One Breath at a Time
Life has taken a completely new direction for me with having a baby, and sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed with my new role and responsibilities. Last Sunday evening I made it out to a yoga class, and during practice I was reminded of how the only way to live is one breath at a time. We can’t change the past, and worrying about the future only causes fear. All we can do at this moment is taking another breath, noticing the feeling of each inhale and exhale and the quiet moments in between.
Life becomes a string of breaths, each one in due course. Would you worry about the quality of your breath next Tuesday morning? On this day next month? Next year? Of course not, we can only focus on the current breath. Ask yourself, are you doing okay right now? Then focus on this moment, knowing that this is all there is.
At the end of the class on Sunday I was feeling more grounded and less afraid. Stringing breaths and moments together like waves had calmed my mind, and this week I try to remind myself of this lesson whenever I start worrying.
In Yoga Sutra 1.34 Patanjali says:
[…] calm is retained by the controlled exhalation or retention of the breath.
(From The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda.)
Very simple, beautiful and real expression of the moment.
I am thinking about signing up for Yoga and meditation class…How would I find out if the instructor is qualified and whether or not he or she believes Yoga and meditation can supplement one’s spiritual practices…Is there a website I could check out for references or reviews?
Congratulations. Live in the moment and also enjoy the moments.
Matt, look for a yoga teacher that has at least a 200-hour certification from a yoga school registered with Yoga Alliance, http://www.yogaalliance.org/. Yoga studios often have meditation and restorative yoga classes on their schedule, so you can ask at studios in your neighborhood.