How To Make Time To Breathe….
It’s been almost 2 years since I started doing yoga on a
weekly basis. I’ve fluctuated between
once and twice a week over this time, and on occasion, I’ve missed a up to a
few weeks in a row. Recently, I’ve been
trying to up my practice to three times a week, which hasn’t become a
consistent habit as of yet. As time’s
gone on, I’ve noticed myself in the different stages of practice, and I’ve seen
how much the experience is changing for me.
The first 4-5 times I took classes, I was all over the place
– both in body & mind. Those initial
classes were a time when I could focus on nothing other than “what can I make
of all this?” and “do I like this?” and “how soon will this be over?” The most intense reaction of all would always
come when the instructor would suggest that we “stay with the breath”. I would resist intensely, repeating to
myself “Who has time to breathe?”
Who Has Time To Breathe?
Really. We breathe all day
long. In. Out.
In. Out. We breathe about 21,000 breaths a day. That’s about 15 breaths per minute. And it all happens on its own, and we never
have to really think about it. But now I
needed to focus on it, and I found it to be impossible. All I could focus on was how busy I had to be
keeping up with the postures, desperately trying to keep up from one moment to
the next, busy in my thoughts, busy trying to get somewhere else….fast!
But I had to slow down.
And focusing on the breath would help me slow down & be there. Focus on the breath to be just there, with
nowhere else to go & nothing else to do.
The yoga breathing was just as important as the postures, because it
would help me cleanse out the negativity, focus on the poses, and ultimately
achieve clarity of mind. But I had no
idea how important the breath was. I
thought it would be something secondary.
I’d have to get to it later.
Who Has Time To Breathe NOW?
Eventually, something clicked after those first few classes, and I had
an “AHA” moment about the breath. It was
incredible. And it helped me continue on
in my practice. Still didn’t get a lot
of what I was doing, or why I was doing it.
Time went on and different things came to light. For awhile I viewed it solely as stretching
and exercise for the body. Slowly I felt
that the mind was getting more & more calm and involved and focused. And then further into it, I started feeling a
spiritual experience coming in more frequently. Overall, it's always been relaxing and leaves me feel more centered.
As time goes on, I shift back and forth between all those
things over and over again. Each class
is different. The instructor may be
different, the postures may be different, the energy of the class may be
different. Even I may be different each
time with my mood, energy, focus, and dedication. But I continue to learn and new things keep
popping up – like a more intense interest on breathing which led me to a course
last night on “Meditation, Concentration, & Breath”. Who would’ve thunk it???
Yes, I now have the chance to really work on this. What’s interesting is how far I’ve come from
the days of super resistance to breathe.
Not only am I breathing more, but I’m going to make it a part of my
daily practice. So, between now &
next week, we have to practice meditation each morning for 10-15 minutes. Practicing in the morning is the best time of
the day, according to the instructor Thomas Amelio. Because your mind has just woken up from that
causal body state, it’s a great way to set the tone for your day.
Upon waking this morning at 6am, I had this in mind. I reluctantly pushed myself out of bed and
onto the floor in an upright seated position. Legs crossed, back straight, hands on my lap in Gyan Mudra facing down (which as I learned last night allows you to be more grounded, versus facing up which is more receiving). I set my iPhone clock timer for 10 minutes. Fifteen seemed like it’d be too much. Ten might still be too much. But I would try. I closed my eyes and began to practice what
we did in class last night – the So Hum breath meditation. On the inhale you inwardly repeat “So”, and
on the exhale you say “Hum”. “That I Am”
is essentially what you keep repeating with the rising and falling of the
breath each time. You focus on
that. I did it for the entire 10
minutes, which unbelievably seemed to pass very quickly. I was aware of all the thoughts coming &
going, and then I’d come back to only focusing on the So Hum. Back and forth I kept wrestling with my
thoughts, which really are all over the place.
The thoughts did slow down by the end.
And just as I began to be caught up with how long I’d been sitting
there, thinking I probably had so much more time to go, the timer went
off. I was surprised. It was a bit too easy in the end. The time went too fast. And there you go. I had just spent a solid 10 minutes focusing
on my breath, and it wasn’t so bad at all.
Day 1 can be called a mini success.
Stay tuned for further meditation updates. And in the meantime, make some time to
B-R-E-A-T-H-E.