Welcome to The Naked Nowletter! My community is for those seeking a deeper connection with their true essence and a more intimate relationship with themselves, others, and the unseen world. We explore authentic communication, connection, and what it means to get Naked in the Now. Each week, I share a personal story, enriching thoughts, and juicy practices—plus occasional links to articles that inspire presence and transformation.
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Just Keep Breathing (Inspired by the little blue fish who reminds us what to do when life gets overwhelming)
Published 5 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Kindred Spirit!
Breath is Calling
Breath.
It's been surfacing everywhere lately—in big moments and small ones.
It started on May 11, 2025, when Jay and I finally used the Breathwork session gifted by our kids. On Mother's Day, we lay side by side while two gentle guides took us through what they called Elemental Rhythm Breathwork.
We breathed Earth: count to 4 in, 4 out.
Then Water: 3 in, 3 out.
Then Air: 2 in, 2 out.
And finally, Fire: quick, fast, forceful exhales—the breath of fire.
The session took me deep. I remembered how much I've always loved intentional breathwork—Pranayama, rebirthing, and this elemental rhythm. It felt ancient and familiar. At one point, I closed my eyes and felt myself soaring like a raven.
Breath is magic. Lately, it's been calling me again.
Friends mentioned they’d suddenly taken up breathwork. A new book—The Power of Conscious Breathing—popped into my feed, and I devoured it. Jay and I began weaving some of the practices into our mornings.
The Breath of Life
But breath is not just a wellness trend or calming tool. It’s what makes us alive.
Just days after that session, on May 20, our fourth grandchild—the first boy born in our family in over 60 years—took his first breath.
Riley Jasper.
I watched in awe as that tiny body filled with breath and life. It was a moment so primal and miraculous that it felt like the whole world paused in reverence.
And then, an old memory stirred. A different kind of breath moment. One that I still feel in my body.
A Crisis and a Miracle
It was 2004. Jay woke me in the middle of the night.
“I’ve got the worst headache in the world,” he said. “I think you need to take me to the hospital.”
Jay never wanted to go to the doctor. But that night, he did. Something in me hesitated—we lived 20 minutes from the nearest hospital. I got him Pedialyte, sensing dehydration, and called our friend Durga, who was staying with us to watch him while I called emergency. I thought her spiritual counsel would also be calming for him.
To set the stage, that day, we had held a sweat lodge on our property in North Carolina. Normally, Jay prepared carefully for the ritual drinking extra water, avoiding coffee and alcohol. He always tended the fire with reverence. But that day, he was off—drinking coffee instead of water, bringing in more rocks to make it hotter, insisting on staying in the lodge longer, then drinking wine after and detox tea before bed. All highly unusual, not to mention dangerous.
Something wasn’t right. A call for help?
As I dialed 911 from the office, I heard him call out: “I think I’m going to throw up.”
Moments later, Durga screamed from the living room: “He’s not breathing!”
I rushed in. He was pale and still. The operator said help would arrive in 10–15 minutes.
“Fifteen minutes?! He’ll be dead in fifteen minutes! What do I do?” I cried.
Just then, Jay’s body jerked, and he began to breathe again—shallowly. Then stopped. Then he started again.
I dragged him down to the floor and held him.
When the medics arrived, they began treatment but said they couldn’t move him yet. “His blood pressure is the lowest I’ve ever recorded. Sixty over thirty.”
We didn’t know if he’d make it. But he did.
The Power of a Simple Refrain
And sometime later, after the hospital stay and after our return home, we found ourselves humming a little tune…
“Just keep breathing, just keep breathing…”
To the melody of Dory’s chant from Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming.”
We started saying it in challenging moments. In traffic. In grief. When overwhelmed or uncertain. It became a sacred little refrain.
Just keep breathing.
Breath as a Family Ritual
Our granddaughter Cedar is only three. Recently, I asked her, “What do you do when you feel upset?”
She paused, then said softly,
“Take deep breaths.”
Even she knows.
Just One Breath
So, this week, I’m paying more attention to my breath.
With reverence. With presence. With play.
And I’m remembering:
The first breath of a newborn.
The gasp that brings someone back to life.
The daily inhale and exhale that centers me again and again.
Join me.
Take one conscious breath right now. Maybe an Earth breath—4 in, 4 out. Or a Fire breath—short and quick, let it move through you. Or just the kind of breath that is natural and true to this moment.
Whatever you choose, may it bring you back to what matters.
Because whatever’s happening— Grief, joy, stillness, chaos— The answer might just be:
Just keep breathing. Just keep breathing.
Good News
Naked in the Now (ebook/kindle) version is ON SALE for $0.99 for a limited time until July 11, 2025
Write Now MindJune session underway, but there’s still time to join.
Write by the Sea in person zoom weekly writing and awareness practice group. Invitation only, but feel free to ask!
Write by Red Rockin person at the Blue Diamond Library in Las Vegas. The next session is Wednesday July 2, 2025
If you're curious, I’m considering offering a mini Breathwork + Writing session this summer. Let me know if you’d like that.
Try these Juicy Breath Practices
Elemental Breath sequence: Earth (count to 4 in, 4 out), Water (3 in, 3 out), Air (2 in, 2 out), Fire (fast exhales). Notice what shifts.
Extend your exhale (this, counterintuitively, helps us absorb oxygen.)
A simple 4 in and 6 out can suffice
Notice the breath.
Place a hand on your belly. Feel the inhale. Feel the exhale. Allow the breath to draw deeper into your belly, then rise to your torso and chest. Let that be enough, but notice it.
For more ideas, check Chapter 3, Practice #2 in Naked in the Now and Appendix A for more options and instructions.
Welcome to The Naked Nowletter! My community is for those seeking a deeper connection with their true essence and a more intimate relationship with themselves, others, and the unseen world. We explore authentic communication, connection, and what it means to get Naked in the Now. Each week, I share a personal story, enriching thoughts, and juicy practices—plus occasional links to articles that inspire presence and transformation.
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