Breath Of Fire

I'm Gene Hutchins.

Welcome to the fire pit for this meditative breath of fire.

Thank you for joining me as we take the time to sit by the fire for a few moments of peaceful and meditative thought.

Sitting by the fire has always been a special place for me.

Growing up in the country and being a lifelong camper,

I've spent a lot of time in the woods.

I've been around a lot of campfires,

Bonfires,

Fire pit music circles,

And yes,

A few wildfires.

Now that I'm older,

I've learned how to avoid the wildfires,

For the most part,

But I'm definitely a fire bug.

Sitting around the fire and listening to stories or music is a part of my nature.

I'd like to invite you to designate a few moments by finding a comfortable and balanced position of your choosing.

As we stare into the embers of the fire,

Maybe we see images or shapes in the fire as it flickers and flares.

Ever-changing energy,

It's on display.

This is the same energy that we have inside of us,

It's just in a different form.

Everything is energy.

From my experience,

Time spent around the fire with quality conversation or alone,

Maybe specifically alone,

Is time well spent.

I'd recommend getting away and doing it as often as possible,

But at least doing it occasionally so that it creates a mental image,

A memory where you can just drift away and feel the calm,

Begin to relax,

And listen to the sounds.

Listen to the background sounds of the music,

The fire,

And listen to my voice.

Beginning with the breath,

As our mind's eye stares into the bed of glowing coals,

We want to develop a steady pattern of conscious in-breaths,

Long and slow.

As our bellies rise,

Filling our body with a large supply of energizing air,

We want to hold on to this breath for a few extended seconds as our lungs absorb the life-giving oxygen.

Then,

Steadily exhale,

Long and slow,

Forcing the exhaust completely from the body.

Repeat on the breath and this deliberate breathing pattern for a few moments before settling into a comfortable pattern of deep breathing as the fire sparks and flickers.

I want to encourage you to regularly take a few minutes from your busy,

Engaged lives away from your daily activities for yourself,

For you,

And your breath of life.

Spend this time of focused,

Exaggerated breathing to contemplate things that you're grateful for.

Beginning with each breath in the present moment,

Which is the first and most important step towards your next moment,

As we advance in our abilities to control our mind,

It's more possible to slip away to a private place for a few minutes during the heat of life and get away to the fire pit in our mind for a bit of peace.

Being able to get away to that imaginary place of peace in your mind is necessary,

But it's also necessary to have a real physical place where you can get away for some time alone,

Time that can be used specifically for the work that it will take while practicing the basics of this focused breathing.

These principles of mindset will guide you in all areas of your life,

Once you understand and begin to use the tools effectively.

This is of utmost importance.

It all begins with the breath.

In this place you need to be able to feel safe,

To be uninterrupted,

To be free to concentrate,

To listen and learn,

To dream and scheme,

To make plans for your life and for the steps that you're going to make to get there.

You should be settling into a steady and comfortable pattern of breathing by now.

You should be feeling a bit of a tingle in all the cells of your body as they've become excited by this influx of fresh oxygen.

Give thanks to your body for knowing what to do as it supports you every moment.

It's so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing or wanting us to do that we don't take any time for ourselves.

This puts us in the opposite state of self-development.

That influences can easily create stress and uncomfortable emotional situations.

During these moments of quiet contemplation and breath work,

We want to consciously focus on re-centering,

Finding a calm and safe place in our mind.

We want to take these brief meditative excursions regularly as we navigate our busy lives each day.

Our objective is to begin developing a mindset which supports our personal growth and development toward our true desires.

This is about taking control,

Standing on your own two feet and making choices every day all day that benefit you,

Instead of tying you down and bringing you down.

The best time that I've found in my personal life to focus and establish a positive mindset is very soon after waking from my night's rest.

Getting up earlier every morning before the busy day begins is my secret to a functional self-development regimen,

One that gets results because of the intention that I set for myself from the beginning of every day.

I've created a variety of spaces around my home and business where I can just get away for a moment when I need it or when I want it.

Creative and inspirational spaces.

Physical places.

Sure,

A power spot is very valuable,

But not always available.

There are plenty of times when I just create this space beside the bed where I wake up,

Wherever I am.

It sets the tone for the day.

I attest to the fact that it makes every day better.

In some way,

Shape or form,

It makes every day better.

As you learn how to create this time for yourself,

It becomes more apparent the value of these power spaces,

Such as time around the fire pit.

You can envision the fire pit,

Or you can just imagine your favorite place or any place that you choose.

Just go away and pause.

Imagine.

Close your eyes and ears to everything as you continue steady,

Deep breaths slowly in,

Pause and out.

Repeat.

Recharge.

Re-center.

Take control of your mind,

The one that will be making your upcoming choices by recognizing and delegating a few minutes to absorb the energy of the power space where you may find yourself.

You can plug into that energy to recharge your mood,

Your focus,

Your inner strength to carry on and face your world as the very best person that you can offer to that world in which you find yourself.

And just remember that presenting your best person to the world reflects directly back at you.

Life is like the fire that consumes its energy and begins to dwindle down to coals and embers,

Unless it's stoked and more wood is added.

This is your job to learn how to stoke your own fire daily for all of your days to make all of your days better.

This is your individual choice and this fire comes from within.

Just as the energizing breath of the fire determines its fate,

Our energizing in-breath determines our existence.

This thought deserves much more attention than it actually receives.

So I encourage you to regularly get away to the calming fire pit in your mind.

And I wish you peace.