Light can dissolve dark.
“The most damaging phrase in the language is 'We've always done it this way.’”
- Rear Admiral Grace Murray
Change is inevitable in our lives. Everything changes. Every seven to ten years we essentially become new people because every cell in our bodies have been replaced by new cells.
We are in a time of change so enormous that it feels like we are in the eye of a storm; but that eye is foggy and unclear.
That lack of clarity can lead to fear and anxiety. But when we can use the tools and techniques we have learned from yoga and spiritual practices, space opens up for faith.
We can place our faith in many things. We can place our faith in God/Spirit/Source, in the goodness of our fellow humans, in nature to support the balance of all life, in ourselves, and in our own innate resilience.
Conscious breath leads me back to my faith. I have been working with my breath to let go of anxiety and fear of the unknown that is programmed in my nervous system. That fear has always been there. But just because it's always been there, it doesn’t mean I have to accept it. It doesn’t mean that I do not have the power to change it. I do. You do. We all do.
We have the power to let go of what no longer serves us: whether we are letting go of old belief systems, old ways of behaving or interacting with the world, or internal wiring, such as how our nervous system responds to external stimuli.
We must invoke our consciousness. There is a way to directly access all unconscious systems within us and illuminate them with our intention and awareness.
Much of our human experience is unconscious. Our cells die and are reborn without our having to think about it. Our breath breathes us without our having to direct it. Our heart beats, our blood circulates, our neuro-chemicals and hormones send and receive messages without direction.
We have limited control over the circumstances in the world right now. We have absolute control over how we respond. Faith is more useful than fear, and far more pleasurable a state. Let us let go of fear, the fear of uncertainty.
The key to that door is your breath: conscious, controlled breath.
Let's start simply: if you feel your nervous system is in a state of anxiety and fear, practice this breath as often as possible throughout the day. Inhale four count, exhale eight count (or three-six or five-ten). You can do this during your yoga practice, while you fold your laundry, or anytime you like. Be conscious of your breath. Your experience in life is encapsulated in your breath. Change your breath and change your life.
If you’re feeling good access to faith and hope, expand upon that. Inhale five count, exhale five count. Do this as often as you can, maybe even all the time.
Change is inevitable. How graceful can we be? How conscious can we be? How trusting and open?
Light can dissolve dark. Conscious breath is our key.
