Breathe

“Take a deep breath in – now let it all out” – I hear this phrase repeated over and over in my mind. In yoga, breath is the epicenter of the practice.

The movement, the flow, the stillness – it is all guided by breath. This cue, coming from the teacher, is repeated throughout the class.

There is something about the connection to your own breath that stills the mind and forces everything else out. There is no space to think about projects, deadlines or to-do lists. Focusing on the present moment pushes out the noise, the chatter and the worry.

And then life resumes.

I had to learn how to put the infrastructure in place for my book. Now that I’ve done that, I still feel as though there’s more I can do. I’m pushing when I need to be letting go. Even with so many years practicing yoga, lately, I’ve found myself needing to go back to the meaning of what I wrote about in The Little Seed’s Long Wait.

Not because nothing is happening, but because letting go and trusting is not easy to do.

I imagine little seed was experiencing all types of noise while he was waiting on what he wanted most. To go Up Above. At first, he didn’t have the tools to help him slow down but once he let go, everything changed.

Much like in yoga, in life, trusting yourself is at the center of forward movement. Letting go is a lot more difficult than holding on.

Today, I’m grabbing my mat and going to breathe.

 — Mari