Dwell in possibility . . .
Emily Dickinson
Air - Breathing and the value of the space between
Looking at how the essential elements on this beautiful planet can help us respond to these tumultuous times. This is the second in a series on visiting the elements. The last post explored Water; today we’ll be visiting Air.
Where water offers us moisture and connection, Air provides us with oxygen and spaciousness.
Being composed of invisible gases, Air reveals itself through movement. It breezes and blows. Winds prevail, gust, and subside. Air, like water, is mutable. Where water responds to gravity, Air responds to differentials in pressure and temperature—moving through updrafts and downdrafts. Water is dense. Air is nebulous. Air is hard to define; it is, after all, the Air we breathe. Unseen, ever-present, Air is always felt by its presence or absence.
Let's look at Air as the substance we breathe, the mysterious element that wraps around our beautiful planet, and as the element that gives us a felt sense of spaciousness.
Fundamentally, Air is atmospheric. Air (from the ancient Greek "aer," meaning wind, atmosphere) isn't something we see. It is a life-giving, invisible gas that makes itself known to us through movement and a felt sense of space. The thin layer of atmosphere is primarily composed of three main gases: nitrogen, approximately 78%; oxygen, about 21%; and Argon, about 0.93%.
With that first breath, Air enters us. We begin to fully participate independently as human beings — we become by breathing in Air. Breathing in and out is participatory. We receive oxygen and offer carbon dioxide with each breath. We need oxygen, and plant life requires carbon dioxide to support its photosynthesis. When you go for a walk in the woods, you are in reciprocity with the plant life through your breathing. This is respiration.
In these BANI times, mindful breathing supports responsiveness over reactivity. It calms and integrates the mind, which is the foundation of creativity, according to Daniel Siegel, a renowned neurobiologist, in his book The Mindful Brain. Breath connects us to the present and to others, expanding our capacity for insight and innovation. Breath literally re-spirits us.
Giving loving attention to the breath, its rhythm and depth, supports us in being our most resourceful and fully human selves.
Breathing is our intimate relationship with the element of Air and life itself. When we take our last breath, the spirit leaves us.
The late neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi wrote a beautiful memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, about the preciousness of time, life, and breath. (Tissues may be needed . . . )
*. * *
I can't talk about Air without talking about spaciousness.
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
Attributed to Victor Frankl
Air offers us the experience of spaciousness and expands things with its presence. Air gives us access to the quality of awareness itself. How often do you think or say . . .
"Can you give me a minute?"
"I'd like to sleep on that."
"Let's take a walk; I need some air."
Human beings need space in order to expand their awareness. Our attention tends to be aware of form and unaware of space. When we think of a house, we think of the form of the building itself and the things in it. This is why we tend to fill space so readily, in our rooms, in our calendars, and our minds. When we think of a home, we might think about the space it offers us. Space is where possibilities arise . . .
Learning to shift our focus to space can be a life-changing experience. Here are some ways to do that:
Plan for some nothingness: chunking time to step away from clock time and get into a flow — to do or not do anything in particular with all the lists set aside — is one way to start. I call this 'puttering,' and I try to have four hours of it every weekend, along with at least one hour a day. Sometimes, it turns out to be productive in unexpectedly marvelous ways.
Clearing the clutter in our homes and workspaces is another way. Just cleaning out a drawer in the kitchen or taking the trash off-site gives rise to an energetic shift and a good feeling in me. How about you?
Open Focus Training: If you want to explore Air further, then working with paying attention to the space between is a powerful perspective-shifting practice. Dr. Les Fermi and his colleagues have written extensively on this, and I highly recommend their books and the practices they offer.
A key practice outlined in his book, Open Focus Brain, is the "Expanding Awareness" exercise, which helps shift attention from a narrow, effortful focus to a more diffuse, relaxed state—what Fermi calls Open Focus. This state is associated with synchronized alpha brainwaves and can reduce anxiety and increase possibility thinking.
"Sensing Space" or "Feeling the Space Between" (Click here for a recording I made to guide you)
Find a quiet safe place where you won’t be interrupted for 10-15 minutes or so
Settle In: Sit comfortably, look around you, and just notice your surroundings. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Shift Attention to Space: Rather than focusing on objects (like sounds, thoughts, or sensations), shift your attention to the space around and between those things.
You can start this way:
Notice the space between your eyes.
Feel the space between your ears.
Notice the space between your chin and your sternum.
Hold up your hands and become aware of the space between your fingers.
Become aware of the space in the room around you.
Notice the spaces between the objects or people in the room.
Extend your awareness to the space outside the room.
And so on
Diffuse Your Focus: Offer a soft gaze by letting your attention become panoramic and soft, not fixed on anything in particular. Allow awareness to spread evenly.
Stay Open and Soft: If thoughts arise, gently bring your attention back to sensing space—between, within, and around you.
Practicing this regularly encourages the brain to operate in a more balanced and coherent mode. Increasing our capacity to shift perspective enables us to find creative solutions and engage in strategic thinking that is so necessary in these challenging times. I also find this practice playful and fun.
To be inspired is to be infused with an ethereal element— Air. Through mindful breathing and spaciousness, our mental capacities increase. Air is associated with ideas. Perhaps inspiration is our human version of photosynthesis.
Next up in this series is Earth . . .
And a poem by a Vermont poet I follow . . .
Inhale by James Crews
You can only exhale for so long,
giving and giving and giving some more
before the whole body cries out
like an empty cup to be filled again
by the in-breaths that will restore
your own supply of air. Find some quiet
corner tonight far away from screens,
which steal both time and mind, and hear
the whisper of the one true voice inside
that grows louder the longer you listen
like a song that was sung into you
along with the first startled breath
you took on the day you were born.