Dear Yogis and Yoginis,
Have you ever held a small infant in your arms? Recently I have had the opportunity to hold and hang out with several small children and have been re-inspired to focus on a key aspect of yoga: the breath.
Independently of whether you like young ones or not, there is a lot you can learn from a baby's breathing. Most importantly, infants still breath with their whole body, their movements always initiating from the breath. Quick experiment: watch how a baby's ribcage and abdomen expand and condense with each inhalation and exhalation.
As we become adults, however, different parts of our body and our breath inevitably become constricted by habits, experiences, shocks, and, well...life! How can we restore some comfort to the most fundamental and supportive pattern within us?
In the West we often practice yoga postures to improve strength and flexibility, to feel more fit, or to deal with injury, yet the main focus of all the different shapes and transitions we move through is much simpler: to make breathing easier.
Imagine the feeling of openness and curiosity you might experience when approaching a rose bud for a quick inhalation. What if you could carry some of that openness and relaxation with you throughout the day? How would that change your perception and day to day experiences?
This October, classes will focus on developing and maintaing a greater awareness of how the breath supports both our asana practice and our day to day mindfulness. We will experiment with "conscious breathing" to ground our practice in the beneficial effects of an easy, long, smooth breath.
May the flower in this Newsletter serve as a reminder to breath and reach you with my best wishes for a good beginning of term - I am happy and grateful to be back.
Beatrice
