3
he most important
thing to remember in
all yoga positions is
to breathe slowly and deeply.
Without the right breath,
yoga is nothing more than
glorified stretching. The idea
is that, if you can maintain
your awareness and stay
calm in the most awkward
positions, then you can
remain level-headed and
aware at all times, even in
the most potentially stressful
or difficult situations--the
times when it is most
important to be calm, but
which we are usually unable
to maintain perspective. The
aim of yoga is to keep the
inner world still, even if the
outer world seems to be out
of our control.
After practicing yoga for a
while, you may start to notice
in your everyday life that you
are more aware of your
breath. Sometimes you may
realize that you are breathing
shallow, tight breaths due to
stress or anger. I usually
notice this the most when I’m
driving, especially when I’m
caught in traffic. As soon as
you realize this, take some
deep, slow breaths, and you
will find that the energy you
kept bottled up will flow
more easily through you.
This can prevent sickness
and headaches, and allow
you to work around problems
more easily. And the more
yoga you do, the better you
will be able to breathe. Then,
instead of feeling
discombobulated, you will
feel unified. Remember that
“yoga” comes from the same
sanskrit root as the english
word “yoke” and also means
“to bring together,” or “to
unify.” The Indians felt that
it unified you with God. But
if you don’t feel God right
away, don’t give up! It’s
enough just to feel good.
The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness.
Only when there is stillness in movement
can the spiritual rhythm appear
which pervades heaven and earth.
TS’AI-KEN TAN
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