Breath & Energy · “Breath Is the Bridge”
Attuning to the Life Force
Begin the day by consciously relaxing, breathing deeply, and resting attention on a felt sense of drawing in vitality — a calm, receptive ‘connecting to energy’ practice to set tone and alertness.
On waking, stand or sit easy in fresh air. Relax head to feet. Breathe slowly and deeply, nose in, mouth out. Rest receptive attention on the freshening, energizing feeling, holding “I am one with Universal Life Energy; it flows through me now.” 5-10 minutes, then carry the calm-alert tone into the day.
What it is
A daily, usually morning, practice from Eugene Fersen’s Science of Being (1923) in which the student deliberately “connects” to and draws in vitality through relaxed attention and deep, rhythmic breathing.
In Fersen’s frame the practitioner attunes to a single “Universal Life Energy” and consciously lets it flow in to recharge for the day. Stripped of that frame, it is a relaxation + slow deep breathing + receptive attention routine — a way of starting the day in a calm, energized, deliberately set state rather than reactively.
It is the seated/standing breath-and-attention companion to the more physical Star Exercise.
The Method
- Set the scene. On waking or early in the morning, find a quiet spot with fresh air if possible; loosen tight clothing. Stand or sit upright and easy.
- Relax the body. Let go of held tension from head to feet; soften the shoulders, jaw and hands. Fersen’s premise is that you receive energy by relaxing into it, not gripping for it.
- Breathe deeply and rhythmically. Breathe slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth in a smooth, even rhythm, letting the breath deepen naturally.
- Turn attention inward and receptive. With each in-breath, rest attention on the felt sense of vitality entering and gathering — Fersen would say drawing in the Life Force; in practice, simply attend to the freshening, energizing feeling of the breath.
- Hold the connecting thought. Use a simple affirmation in his idiom, e.g. “I am one with Universal Life Energy; it flows through me now,” keeping it light and felt rather than forced.
- Let it settle, then carry it. After 5-10 minutes, let the breath return to normal and carry the calm-alert tone into the day’s first actions. (Sourcing note: the relaxation-first, deep-rhythmic-breath, “connect to / draw in Universal Life Energy” elements are faithful to Fersen’s teaching; the exact morning step-sequence is attributed paraphrase.)
Source & Lineage
From the Science of Being course (1923) of Eugene Fersen (c. 1873-1956), founder of the Lightbearers. The “draw in vital energy on waking” motif is shared with other early-1900s vitality teachers (e.g., Elizabeth Towne’s solar-plexus breathing); Fersen’s framing ties it to his single Universal Life Energy.
Common refinements
Over-breathing. “Deep” means full and slow, not hard and fast; forcing it causes dizziness.
- Trying to “make” energy happen. The instruction is to relax and receive; effortful striving works against the calm-receptive state.
- Doing it half-awake on autopilot. A few minutes of genuine attention beats a longer distracted session.
- Treating the affirmation as a demand. Keep it light and felt, not a strained command.