The Arrogance of Knowledge

Categories: Blog Jan 24, 2016

I have been arrogant. Not on purpose, but arrogant nonetheless. I have also been serving what I was not drinking. Again, not on purpose, but I was talking the walk and not actually walking the talk.

I'm talking about breathing. In workshops, and in books, I let everyone know breathing with the diaphragm is the most foundational, essential reset. I also let everyone know that it is the first reset that you will neglect or skip. Well, I've been neglecting it. Hey, I guess that means I have actually been walking the talk after all, but not the way it is intended.

This is where my arrogance comes in. I believe every breath should be a reset. I also believe if we are moving the way we are designed, most all movements, simply being, should be a reset. I have not been "practicing" diaphragmatic breathing, deliberately, because I breathe with my diaphragm better than 95% of the time. I know I am breathing well, therefore, I don't purposefully engage in breathing as I teach it. It's unintentional arrogance on my part, but it is still arrogant.

Deliberate intentional practice of diaphragmatic breathing is a greater reset than simply breathing with the diaphragm in "normal operation mode." I have forgotten this, or maybe I simply dismissed it or never even knew it. Whatever the case, I now know that intentional, thoughtful, diaphragmatic breathing has benefits beyond normal, restorative, diaphragmatic breathing.

If this is confusing, hang with me. When you deliberately make time and effort to breathe with your diaphragm, apart from your normal operating procedure, you are more mindful of your breath. You are also more conscious of where you are breathing, how deep you are breathing, and how effective you are breathing. More than likely, you are also breathing deeper and stronger than you normally would in your normal state of being. As a result, the "reset" effect is greater. I have found this to be the case.

The deliberate diaphragmatic breathing practice resets your soul (your mind, your emotions). It calms you. It lowers any "alarms" that may be going off in the background - undetected alarms even. It also supercharges your inner core unit. The greater intentional breathing provides the vestibular system with more information and it reflexively causes more activation from the pelvic floor and spinal stabilizers. It makes your inner core muscles "dance together" in a stronger relationship. You can experience this by feeling if you are dialed into your muscles and their motions.

Anyway, the stronger the dance between the inner core muscles, the better the expression of strength you can display. The silence of any alarms running in the background of your mind, the better you can express your peace and freedom of being.

I just wanted to share this with you as this is something I had neglected. Taking the time to really breathe, to quiet our minds and solidify our center, really can restore us by allowing us to remain in a parasympathetic state, or a state of rest and digest, or a state of peace and strength.

Every breath should be a reset. I do believe this. But some breaths should be deliberate and mindful. These are the powerful breaths; more powerful than a reset - more like a reboot. These can be the breaths we grow and learn from. These can be the breaths that help calm the storms in our lives. These can be the breaths that allow us to discover our true strength.

It's the intentional, mindful breaths that can turn the arrogance of knowledge into the humility of wisdom.

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