Between Two Breaths
It is said that one dies with every breath one takes, you inhale — you live, you exhale — you die; imagine after exhaling you cannot inhale again, means you are dead. Thus, once we realise that we are dying every moment, we begin to watch our breath. Because between the two breaths there is the possibility of ‘the happening’. When you inhale, observe — for that single fraction of a moment, there is no breathing before you exhale — there is a gap — and then you exhale! Then again for a fraction of a moment the breathing stops and the breath comes in.
We need to understand that when we are not breathing, we are ‘dead’, we are still, but dead. But that moment is of such a short duration that we never observe it. When we inhale, we live, when we exhale, we die. The gap between the two is so small, of such a short duration, but with focus, with keen observation you will be able to feel the gap.
Feel the breath going in as it caresses your nostrils, feel it there, then let the breath move in. Move with the breath with complete conscious awareness. You are going in, deep within, down, down, down with the breath, don’t miss the breath. Do not go ahead of the breath, do not fall behind, stay with the breath — by doing so your breath and your consciousness becomes one. The breath goes in — you go in. Once you are able to do this you will be able to observe the gap between the two breaths. It is not easy, it requires sustained sadhana, spiritual practice with meditation. Move in with the breath, then move out with the breath — in-out, in-out.
With this practice you will notice over a period of time that your breathing has visibly slowed down, your monkey mind has become quiet, the gaps between two thoughts is slowly increasing, you feel the stillness, you feel the silence, you feel the peace and quiet.
Initially the silence will trigger a drama within you, because all your hidden desires, anger, negative emotions will suddenly pop up to the surface. Don’t be afraid, this is a cleansing process and takes time and a lot of courage on your part to continue. Just observe these desires, anger, negative emotions and do not become a part of them — witness them, observe them — feel that you are not those desires or emotions, you are just the watcher.
By watching you become the witness, you see it in silence and then when your mind is not reacting, as suddenly as these negative emotions popped up, they will evaporate and disappear. Then you will experience real silence — your mind is quiet, still. When there is silence inside, you will not be compelled to talk, or act. Everything will start flowing through you — whatever you do, you will do spontaneously and not because you are forced by the mind to do it.
