My cat has been ill for over a week and has not eaten. Yesterday as I sat with her, my hands on her delicate body, I could hear her purr and breathe in and out. As I focused on both my own breathing and hers, I realized that the breath unites us, and that the same
prana that supports me also supports her. This realization dissolved my sense of separation and anxiety for her, and I rested in the feeling of this unity.
Pune, India
This verse touched me deeply. It articulates what I experienced when my father died.
It dawned on me at that time how similar the first and the last breaths are. I could see that there’s only a thin veil between life and death. The palpable silence that descended on me as my father departed "into Breath" was so profound that I didn't want to move. I wanted to merge into silence.
This experience remained present and sustained me over the next weeks—with my breath serving as the immediate connection to the silence within.
Geelong, Australia
Recently, I read Swami Muktananda’s book
I Am That and started using the
Hamsa mantra in meditation. As a result—even though I have had breathing-related disorders for most of my life—my breathing has become more natural and relaxed. I now breathe effortlessly from my diaphragm where I had held fear from past injuries.
Reading this verse from the
Taittiriyopanishad helped me understand how breathing with awareness helps my life flow easefully. When I meditate now, I will remember that my breath is a gift from God.
Connecticut, USA