When you take a breath, there’s a pause that occurs right before you exhale. It’s in that suspended space that you are no longer a part of your past and have the opportunity to begin again. Sometimes those new beginnings involve moving to a new home, or starting a new relationship, or even changing careers. Other times, new beginnings take place within us—times when we see issues from a different perspective, embrace a new idea, or let go of our past hurts and disappointments.
Beginnings cannot happen without endings; they are an integral part of one another. Just like our breath, we cannot exhale unless we have first inhaled, it’s all part of the natural order of how our body works. It can also be how our mind works as well. By letting go of the past, no matter how difficult, and breathing in the present, we begin again. The next time you have the opportunity, sit comfortably and notice the beginning, middle, and end of your breath as you inhale; feel the suspended pause right before you exhale and see what conjures up in your mind that you can let go of as you exhale. While everything will not be solved within one breath, sometimes leaning into the pause and letting go of just one thing on that next exhale is all we need to begin again.