With every breath, the old moment is lost; a new moment arrives.
Lama Surya Das
One thing we haven’t stopped doing since we are born is to breathe. Every moment, our body performs a series of complicated motions to bring in air that gives us life. Unlike most things in our modern world, this gift is unconditional and available to everyone. We don’t need to force anything. Nature is ready to supply the air. All we need is to accept this gift by breathing. Our body knows what to do. Oxygen flows in, and keeps our heart going.
It’s a beautiful reminder that we — humans, animals, plants, and all beings — are interconnected through the same air we breathe. We are not on our own island. We need each other and nature to thrive. Together we are one body: you are the arms, and I am the legs.
Every breath is a reminder of our life and death. We can’t survive for a few moments without breathing. We die with every out-breath. We are born with every in-breath. The past moment is gone. The new one arrives.
Sometimes we get stressed. We forget to breathe. We get caught up by the problems and suffering of everyday life. This happens to all of us. We think about the past and the future. When that happens, pause for a second. Remember: all we have is this moment, this breath. Don’t forget the life in the now.
Peace and joy can only be found in this moment, not in some distant future. The past is nothing but a series of “nows”. You have this moment now. What are you going to choose to do?