Madhya

I just came back from a week vacation and remembered how important it is to have an extended pause every now and then. A pause from our daily routine is not only good but necessary for our well being. In yoga the name for pause is Madhya. This sanskrit word refers to the middle, an in between space. We practice this in every time we step into the yoga mat. At the beginning of the class we have a pause, a moment to signal to our mind and body to leave behind what came before so we can embrace and experience fully our yoga practice. At the end of the class we practice śavāsana which is not only a resting pose but also a way to let the body assimilate what you have done and to signal to the mind that we are entering back into our life outside the class. 

We experience madhya in many different ways in our life not just in yoga class. We have the days during the week when we are off work which is the pause in between our working weeks. We have the time we sleep every day which is the pause in between the times we are awake. Even your heart experiences this pause. I read once that the heart rests in between heartbeats. The madhya in between the heartbeats. In the breath we experience a brief pause in between the inhalation and exhalation, and the exhalation and the inhalation. Even in our minds we experience this pause. There is a space in between thoughts. Depending on how active our mind is this pause can be so brief that it may go unnoticed but it is still there.

Madhya is everywhere and it is a very important part of any activity. This week we are going to be paying attention to these pauses in our yoga practice.

I look forward to seeing you in class

Blessings

Jorge Nihāl