Stumped, I close the door of my empty refrigerator. Looking for some spark of inspiration
as what to prepare for tonight’s dinner with my Yogi friend, I turn to the host
of cookbooks in my kitchen. Each
recipe seems to out do the previous one, calling for exotic spices, or a
12-hour marinade, or tools I just don’t have. Meanwhile my refrigerator hums like a drone upon which all
possible recipes are waiting to be realized. I take a breath and for a moment my mind is quieted.
In Vedic thought, it is believed that creation stems from
the knowledge of what would be created, and that consciousness is called
Atman. Consciousness, being formless,
needed a way to bring forth form.
Prana is the way, and became the creator’s first brilliant work. Prana, (Life Breath) is the way to link
the formless with form, and it animates all living things whilst they’re alive.
“As fire, it burns; it is the sun, the bountiful rain, the air, the earth, the
matter, angels, being and non-being, and immortality. Like spokes of a wheel, so everything is established on the
Life-Breath.” –Prashna Upanishad
Breath is the vehicle for Prana into the body just like
bread is the vehicle for tomatoes when I’m eating bruchetta. Yet throughout life, various blocks
begin to prohibit this free flow of Prana into the body causing depression,
confusion and general dis-ease.
The practices of Yoga attempt to clear these blocks that have been
created in the practitioner, in order to align one’s form again with the
formless. Before the Yogi is fit for Pranayama, the practitioner must be able
to sit upright comfortably without strain. Asana (Yoga Postures) help the practitioner do just
that. Pranayama is like breathing
gymnastics, extending and shaping the breath to effectively move spent energy
out and vital energy in. Once the
body is fit enough to sit upright and extend the breath every which way, then
the mind becomes quiet and links with residing consciousness within.
Try it off your mat.
When you’re in line at the grocery store and the mind begins to feel
anxious about time, what happened today, or will happen tomorrow, try
regulating the breath in and out through the nose, and soon the mind will feel
more calm and settled within itself.
This simple technique will make your interaction with the check out
person and the others around you more peaceful.
I’m standing in line at the grocery store with kale,
avocados, oranges, apples, Spring peas in my basket determined to make a salad
for my Yogi friend. Looking at all
these ingredients I see not only the produce, but also the hissing of the sun
and the cycles of the moon whose unique contributions helped make this
food. I take a deep breath in,
sipping in the dusk air through my nose.
If life is a special dish, Prana is the secret ingredient that makes
everything come together. Bon
appetite!
