Breath, Breathing

It is a universal notion that breath is associated with spirit. The Greek word pneuma means both breath and spirit, but the concept also includes wind. The connection between breathing and wind is particularly prominent in traditional yoga.

Breathing is the assimilation of spiritual forces; the continuous inhalation and exhalation form a spiritual cycle linked to the inner bloodstream and the external cosmos.

When one gives up the spirit, "draws one's last breath," the soul leaves the body with the exhalation. Breath and breathing are the "principle of life." Among indigenous peoples and in modern beliefs, breath can heal and give life; in some accounts, God breathes life into Adam. The association is recurrent in the Bible, where "wind" sweeping over the water is often translated as "breath." Breath, spirit, soul, wind, and air are a collection of symbols with similar meanings.

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