Page 76 - Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

f r o m ca ra t Iv e f a c to r 1 t o C a r it a s P roC e s s 1
• Breathing alone can be a meditation.
• Breathing can be a mantra.
• Breathing is a miracle of life.

In breathing, we are both inhaling and exhaling; we are both empty
and full. We are releasing that which has already passed, opening up
vibratory space for new breath, new experience. Exhaling is a con-
scious letting go, surrendering to that which is; inhaling is opening to
and connecting with the larger, deeper, complex pattern of life energy
in infinite universe. It is this restful state that leads to a consciousness
of equanimity—acquiring a mindfulness of noninterference with what
is rising up and falling away in your inner and outer awareness; rather
than cultivation, equanimity becomes a form of gentle acceptance of
what is, a matter-of-factness without having to resist or avoid or alter
what is. It is a form of surrendering to that which is in fact operating
in our lives without trying to alter it, a form of radical permission to
let things be, reminding me of the Beatles lyric “Let it be, let it be /
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”
In this place/space of letting it be, we become more fluid with
our emotions and our body. We become alert and receptive; yet, like
flowing water, we face life’s vicissitudes; we prevent coagulating and
setting our experiences, allowing them permission to pass, realizing
everything is impermanent.
By the simple act of being still, connecting with that “still point”
we all have deep inside, we open up to Source. In this simple act of
gently watching the rising up and falling away of the breath, we empty
out and realize deep inside how good it is to be still, to dwell in silence
with the mystery and miracle of just breathing.
This simple, brief act alone, in the midst of our busy pace, can
change our consciousness, preparing us to be present to whatever is
in front of us to do/be; we are more able to witness our own self
and shift our consciousness in a given moment when hurried, fearful,
confused, conflicted, hurt, and so on. We can return again and again
to this quiet, still point, allowing the feelings and the situation to be.
Becoming watchful of the rising up and falling away of everything with
alertness and presence, we are more able to respond appropriately to

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