I woke this morning at 2:00, got up at 3:00 and began my day. Strange, but sometimes I understand those who rise early regularly on purpose - like the monks at Mepkin Abbey - 3:00 in the morning is a lovely time. I will be looking out the window watching the light come. How reassuring it is to sit here and know that the light will come. -----My approach to Hatha Yoga now is to seek the light, the truth. The route is well defined and described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras which are one pada (portion) of my current study. (Excuse me for inserting Sanskrit words in my writing, but I am working on adding some familiarity with these words and writing them is an assist.) Until this morning I thought pada had to do with the foot, and maybe it does? ----- Meanwhile, back at the ranch: What I am thinking of this morning is the overall yoga philosophical approach. In order to reach the truth, we learn to control (1) physical body (2) movement of the life force (breath), (3) then the senses (4) and finally the mind. In that order, more or less. There is some overlap. Here's an interesting observation: the breath and mind are interconnected, interdependent, related. Think about that. If we slow down the breath, we calm the mind. If the mind becomes agitated, the breath does too. Since breathing is a physical phenomenon, it is easier to work on controlling it and thereby the mind, rather than the other way round. Everyone knows this: "take a deep breath" means calm down, right? And, the mind does calm down when we take a deep breath. Of course, it may take several, not just one deep breath. Be grateful for your ability to breathe!
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