Notice a common belief is that to connect with God or Divine Source requires a prolonged practice, sacrifice, mediator or heroic effort. Letting go of such beliefs guides one to realize a focus on breath is key to realizing one's own Divine Nature. Watch what happens as one lets go of the belief one must do anything to be whole and complete. During meditation, breathwork, yoga, other spiritual practices, a blissful state may arise akin to a rush. The desire to go deeper into it may lead to involuntary breath holding. Does it seem you must exert huge efforts to go deeper, to get anywhere or realize something you work toward? Each breath affects the whole because each of us is the whole. Although breathing is natural, for many people, it is unconscious and uncontrolled. This state blocks knowing True Nature. As long as the breath remains unconscious, it is not part of spiritual practice and one feels separate from Divine Source. To focus on the breath (in yoga- pranayama), we learn to vary the length of inhalation and exhalation as well as to suspend both, either to retain the inhaled breath or empty the lungs completely. Conscious, controlled breathing is like reclaiming true power. By bringing unconscious activity into conscious awareness, and by focusing on the present moment, pranayama and other breathing techniques begin to transform breathing into a spiritual practice. Regular conscious breathing leads to different stages of remembering about what it is to feel truly alive. Watch what happens as you engage in breathwork more often. (image from https://www.soulvoyages.org/breathwork.html)