SMOKING AND BREATH – AN ANCIENT CONNECTION BETWEEN BODY, SOUL & RITUAL
- Conny Gunz
- Oct 19
- 3 min read
✧ What Is Smoking in Relation to Breath?
The question of what smoking has to do with breathing isn’t just physiological. It reaches deeper layers—the mythical, the symbolic, the ancestral. Let’s gently look through all three lenses.
1. Physiological: Smoking as a Disruption of Breath
Smoking disturbs the body’s natural breathing rhythm:
It shortens the breath.
It acidifies the lungs.
It confuses the natural exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
But even deeper, it distorts the natural wave of breathing—the clear flow of inhale → pause → exhale.
Smoking adds something to that cycle:
A deliberate intake (drawing something into your field)
Heat stimulation (altering internal temperature balance)
Chemical interference (numbing sensitivity to breath awareness)
From an energetic perspective, breath is the sacred geometry that gives form to thought.Smoking alters that geometry—not always negatively, but often unconsciously.
2. Symbolic: Smoking as Ritualized Longing
Smoking is rarely just a habit—it is a ritual, though often an unconscious one.
People smoke:
When afraid (for calm)
When alone (to feel present)
Under stress (as distraction)
While creating (to intensify a moment)
After love, loss, or silence…
Why?
Because smoking imitates the ceremony of breath—without true presence.
The inhale becomes sacred.
The exhale becomes visible.
The pause becomes occupation.
It’s a false ritual attempting to replace a true ceremony.On a soul level, many smokers long for:connection, pause, sacred slowness—a reason to breathe consciously.
Even though smoking can harm the lungs, the impulse behind it isn’t wrong.It’s a misdirected ceremony.
3. Ancestral: Smoking as Communion with Fire
Across many ancient cultures, smoke has always been used intentionally:
Incense rituals
Pipe ceremonies
Sacred herbs and resins
Smoke as offering to the heavens
In those traditions, smoking was not addiction—it was an agreement with Spirit.Tobacco was sacred, used only in prayer.Smoke made the breath visible to the gods.The pipe was a vessel of communication between worlds.
In the ancestral memory of humanity, smoking was a gateway to other realms.But today, the spiritual essence has been stripped away.The ritual was lost—leaving only the habit behind.
✧ What Happens Energetically When You Smoke?
Smoking slightly activates the parasympathetic nervous system, creating relaxation.It mimics a meditative posture: sitting, pausing, hands engaged, eyes soft.
Nicotine briefly raises dopamine and acetylcholine—neurotransmitters of focus and attention.
You enter an in-between state: open channel, fewer filters, time stretches.
Your body records this state as “ideal for creating.”That’s why creativity often gets linked to the ritual of smoking.
But here’s the key: it’s not the smoke itself—it’s the energetic state the smoke evokes.And you can access that state—without fire, without combustion.
✧ A Replacement Ritual: The “Breath Fire Ceremony”
This simple practice mirrors the rhythm of smoking, but restores harmony.
You can do it anywhere:
Ignite the Fire:
Rub your palms together, feel the warmth—your inner fire. Bring your fingertips to your lips, close your eyes, and whisper:
“I ignite the fire within my breath.”
Breathe with Intention:
Inhale slowly through your nose (5–7 seconds). Hold for 3 seconds. Feel the energy behind your eyes, drawing inspiration from Earth, memory, and dream.
Exhale the Gift:
Exhale through gently pursed lips (like smoke). Watch your breath as creative force shaping your field. Whisper or imagine: “I release the breath of my becoming.”
Rest in the Space Between:
Sit in stillness and wait until the breath calls you again. Your mind opens—visions may come.
Repeat this 3–5 times, without hurry.
Optionally, hold a small stone, feather, or wooden stick—your new ritual object,one that carries intention instead of addiction.
Practice daily for one lunar cycle.This helps your body unlink creativity from substanceand reconnect it with your sacred breath.
When your breath becomes your inner fire, your creations will carry not only beauty—but harmony.
