The meaning of the breath has many significant implications for me personally, and is a metaphor to how I wish to live my life. It is the link between life and death, and directly correlates with your emotional state. Fast or frozen breath indicates a correlation with intense emotion, unconscious participation in life, or a general anxiety that takes form through being unaware of the present moment. A steady or calm breath can be reflective of a more content or peaceful state of mind; one that helps to ground you in the here and now, and is a motivating stimuli to acceptance and appreciation for who you are.

When focusing on the breath, your mind is unable to wander. It is unable to be focused on the never-ending list of things to be done, the endless worrying, or the simple buzz that often takes over – contributing to your state of unawareness. Focusing on the breath is a form of mindfulness – a state of complete consciousness, acknowledging thoughts, and watching them pass by in a non-judgmental way. Mindfulness helps to wake us up from the automaticity and unconsciousness of everyday life, and makes it possible to access to the full spectrum of our conscious and unconscious possibilities. In this case, the breath serves as an anchor to which you can grab on to, to ground you in the present moment.

As Walt Whitman wrote in Leaves of Grass

“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware, I sit content,
And if each and all be aware, I sit content.

One world is aware, and by far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness,
I can wait.”

Through this big mess we call life, we continuously try and bring balance to the present moment. The secret is that with understanding, comes patience. With patience lies wisdom. With wisdom comes knowledge - that what we will become next, is determined in large part by how we live now. Past and present behaviour is an excellent predictor of future behaviour.

The breath:
Between Heaven and earth is a space like a bellows;
Empty and inexhaustible, the more it is used, the more it produces.
Hold on to the center.
Man was made to sit quietly and find the truth within.
-Tao Te Ching

So yes, I do have meaning behind the tattoo "breathe" on my wrist. This acts as a symbol and reminder to where my priorities lie, and to help me maintain peace of mind in the most stimulating of environments.