Breathe…it seems so simple, but most of us are having difficulty breathing. That is part of why yoga is so helpful for many people, because much of its focus and foundation is on breathing…a deep inhale and a deep exhale, a true focused deep breath like you do at the doctor’s office for your physical examination followed by a true exhale. The stress of day-to-day living has most people breathing but without any awareness that they are doing it. Most of us are taking shallow breaths that don’t honor our organs and tissues that love for us to inhale and exhale in a way that they can benefit from the oxygen they crave as it comes in and out of the body. Whether or not you have the time, money, or energy to take the vacation of your dreams this summer, what you can do is to breathe, and breathe again. Call your family and friends and remind them, as they are going through their day-to-day routine, to remember that the body is requesting and requiring that we breathe mindfully, taking the time as if we are in the doctor’s office being examined to massage with kindness our lungs, brain and heart, our liver, kidneys, and pancreas, thyroid and gallbladder, our eyes, ears, our limbs and our tissues in order to breathe life deeply in and out of these vital places needed to carry us to the end. One way to begin caring for your body is to, in this moment, relax, make the time to breathe deeply in and out like you care about the body that you are in…that is the beginning of your vacation whether you leave home or not…breathe and breathe deeply. Your body is saying, “Please breathe deeply for me, for you, for us – Breathe.”