We come into the world fascinated by movement.  An infant begins joyfully exploring how his fingers and toes move, experiments with rolling over, then crawling, eventually standing, and finally walking.  The process takes almost a year which is unimpressive compared to a newborn horse but then they have the advantage of four legs.  In that first year we discover that we were designed to move with ease, we find all these parts that are connected –  joints, tendons, bones, muscles – and we try them out, we see how they interact with parts of the brain that form intentions.  And no we’re not neuro-scientists, just gurgling  bundles of natural impulses.  The growing years bring more discoveries — running, skipping, jumping – followed by the more complicated organizational skills like riding a bike, swimming, skiing, skating.  What happens next cannot be blamed on our century or our society.  After mastering physical movement, we enter into our education phase.  We explore the mind’s capacity for learning, understanding the world around us and finding our place in it.  This comes with a price.  Whether our training requires sitting in classrooms, apprenticing at physical labor, or navigating the internet, opportunities for movement diminish.  We settle into a routine.  In our world this might mean sitting in front of a computer, working on an assembly line, or building houses, not to mention those hours spent commuting.  In former times, we might have been the village weaver, potter, baker, tailor or courier running messages from one settlement to the next.  All of these occupations require repetitive movement.  In other words, our work has the effect of limiting and eventually constraining the body.  No wonder our joints ache by the time we reach middle age.  “MOVE ME,” they shout.  Our bodies cry out for balance as they did in ancient times.  And this is why we have disciplines like Yoga and QiGong, movement that harmonizes body, mind, and breath, movement that is absolutely necessary for our well-being.  As my favorite teacher used to say, “Move it or lose it.”

On two occasions recently, I overheard this question raised during conversations before class.  This was not an idle observation.  It evoked a sense of helplessness and dread.  I think we all felt this for a moment before it was time to ring the chimes and begin body and breath awareness.

We are immersed in media coverage of world events and it seems that there is no corner of the world so remote that the media has no access.  We see and hear every natural and man-made disaster. Our viewing experience can be so intense that we feel involved.  And, as citizens of planet earth, we are.  But what are we to do?  I suspect that this is now a universal concern:  Is the world going mad and what can I do about it?

This past summer, following an afternoon meditation at a Buddhist monastery, one of the participants voiced a similar concern:  “How can we, as individuals, maintain inner peace when there’s chaos and destruction in so many parts of the world?”   The teacher thought for a moment and then suggested getting involved in organizations devoted to helping refugees or aiding countries ravaged by internal conflict.  I believe the Buddhist teacher’s answer was wise up to a point.  Taking action of any kind can be satisfying.  But how do we stay centered?

As a mother I would first offer this advice: avoid large crowds and obey your survival instincts.  As a Yoga teacher, I would remind you of a slogan from the nineteen-sixties:  Be Here Now.  Setting aside its hippie implications, please look to its deeper meaning.  Be in the present moment.  Let go of the past.  Understand that the future is unknowable.  What is here, now?

Let’s start with body awareness.  Assuming you’re viewing a computer or some kind of mobile device, how is your body organized?  Where do you sense contact with your chair?  How are you arranging your legs?  Can you scan through your body gradually, starting with your feet?  When your awareness reaches your head, what do you sense about your jaw, your face?  How would it feel to loosen the jaw, to soften your face, to release any tension in your scalp?

Next, pay attention to your breathing.  Without trying to change anything, simply observe its rhythm.  Breath comes in; breath goes out.  Stay with the breath as it’s happening.  You might sense the movement of breath in some areas of your body.  Perhaps there are areas that soften as you follow the breath — softening the nose and throat, the ribcage, the abdomen.  Be with the breath.  Allow your mind to simply focus on the breath for a while.  In these brief moments, your mind can set aside thinking and open to the breath.  This practice calms and quiets your mind.  We often find that resting the mind brings us clarity, a fresh perspective, an appreciation of the here and now.  And this is all we have.  This moment.

You are a valuable human being and you have much to offer the world because you come from a place of balance and harmony and peace.  Namasté.

Yoga addresses body, mind, and spirit.  It’s a complete system of physical, emotional, and spiritual development, the original holistic method dating back five thousand years.  The science of Yoga began to evolve as the ancients investigated the essential nature of life, how to live in balance and harmony with the universe.  From its early beginnings, Yoga offered a healthy and balanced approach, a way of life that connected body, mind, and spirit.

It’s easy to understand why Yoga has value in our world today.  Too often we tend to be ruled by our heads and the constant churning of the mind.  We get out of touch with the body and the breath.  We can feel alienated, disconnected, and stressed.  Yoga helps us to overcome this lack of awareness, to reconnect, and establish equanimity.

Yoga teaches us to become more aware of how we move. . . and not just “on the mat”.  How do you reach for something on a shelf?  How do you bend to pick up something from the floor?  Is the action strained or do you move with ease?  When you get in touch with your body and your breath, you naturally find yourself moving easier.  As the breath flows, movement flows.  This is the essence of Yoga.

Your body is your true teacher.  Let the movement come from within.  Let it flow effortlessly through your body.  If you doubt this approach, may I direct  you to the source.  In a translation of the Sutras by Rama Prasad, “effortless attitude” and a “loosening of effort through attention” are the suggested means of learning postures.  My discovery of these passages confirms my initial belief that striving to achieve has never been the intent of Yoga practice.  Strain and effort are contrary to the body’s nature.  We were designed to move easily.  Through Yoga we rediscover that sense of ease.