For the past year I've engaged in an extended meditation upon breath. When I pause to take in breathe deeply and consciously, I at once feel calm and connected to all of life around me. The breath has a long and vast history of esoteric significance. Breath often stands as a symbol of the life force itself, from the prana of the Yogis to the qi of the Taoists. Some Orphic cosmogonies posit that breath was the primordial element from which all creation formed. Thus the simple act of breathing becomes a bridge, linking us both to the Earth beneath our feet, and the starry Heavens above.
