Getting infected with Covid-19 changed my life forever

I’m sure many have been wondering: Why Covid? Why so globally? Because right now? And I have addressed some of these questions in previous articles. But at that time I was not speaking from experience, I was simply sharing my theories on the matter without having verified them in practical terms. Well now I have verified at least one of those theories and am eager to share it.

We’ve all heard about connection and unity, and how Covid is (hopefully) bringing us one step closer to those experiences, seeing how we’re all in this together. But again, are we really all in this together? Personally, I’m not so sure that, looking at the controversies in government policy (especially in countries where elections are taking place during the pandemic), the public’s rejections against restrictions (not many of us are willing to sacrifice our “precious” routines for the common good) and, more recently, the distribution of vaccines (those who pay more get more).

So what are we missing? When and how are we finally going to learn the lesson? And what is that lesson?

In fact, Covid gives us an obvious clue about both what we need to learn and how. What Covid patients experience and in some cases die is shortness of breath. And the air is what connects us all. To use one of Jessica Dibb’s observations, we can create an internal and external group (i.e. manifest separation) based on race, profession, gender, age, social characteristics, appearance, etc. But there is a common denominator that, when applied, automatically leads us to unity: the breath. Thus, no matter what beliefs, traumas and preferences we have, we all belong to the group of breathers. And the breath (which, as I have come to experience, is the embodiment of Spirit), is what connects us all and gives us the physical and somatic experience of oneness. BUT only if we pay attention to it!

Surprise, surprise: Covid is drawing our attention and awareness exactly to the breath. As such, Covid asks us to start living a more spiritually oriented life: a life in which we are more connected, a life lived in the NOW. It is important to note that, by focusing on breathing, Covid not only shows us the lesson that we must learn, that is, the lesson of unity; It is also showing us how we can learn such injury, and that is simply by staying focused on the breath and practicing mindful breathing.

Without a doubt, conscious breathing is what can give us a direct spiritual experience (even in physical bodies). Personally, I learned this by being forced (after being infected with Covid) to pay attention to breathing. Not that I hadn’t dabbled in various yoga and meditation practices before. But this time the shift in consciousness was so profound! Armed with a somewhat survival-driven motivation early in the illness, I immersed myself deeply in various breathing techniques, and the more intimately I came to know about conscious breathing, the more my experience of separation dissolved. I felt so much lighter, happier, and of course more connected. I was getting the lesson! More importantly, it was curing a disease that Covid did not cause, but simply highlighted.

Unfortunately, I believe that the entire planet is sick with the same disease: the disease of Separation. So we have a global pandemic. This pandemic has brilliantly highlighted the omnipresence of the pathology that we all suffer from, the shortness of breath and the lack of connection around the world. Covid is just the red light here that indicates we need to fix the engine. And it’s not going to go away quickly, at least not until we all become aware of the real problem and start taking the appropriate steps to resolve it. The real problem, in fact, is a deep spiritual disconnect. We, as a planet, have achieved the hallmark of Separation. Therefore, Covid is yelling at us: “Use your breath, people, and connect!”

At first glance, I wholeheartedly encourage you to find some mindful breathing practices and start incorporating them into your life (if you haven’t already). Talking about unity doesn’t help you feel it. Conscious breathing, on the other hand, leads us directly to the physical experience of oneness, to the embodiment of spirituality. Give it a try for yourself and I’m sure you will never look back. It only takes a few conscious breaths to change your point of view, and a different point of view opens the doors to new, exciting and limitless possibilities.

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