One way or another, you come to face the truth:
 Everything you acquire is eventually lost.
 everybody you hold eventually dies

Your breath is a primary expression of your energy.

For much of the day, you are tightening, tensing, and contracting the front of your body from the top of your head, through your chest, to down past your gut.

            *  When you get nervous, your stomach tightens.

            *  When you get sad, a lump forms in your throat.

            *  When you think hard, your forehead wrinkles.

            *  When you consider the unsure future, you tense your jaw.

Your belly is the place where your energy meets the energy of the world.

When the front of your body is open and relaxed, your power flows freely and your presence fills the room.  You’ve probably been with people who seem to occupy more space in the room than others.  They seem to command attention, even though they are not doing anything obvious to attract it.  The front of their body is so open that their energy flows freely through the room, magnifying their presence.

Breathe more consciously.

Inhale deeply, through your nose, and breathe through whatever tensions you notice in your body.  Inhale deeply into your lower belly.  Then exhale.  On your next inhalation, breathe into your lower and upper belly.  Then exhale.  On your next inhalation, fill your entire belly, then your solar plexus and lower chest.  Then exhale.  Then inhale and fill your belly, your solar plexus, and your entire chest, in that order.  For several breaths, inhale fully in this way, filling your belly, solar plexus, and finally your chest.  Then exhale fully, slowly and smoothly.

Pay special attention to any part of your body that seems particularly tense or closed. 

For instance, if the area around your navel seems tight, then inhale into that area.  Literally inhale right into that area and open it with the force of your inhaled breath.  Like filling a balloon, you can stretch open the entire front of your body with your inhalation.  Throughout the day, practice this kind of breathing in odd moments.  Zero in on any part of your body that is tense or closed.

Are you willing to trust whatever is living you?

Bodily tension is created by turning your attention back on yourself in self-concern, curling into yourself so tightly you feel all knotted up.  Therefore, the main cure is to give yourself to others.  Whenever you notice you are mulling over your own problems, knotting energy into your body as tension, take that energy and create a gift for others.  It could be as simple as doing the dishes in the sink, or as complex as building a business for the benefit others.  Convert into service the energy that is knotting up the front of your body.  Your tension is only the energy of a gift that has become backed up, unexpressed, in your body.

Your breath is one of the primary ways to give your gift to the world.

You can use your breath to open other people’s knots of tension, just as you can open your own.  Suppose you are with a person who seems a little tense.  You can allow yourself to feel his tensions, and then inhale into his tensions, just as if they were yours.  Inhale and open his tensions with the force of your inhalation.  Then, exhale and release all contraction, leaving only relaxation and love.  All of this can occur without any physical contact.  In fact, he probably won’t have any idea that you are doing anything unusual.

Practice

Use your breath in a conscious manner.  Make the commitment to use your energy as a gift to others through your breath.

Lesson 2 - It's Never Going to be Over