There is no yesterday in your lungs.
There is no tomorrow there either.
There is only now.
There is only inhale.
There is only exhale.
There is only this moment.
There is only breath.
And in that breath
you can rest while your
heart and head work 
their relationship out." 

- (excerpt from) Just Breathe by John Roedel

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