Just this one little thing, the breath, delivers all the wisdom in the world. Each inhalation powers your strength, endurance, and concentration; each exhalation releases your resistance and fears. When we bring our agitated minds into focus by following the movement of the breath in and out of the body, we experience the reality of the present moment, clear from confusion and anxiety. The breath is fearlessness personified. That can matter a great deal to you in times of pain and panic. Focusing on the breath is the safest, surest way to overcome fear and let the immediacy of any experience move forward.
Karen Maezen Millar, Breath is Fearless
Mindfulbalance 
This is wonderful, thank you! 🙂
that is an amazing strong description of the power of the breath. Most people as I did, never think the breath carries so much power over our life.
Reblogged this on C PTSD – A Way Out and commented:
I love this powerful description of the breath.
Rick Hanson in Buddha’s Brain, actually describes how slowing the breath with focus activates our parasympathetic nervous system( our nervous system brakes). Navy seals are trained to handle fear by slowing the exhales.
The greatest, skilled warriors ever were the samurai. The were rinzai Buddhist and meditated with the reverence this skill was equal to any sword or bow skill. The mind, intuition to know what the opponent will do before movement begins.
think of the breath as life force we are bring into our bodies, pausing a second or two for the lungs to absorb life, then exhale the exhaust pausing to balance the breath and body.
A balanced breath cycle would have a inhale and the pause to equal the exhale and the pause. I made a model to mirror this idea.