Day 274 – Pranayama is foundational to yoga and yet I have never really delved into it other than a few differently placed breath practices here and there.  Today’s reading was about the “significant amount of will” we need in order to make progress in this area.  Like Rolf, “on any given day, even the most distracted mind calms after a few minutes of practice.”  However, that calmness seems to disappear–it is, indeed, fettered to the day.

Today, no less, my mind is spinning with hurricanes and work.  I use my practice to calm my jitteriness, to soothe my anxiety, to bring normalcy back into my body.  It works, for the most part, this pranayama.  I feel better, more clear, more centered, more energetic. Yet, it is indeed no small task to practice without moving, to breathe consciously and let go, to spare a minute from the realness of our everyday life and its legitimate worries.  What will be, will be, I suppose.  I am grateful for each breath.