Transition into death
In 2022 the breath tokens are about transitions. Transition literally means to “cross over, go over, pass over, hasten over, pass away,” from transire – trans “across, beyond” + ire “to go“.
In breathing, transition naturally occurs after the inhale and the exhale and vice versa. I’ve noticed that I tend to go over transitions, in breathing as well as in the every day, going from one thing to the next without paying attention to the space in between. Despite being aware that these transitions are happening, in breathing or in other behaviours, I find it really challenging to be present in them.
Together with you I’d like to explore the subject of transitions. I’ll post quotes, collect ideas or questions from people I know and from you.
If you’d like to share something about transitions, contact me at hallo@nicolacaroli.com.
Transition into death
There is no greater transition than birth and death, entering the world and leaving it. I accompanied my beloved cat Mr T to the end of his life journey and he died on the 28th August naturally and peacefully. Even though it had been a long process, when the end came, it was impossible to comprehend that it had. I couldn’t comprehend death even as it presented itself to me in the form of Mr T’s corpse.
When I thought about breathing, I also couldn’t comprehend how the breath as one continual transition from moment to moment, from one breath to the next, can simply stop.
How does one begin to imagine or approximate this experience? I tried holding my breath after the exhale but that mostly made me feel the imperative of the next inhale. Then I tried letting the exhale flow gently and letting it linger for a moment while I imagined that it was fading into nothingness. And then I waited for the next inhale to come in easily.
How would you imagine or approximate your last breath? I think there is much potential for our life in connecting to our final moment and I invite you to explore this question in your own way.
As always, we can also explore these ideas through touch, movement, sound, writing and drawing…
Let’s stay in touch. Let’s be breathed.