The Second Mountain

Let’s start with the easy stuff: the sun was shining and the air temperature was -4 degrees celsius at the base of the mountain.

So, it began…

What followed was a profound, and extraordinarily difficult, three hours. Maybe the most difficult thing I have ever done. It ended with me on top of the mountain, laughing, in shorts, being lashed out of it by -17 degree winds.

Usually, I’m good at explaining things.

Usually, I’m good at taking my thoughts, organising them in some way and communicating them to people.

But, not this time. My time on the mountain, in the cold, stunned me into silence.

In the midst of the experience, I learnt some deep things about myself and about you.

In the coming weeks, I will try my best to explain them to you.

For the moment though, I have come to this conclusion:

Within us, is an unstoppable force.

I’m not talking about something abstract here. I am talking about our breathing. On the mountain, stumbling through snow up to my knees, I thought many times:

“I can’t go on.”

But, there in amongst the doubt, was the steady, unstoppable movement of the breath. No matter how cold it was, the breath continued. No matter how difficult the terrain, the breath continued. Nothing could stop it. The breath was unstoppable.

I felt I could lean on it. I felt I could rely on it to give me strength. It was a constant companion. I could simply focus on it for a moment, feel it moving, feel its calming effect, feel its comfort and then I could go on.

It was unstoppable.

In those moments, I thought about you. Yes, you.

I thought:

“If the breath is here for me in these difficult situations, then it’s here for everyone. If it’s unstoppable for me, then it’s unstoppable for everyone.”

No matter what difficulties we face, we have an ally. No matter what stress we face, we have a companion. No matter what fear we face, we have a choice.

In every moment, we can choose to turn our attention inward (even for just a moment). We can choose to listen to our breath. We can lean on it. We can rely on it. We can take comfort from it.

It’s always there for us. It’s always there for you. It’s always there for me. For everyone.

This was the case on the mountain. It’s also the case at home. Or, at work. We can place our attention on our breath in any moment and then everything changes for us.

Maybe you’re thinking: “great, but where do I start?” My first book - "The Blissful Breath" is a great start. Or, try my app.

No matter how we begin, it all starts with the breath.

I eventually came down off the mountain and was sitting in my hotel room thinking:

“What just happened?”

I’m still figuring that out.

But, one thing we know more than ever: the breath is always there for us.