2021

It is finally here, the new year 2021. It never stops to amaze me how January first always feels like arriving to a new chapter which is yet to be written and at the same time I remember there are so many chapters behind it. I think that the most auspicious way to start 2021 would be to pause and focus on the breath. The breath, a natural breath, is an excellent way to calm and focus the mind. If you can recall a time when you were lost in the myriad of thoughts of the mind, you will certainly appreciate the calmness and the focus that the breath can unearth in you.

Prāṇa in yoga is the name for an all pervading enlivening energy. One way in which we experience prāṇa is through the breath. This energy can stabilize or destabilize and interestingly enough we have a say on how it affects us. Try a little experiment. The next time you feel stressed, unfocused, angry, lethargic, tired, anxious, etc, (you get the idea) quickly notice what is your breathing pattern. Then pause ... and gradually start to breathe deeply for a few rounds until your breath naturally comes back to a more natural pace. This only takes a couple of minutes but will make all the difference in the world.

Another experiment you can try is noticing the breath when you feel relaxed, happy, content, peaceful, silent, grateful, loving, appreciative, courteous, focused, energized, etc. The qualities of the breath in these instances can be filled with an expansive and dynamic ease or an internally grounding and meditative feeling.

Paying attention to the breath in this manner does not mean that outer circumstances, specially bad ones, are going to disappear. What it means is that we engage with whatever is in front of us in a way that is beneficial for us, the people around us, and our environment. Of course there is no guarantee that will do what is most beneficial but even if we don't we will be in a much better place to take a different course of action.

I look forward to seeing you all in class.

Blessings

Jorge Nihal