Digesting Life

By Vishali,

Author of You Are What You Love

This is how one can begin to unravel the unresolved unconscious issues in life. Look at the body’s health. What organs are stressed? Where is the weak link in the chain? It is there we will discover the undigested systemic problems in our lives. No wonder Socrates felt the unexamined life was not worth living. Why would anyone want to live a life filled with unconsciously driven pain and undigested emotional angst?

However, digestion does not stop there. To the Eastern systems of self-healing, respiration is one of our most profound digestive functions. Yes, breathing is a powerful form of digestion. Surprised at how can that be? The breath goes in, the breath goes out. What could be so complicated about that? Well, for starters, most of us out there are not breathing the way our body was designed! Breathing is how we digest our emotions. How we breathe determines whether or not we are holding onto emotional toxic energy in our life or releasing it.

Ever watch how babies breathe? Their lower abdomen expands on the inhale, their chest moves last and moves the least. When a baby has an emotional moment, they experience it, then let it go. A baby can go from crying to laughing in 60 seconds flat. Babies digest the emotion, experience it, and its’ perception, release it, and find themselves available for the next round. Ever examine how you are breathing? I bet dollars to donuts, (no food pun intended), that your chest moves first and most dramatically, and your lower abdomen moves last and least.

Another question. Ever experience something and not able to let it go? Do you find yourself internally reliving that charge over and over again? How we breathe is playing a part in this digestive scenario.

If babies are breathing the way we were designed to, then how come we start out functioning correctly, and end up on the challenging side of life? The answer: the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a large muscle that literally cuts our body into two halves at the lower rib cage. When the diaphragm moves down on the inhale, the emotional digestive mechanism is turned on, just as we see in babies. When the diaphragm moves up on the inhale, the exact opposite to how we are designed to function; it causes the chest to move first, and the emotional digestive mechanism gets turned off.

Babies breathe the way we are all designed to, because they do not give their attention to limiting ideas about themselves or life. Babies gradually learn to do that from the world around them. Babies watch the people around them not digesting their lives. Babies witness others not breathing correctly. Babies watch, learn and mimic; they take it all in, for better or worse. As the child learns to give their attention to limited things, as they progress in repressing their emotions and fears, the diaphragm gradually inverts its natural movement and, viola, the accumulation of undigested life begins!

This is one of the many reasons Eastern forms of meditation have us focus on the breath. Breathing only happens in the present moment; we cannot breathe in the past, or breathe in the future. Breathing correctly and deeply detoxifies us physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. And we thought breathing was a no brainier! Well guess what? Correct breathing is not just for babies anymore!

Digesting our lives involves a deep connection to our awareness. What are we giving our attention to? Is it something unlimited, something we can swallow and stomach on every level? Or are we feeding ourselves non-pasteurized, intellectual and perceptual toxins? It is important to consider what we feed ourselves. Consider and weigh every aspect and implication of that question. Examine ourselves. Are we breathing completely and deeply enough to activate our emotional digestive system, or does our breathing never progress beyond a shallow chest involvement, thus stopping at the heart, creating emotional denial and suppression? … A truly superficial digestive engagement.

So, the next time we find ourselves hungry for any aspect of life, take a deep breath and focus on what is most life enhancing. Remember to only eat at fine dining establishments, and be sure to read the menu first.

Assess your choices, and most of all, try not to eat what’s sitting out back in the garbage cans. But if you do, learn to let it go! Happy releasing!

Vaishali is an inspirational writer and lecturer who understands the challenges we all face. Her book, You Are What You Love is a must read. Vaishali hosts her own weekly “You Are What You Love” web-cast on www.ContactTalkRadio.com. Visit: www.Purplev.com.

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