Necessary to seclude

Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life.  Sit comfortably and first contemplate the manifest realm of existence.  This realm is concearned with externals, the physical form of things.  Then fill your body with "ki" and sense of manner in which the universe functions - its shape, its color, and its vibrations.  Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside.  Next, breathe up all the fecundity and vibrancy of the earth.  Finally, blend the breath of heaven and breath of earth with that of your own body, becoming the breath of life itself.  As you calm down, naturally let yourself settle in the heart of things.  Find your center, and fill yourself with light and heat. 

All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you.  Life itself is the truth, and this will never change.  Everything in heaven and earth breathes.  Breath is the thread that ties creation together.  When the myraid variations in the universal breath can be sensed, the individual techniques of the Art of Peace are born.

Consider the EBB and flow of the tide.  When waves come to strike the shore, they crest and fall, creating a sound.  Your breath should follow the same pattern, absorbing the entire universe in your belly with each inhalation.  Know that we all have access to four treasures: the energy of the sun and moon, the breath of heaven, the breath of earth, and the ebb and flow of the tide. 

By:  Morihei Ueshiba