Category: Yoga

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Finding Space in Everyday Life

The last few weeks were a practice on slowing down; finding space to breathe; and just being. Life happened, one thing after another. Deadlines at work; back to back family events; financial worries; computer crises- are just a few. Yet I know that I have so much to be grateful for, especially a healthy and a beautiful daughter to come home to.

Life- this tour de force is churning around me leaving mountains of debris in its wake. It feels like sitting in the eye of the tornado and watching things around us swirl and change. Friends and families going through changes in their lives- a close family member battling cancer; a friend seeing her one year old son battling cancer; a couple trying to find ways to live together; a family going through unemployment and financial woes; friends trying to find significant others; and a new acquaintance going through separation. And on a more positive note- weddings, births, promotions, healing, travels and other opportunities.

As the lives around me are changing, my life is also moving at a very fast pace. Most days I feel like I am being passed through several ringers and by the end of the day I am drained and washed out. My levels of problems are what you may call the Cadillac versions of the problem world. My week looks like- some job dissatisfaction; a hacked computer and lost access to all my data; work commute woes; child care expenses;family demands and tussles; pressures of starting a business- these are the new normal of my new life. My days also include– toothless and heart aching grins from my daughter; peace and quiet of few precious moments alone ; launch of my small business; the assignment that went well; baby steps getting back into driving; and the slowness of Sunday mornings.

Finding the space to put every day into perspective by being mindful of what is around me and inside me, keeps me sane. For examples work deadlines have their own place in my new life list and it is definitely not at the top. This new realization allows me to live a somewhat normal and stable life- if it is not a life threatening factor- I know I will get through it.

Finding that space and perspective has everything to do with finding space in the day to day, to be in touch with myself. This may translate into quiet time on the mat, a fifteen minute journaling before o bed, quick walk, an extended yoga practice, or sometimes just a few mindful breaths before I go to bed. Finding space and perspective also means staying open enough to connect with people- family and strangers alike. Making time to spend a few minutes with the newly returned colleague from medical leave ; listening to the life story of that Uber driver who is going through death, separation, and job loss ; and rearranging the schedule to connect to a friend from ten life times ago.

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Breath and Silence

Breath and silence

It struck me while I was sitting cross legged on the floor ready for my meditation practice- breathing is the first and the last act of life, essentially the first and last thing that we do. It is by no means a novel thought, but the realization was loud and clear.

Breathing is also the only consistent companion that we have. When everything and everyone else in life including oneself is changing, it is comforting to know that breath will take us through to the end.

The breath that is gentle and full when we are sound asleep and the breath that is shallow and quick with a burning tinge when we are anxious. This breath is an indication of our wellbeing and happiness. We can send this breath to different parts our body as a messenger of goodwill. I like to send it to my scalp to get a mild tingling buzz and to my stomach to calm the angry juices of anxiety and to the tips of my toes to see how far it can go.

The breath also brings us closer to people and heal troubled relationships. Immersed in my own drama and my pettiness, the few calm, and mindful breaths before I go to sleep or when I wake up, is the only time I have to think of others. A dear family member suffering from cancer; or a friend who is struggling; or strangers who are living in war ravaged zones. With one breath in, I attempt to take away their pain and with one breath out I send them my love and happiness. This is the only time and space that my breath allows me to acknowledge that there is a larger circle that is beyond me and mine, a larger cosmic connection beyond the everyday.

Then there are troubled relationships- a rift between minds and hearts that seem at times insurmountable; there is jealousy and anger; and there is that perception of ‘you did me wrong’. I think of these faces and personalities and keep them close to my heart as I breathe in and breathe out realizing that while we have our differences now, in the grand scheme of things we are all characters playing out our part and going through our struggle.

And there is silence, my good old friend, that comes and finds me in early mornings or late nights when the house is asleep; in the middle of chaotic traffic in between red lights; and in the middle of a large family reunion; and wraps me deep inside its fold like a loving mother. When I find silence, I also find breath there, waiting for me. And for a few minutes, silence and breath become my world and everything else dissolves. I feel myself float back to the beginning that zero that one point where we all came from.