Only two weeks to go until the election and I know what most of you are thinking: Thank God! The divisiveness in our culture has been on display front and center throughout this election season.  And just like we feel with this year of 2020, we want it to end.  Yet the issues which are society faces will not end in two weeks.  COVID-19, racial injustice, economic challenges – these will all continue into 2021.

Many of you have told me how the turmoil of the world around you has affected the serenity within you.  And no doubt has that internal unrest amplified the external unrest across our country.  As if it wasn’t hard enough before all this to find peace in our body, mind, and spirit!  Now it is more difficult than ever.  And it is more important than ever.

This week and next I want to offer you two tools to restore your inner peace.  I start today with the simplest yet most profound tool of all: the breath.

There are two great things about starting with the breath – It’s always with you and it’s free. Those typical excuses that you give not to try something?  They don’t fly here. If you are going to breathe anyway – which you do about 20,000 times a day – you might as well do it correctly.

In the recently released book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor details how human beings have lost the ability to breathe properly and as a result suffered the consequences of many physical and mental health maladies. When we restore this lost art – through learning and practicing proper breathing techniques – we can restore our health.

Start right now.  Pause and take three deep nasal breaths, inhaling for a count of four, exhaling for a count of six.

If you stopped and did this, you probably noticed a difference. The breath slows you down, calming the body, and focusing the mind. (If you did not stop to take those breaths, you can still do so now).

To really get a sense of the power of the breath, I want to invite you to attend a free thirty-minute breathwork class that I have been attending over the past few months.  It is offered by Chuck McGee on Zoom every Monday night at 9:00 pm and Sunday morning at 11:00 am (times PST).  Chuck is as down-to-earth as they come yet can give you the science behind the practice. He talks openly about how the work has changed his life as he reminds you that “you are the pilot, not the passenger” when it comes to managing your life.

Here’s the Zoom link for every class: https://zoom.us/j/750599401.  And did I mention it’s free? I hope you join me there tonight.

For those of you looking for a way to incorporate your faith into the breathwork, check out The Art of Living retreat coming up the weekend of October 30 – November 1.  The program is offered on Zoom by St. Monica Catholic Community.  Click here for more info.

So I’ve given you a book, a class and a retreat.  And it all starts with this thought:  Breathe… we can get through this and you can become stronger.

As always, I’m grateful to be of service to you. Let’s stay connected…

Thanks,
Michael

Stay tuned for next week:  Loving Kindness