Advent 15 Breathe Rethinkchurch.org

     This is a photo from a visit to my brother and his family in Florida.  If you breathe in deep enough you might just be able to smell the salt water.  Rethink church reminds us of the importance of breathing and refers to the connection between yoga and breath.
    Yoga reminds us to concentrate on our breaths, making sure they are deep and full.  I think many of us could stand at the shore of this beach and on any given day, breathe the shallow, stressful patterns we are familiar with and never smell this ocean.
    The three part breath of yoga begins with settling in, lowering shoulders, filling your belly so it expands then filling your chest, actually rising up with the breath and then slowly exhaling.  This kind of breathing actually burns calories.  This kind of breathing brings great awareness to our physical and emotional being.
     Try to be aware of where your shoulders are and how deep your breaths are this advent.  Take time to inhale life, exhale the waste then inhale more life.