Your lungs circulate over 11,000 litres of air every day. They allow you to speak, sing and smell, making them one of the most vital organs. The lungs are also the first line of defence in the body. They defend against pollution, smoke, vapes and viruses. The average person takes 600 million breaths during their lifetime, often without giving the activity a second thought.
More than 2,000 years ago the Greek physician Hippocrates taught students that the soul originated from the air and that it was brought into the body through the nose. Around the same time, Pluto was teaching that the breath entered the body through the skin and exited through the nose. It wasn’t until 1775 that we established the life- giving role of the lungs.
Today we have incredible anatomical certainty of the lungs and devices to measure oxygen levels in the body but perhaps in the process perhaps we’ve lost some of the beauty and mystery that Hippocrates thought was contained within the breath. I would like to believe that some of our soul comes from the air. That idea makes me savour and appreciate breathing, to treat each one as a gift. When I do, my breath (or soul) becomes more generous, and gentle.
With the inhalation you are receiving a gift, welcoming a gift... you are absorbing all the nourishing qualities of the air. Let the inhalation travel towards you and receive the gift with gratitude.
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