Air Appreciation

These "appreciation meditations" can be as quiet and introspective or as energetic and interactive as you desire.  The aim is cultivating gratitude.  Gratitude is the starting point for generosity and action.  

When I breathe in,
I breathe in peace.
When I breathe out,
I breathe out love.

- Sarah Dan Jones

Find a comfortable position, whether seated lotus or on a chair, standing up or lying down.  Find a position that you can comfortably hold for a while.

The first thing we do after we are born is to take a breath.  And we keep doing it - in, out - every moment while we're alive.  Of all the elements, air is the one with which we interact most freely.  Every inhalation, we hold air within ourselves; every exhalation, we set it free - in, out.  It is so natural and close to us that it is easy to forget.  Yet every breath is a reaffirmation of life.  Breathing meditation is used for many things.  This is a meditation in appreciation for breathing itself.  

Take a deep breath, slowly.  Feel your diaphram expanding.

Exhale slowly.  Feel your chest settling back.

Take a deep breath, slowly.  Feel the oxygen rushing in to feed your cells.

Exhale slowly.  Feel the carbon dioxide leaving with the air in your lungs.

Take a deep breath, slowly. Feel refreshed, new energy.

Exhale slowly.  Feel your body relaxing, tensions leaving with the air in your lungs.

Continue breathing at a rate and depth that is natural to you.  

As you breathe in, think "Breathing in is a gift."

As you breathe out, think "Breathing out my gratitude."  

As you breathe in, think "Breathing in, I am alive."

As you breathe out, think "Breathing out, I am grateful."  

Continue for as long as you feel comfortable doing so.

Clean air is a precious gift.  Clean air is life.  Give thanks for clean air if you have it (and even if you don't) and think about how to make sure everyone can breathe free.