By letting go; it all gets done.
– Tao Te Ching
Easy for you to say, Taoist masters!
But really, all there is to do is:
Deep belly breath in …
… expanding …
… and exhale let go …
… releasing …
That’s all you need to be a Taoist master, too. Such a simple thing, yet so powerful. Breath occurs over and over. A constant reminder to check in with what is happening right now, in this moment.
Here are some more thoughts on breath and how breath relates to your yoga practice:
Up and down, back and forth we go and go and go. Information comes in and goes back out. It is easy to get into a pattern of constant running, mentally and physically. When this happens you can go to the breath, slow down and just be for a while. Instead of pulling in air, just welcome it in and listen to the natural pattern.
There is no “wrong way” to breathe, of course. All breath is life giving and good. There are ways to get more out of your breath by increasing your lung space, and a consistent hatha yoga practice can help your body learn this. But the first step is always to just listen and listen often.
When we slow down to listen to the breath, sometimes the thoughts will slow, too. Worries may suddenly be put into perspective. You can “get out of your own way.” This is the power of intently listening to your breath. When this listening is applied during your yoga practice, you will eventually learn how to help the breath along by inhaling deeper when your body wants to inhale or maybe slowing down an exhalation when you need to exhale. During some yoga postures, such as Eka Pada Rajakaoptasana (pigeon pose), you may even want to quiet or soften the breath, and in turn the body will soften along with the breath, allowing further exploration into the posture. In some postures or vinyasa (flow of postures) creating a powerful breath will “fuel the internal fire” and you can increase stamina or energy by imploring the breath and at the same time melt away any resistance that you may encounter during an intense posture. You can eventually translate this breath technique to dissipate stressful or difficult situations in life. This is one of the ways that yoga practice can steady the mind and body in an unwavering way.
In my favorite movie, Joe vs the Volcano, Joe finds out that his life is saved miraculously, but still finds something to worry about. His wife, whose life has just been saved too, turns to him as he worries and says “It’s always gonna be something with you, isn’t it Joe?” and she smiles. She tells him that his whole life is ahead of him!
There is always gonna be something. Let the breath take care of it. Listen to your breath. Inhale. Exhale. Smile. Let go and it will all get done.
– Cathy Johnson
