Breathe Out: Expressing yourself through what inspires you

I love The Breathing Gym

Nothing encapsulates marching band in quite the same way. Breathing is a task so small that we take it for granted. When we practice The Breathing Gym we obsess about the most microscopic of minutiae, and push this once involuntary task to the limit. 

When you become lightheaded during Breathing Gym, most gurus will tell you that you are breathing in more air than you are breathing out. It makes you dizzy and weak, your respiratory system isn’t keeping up with the stress you are placing on it.

It reminds me of the dreaded “creative spiral”. See, in much the same way that we breathe, creativity also undergoes in and out phases. When we go to a museum, we are breathing in creativity. When you go to WGI Finals, or watch your favorite shows again, you are breathing in. Breathing in is like jumping into a cold pool, it is invigorating. It is the spawn of all new ideas- our activity cannot survive without breathing in.

But what about breathing out?

To breathe out, you need to express that creativity in your own unique way. This manifests in each of us differently. Many of us express that creativity through performance, some through choreography, music arranging, even (and especially) educating.

When we don’t find a means to exercise that creativity, the vigor gradually becomes stale. This can lead us towards anxiety, lack of excitement, even depression. To not breathe out is to be trapped underwater, unable to function the way you are meant.

Taking in other’s creativity is fun- and it can be easy. So easy that sometimes we focus on becoming consumers instead of expressors. Expressing yourself takes work and time– it’s not convenient and it doesn’t always go the way you planned. But finding the right way to express yourself is what we are meant to do. It helps us find our place among our tribe and helps others find their own place in turn.

So remember, both parts are essential to a healthy life. Breathing in is exciting, refreshing, and leads you down new paths to explore. But once you take a deep breath in, let it loose again and show the world your own take.

When you share your own creativity the transformation begins anew. It becomes the very air that others breathe in. And so the cycle continues.