BREATH BETWEEN WORLDS
A REFLECTION ON LOVE, LOSS, AND THE BREATH THAT TIES THEM TOGETHER.
“I think the veil can be thin anytime you want it to. Just open your heart and be present.”
MJ Renshaw
MJ Renshaw, founder of The Being Method, explores the power of breath as a bridge between love and loss, life and death, and the human and spiritual experience. She shares how breathwork dissolves the illusion of separateness, how grief and love are one, and how surrendering to motherhood brings profound healing. A reminder that, in the end, love is the whole point. Photos provided by MJ.
“The inhale and exhale are small moments of life and death.”
What does it mean to you to be in a liminal space / between states of being?
“I really believe this is when we are in the present moment. The veils are so strong when the seasons change because we become aware of our surroundings more. The blooming, the leaves falling, the snow. When we are present, we notice the signs more and the magic that is often always around us. I think the veil can be thin anytime you want it to. Just open your heart and be present.”
How has breath allowed you to thin the veil between worlds—such as between love and loss, grief and joy, even life and death? What has the practice of breathing revealed to you about transition or evolution?
“The inhale and exhale are small moments of life and death. When you spiral in with your presence, you can get closer to the moment, your body, and the magic we often miss.”
Do you believe that breath has the power to dissolve the separation between worlds—such as between a human experience and our spiritual nature?
“I believe this is what breathwork is for. It melts the illusion of our separateness. The breath I just took had a molecule in it that was in the last breath that my father took. We are one.”
Breath can be seen as a universal connection between all beings. Has it deepened your understanding of interconnectedness?
“To breathe is to give and receive. We are constantly all sharing the molecules of life together, and I think that is beautiful.”
You often share about the non-linear path that led you to start your own business. What wisdom would you share with someone standing on an energetic threshold, where the old has fallen away and the new has not yet emerged?
“The most common passage in the Bible is “do not be afraid.” Have faith, and you will never regret trying.”
You have shared stories of your father and brother, who have transitioned. Recently, when visiting your brother’s grave, you wrote, “I’m choosing to love hard and I will grieve hard.” How do love and grief dance together in this life?
“To me, they are the same thing. Grief is just what happens when we feel like there is nowhere to put our love. When I am in the energy of grief, I remind myself that I can still love them from this world and they can still feel it in the world that they are in. We are still connected and loving each other. I see their signs often, and I know it’s real.”
In what ways has motherhood taught you the art of surrender? What is your greatest hope for your children?
“Motherhood has been one of my biggest teachers—there is so much on the line for my healing. Every moment is dripping in purpose and heart. My greatest hope for them is that they may move through the world with an inherent feeling of safety, love, and worth. I want them to know that no matter what happens, they have a warm home to fall back on and people cheering for them every step of the way. I would move mountains for them.”
You live with a beautifully open heart despite experiencing deep loss. What allows you to keep your heart open?
“Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to change the world. I see it as so beautiful and magical, and I want everyone else to be able to as well. Living a life with a closed heart means that I will close myself off to love and magic. I may protect myself from pain, but I will also block joy, and it’s not worth it to me. I would rather feel it all (as Rilke would say).”
You say, “love is literally the whole point.” How does love redeem us?
“Jack Kerouac said we can have heaven here right now if we want to. The path to that is love. There is nothing more important than love.”
What unexpected beauty has unfolded through the depths of your healing journey?
“Deep appreciation. I will not spend my life trying to escape it. I want to be awake and present and feel it all. I want to be fearless and loving. I have the gift of knowing how important it all is, and that there may not be a tomorrow, so you should get it done today. Hug them, tell them you love them, and follow your dreams now.”
You wrote something that touched me deeply—"my relationship with myself is one of the best love stories I’ve got.” Can you share more about this?
“Since I come from a broken home, I spent so long thinking, “I have no family,” and yearning for a home, only to find more broken relationships with other traumatized people. When I turned inward and discovered that I already had a home in myself, everything shifted. I built a foundation of love in myself that is unshakable, and it allowed me to have my dream family and life.”
When do you feel most free; most connected to the essence of who you are?
“Galloping through the forest on a horse, dancing in the kitchen with my kids, making love with my husband, doing my breathwork, and laughing until I can’t talk with a friend.”
How do you relate to the energy of the Divine Mother / Divine Feminine?
“I remember being in labor with my first baby, and my husband was reading Conversations with God to me, and I turned to him and said, “Ian, I really believe now that God may be a woman too.” I don’t think that the cosmic energy of the world is only one energy—feminine or masculine. Divine Mother energy is the spiritual guide for Divine Masculine energy, and they are lost without each other. I believe it is time for a Divine Feminine revival—that the energy was written out of history, and we lost our power because of it. I believe when people heal and appreciate femininity, we will have a more peaceful world.”
You are such a healer soul. Is there anything else you would like to say to the world?
“You matter and you are loved.”
