The recognition of the importance of breath goes back thousands of years.

The ancient languages and all world religions use the same word for Breath as for Spirit and Soul.

The word spirit comes from the Latin word spirare meaning to breathe. We know the word inspiration which means both inhalation and to be inspired. Inspired means to be filled with breath. Holy Spirit could be interpreted as “whole breath”.

Jesus said:

“Blessed are those who find their home in the breath. Theirs shall be Heaven.” (Translated from the Aramaic language.)

From the book of Genesis:

"And god breathed into the dust the breath of life and man became Living Spirit."

Aloha (Hawaiian greeting) means “in the presence of the divine breath.

The German word for breathing is “atmen” which comes from “atman” or Soul or Breath in Sanskrit.

The ancient Hebrew word “ruah” means not only the spirit but also breath or wind.

Hildegard of Bingen, a famous mystic who lived eight centuries ago, defined prayer as:

“The Breathing in and out the one breath of the universe.”

The Hindu term Mahatma has two meanings: Great Soul and Great Breath.

The Breath has also been called the “mirror of the soul” (as well as the eyes). In the Chinese the breath is the carrier of your life forces. The chi or ki is the flow of the breath - life energy received by the breath. The Tao Te Ching states that the"

“Tao is the breath that never dies” (Lao Tzu)

In India, “Prana” means life force or breath. Yoga, which means union, involves the breath throughout to facilitate the union itself. There is Chakra breathing, Kundalini breathing, and countless other ancient breathing techniques. In fact the art of breathing can be a study of a lifetime.

"When the breath wanders, the mind is unsteady. But when the breath is still, so is the mind still." Hatha Yoga Pradipika

In many ancient traditions breath has played an important role in reaching higher states of consciousness and enlightenment.

Only Breath

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two

worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that

breath breathing human being.

Rumi (12th century Sufi mystic),:Translated by Coleman Barks