Go Back to Breathing

It has been a challenge to write a blog this month due to the intensity of the political climate. Individuals have been affected to the core emotionally, while others remain apathetic to the whole experience. What can you say when intensity has risen to a point of avoidance and at the same time rioting. It is very real and sobering which is why this blog is difficult to approach.

"This is the time we train for," was how one Buddhist monk described the current climate. (Buddhist monk unknown). We go back to breathing to stay present. "Associate the breath with everything we do, enjoy what is around us." Currently in many people, what is around us feels like existence on the verge of extinction. The fight or flight response has definitely kicked in. And while some have been praying for these days, others are greeting them with primal fear. Whichever the experience, mindfulness practice in the form of yoga, pranayama, and meditation are useful tools in order to find peace. Mindfulness expands the awareness of wide ranging emotions. "Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life in every moment of daily life." Thich Nhat Hanh

From a philosophical perspective, referring to Hindu texts might be applicable to current events. Kali Yuga, "The age of the demon or age of vice, it is the last of four stages the world goes through as part of the cycles described in the Sanscrit scriptures. The other stages are called Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, & Dvapara Yuga. Hindus believe human civilization degenerates spiritually during the Kali Yuga, referred to as the dark ages because people are as far from God as possible." WP Kali Yuga is also a designated time period dictated by the distance between the earth and the sun. The earth's distance is furthest away from the sun during this period. Dvapara Yuga, the Golden Age, is where the earth is much closer to the sun and marks a much better time for civilization. This week one of my students said we are in Kali Yuga (dark ages) and the very next day another student announced we are coming out of Kali Yuga and into Dvapara Yuga (golden age)? Perspective on change maybe, I suppose only time will give us the answer, or as my teacher referenced, "The answer is blowin' in the wind". Dylan