Finally back to the real world...one that exists beyond this window that held me softly for a full 10 days of sheer bliss.Although I learned so much while I was away immersing myself in Ashtanga yoga for 10 days, the one thing that I continue to come back to is breath.
Ashtanga teaches you to watch your breath, to move it, to move with it, to use it, to manipulate it...you get the picture.
BUT, there is just one problem........I hold mine.
Upon reflecting, I have been holding for quite some time. I catch myself not breathing in certain situations, like gaming the blood pressure machine...or trying to be quite so I can hear something...
But these are conscious times, times when I actively decide to do something and by body said, "hey, hold your breath, that will help!
It seems that my breath holding is not limited to these activities... Now that I am home, I catch myself doing it all the time. Driving, sleeping, typing, listening to something I don't like at meetings, reacting to something a person is sharing....thinking..
And so I am working on breathing. NOT just when I roll out my mat, but all day long.
Breathing when I hear something repulsive, something that makes me squirm, angry, irritated. Breathing when I hear that I am loved, adored, smart, admired.
And Breathing at all times inbetween.
I realize that breathing in and out all day long pulls you just a bit closer to the reality of your existence. You breath in the bad and learn to bear it. You breath in the love instead of trying to hold it. You breath in life...and hope that it continues to give you fresh air.
Are you holding your breath? Start thinking about it.....One of my favorite people recently told me that she totally understood this concept...that she feels like launching a big exhale as soon as she leaves our town and returns to a place that used to be home. A big exhale....we didn't talk about the inhale but I imagine that she would agree that it feels great.
