-

the ocean breathes

courage to be

In Service

 

der Ozean atmet

silvery skin expanding

breath enters   brings relief

and nothing is more important

than salt   life   light   broken shells

 

first there is hunger   is thirst   but now

now   or is it later   we break the shell

this takes courage   Mut zum Leben

oh   how fragile   breathing hurts

bitter medicine   all fields open

 

no walls no fences   bubbling wells

what are we tending   spider is waiting

ready to jump on prey   now   now   now

is so beautiful is hungry is crying is shivering

is pulsing trembling wandering drinking sighing

 

always   always we come back to who we are

our soul remembers   awe is useful   circling

walking in the green valley of mystery

nobody robs us   nobody rushes us

grains of sand cracked open

 

so aufgewühlt   so ruhig

 

in service

serving

Spirit

 

Karina Epperlein, Berkeley, April, 2026

 

so stirred   so calm

 

don’t forget

Welt Atemtag – Saturday April 11

https://ibfbreathwork.org/welt-atemtag-11-april/?lang=de



Comments

Karina said…
My brother Matthias in Germany writes:

Oh yes, the breath is perceptible….
Oh ja, der Atem ist spürbar ....

I’ll add:
When reading with your eyes, ears, and skin, can you feel it like my brother writes? When on your Sunday walk, can you put away your phone and podcasts, slow down, get quiet, feel and listen? Not just for three seconds – but give yourselves a gift of two minutes of mindful conscious breathing hands on belly…. It will become a life time of wonder…
April 5, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Ken said…
Masterful poem, fabulous photographs. Awe is useful, indeed, even for those of us for whom always coming back to who we are can be painful.
April 5, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Karina said…
our soul remembers :) we might have forgotten – letting breath transform our ideas of who we are....
April 5, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Alex K said…
Beautiful poem. I've been reading it over and each time my heart signals attention! at "breaking the shell. It is hard to do and yet I know I've been chipping away or is it breaking over and over again over the years. It is a gift to be reminded by your poem of the breathe.
April 7, 2026 at 12:15 PM
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