Brain breathing

Saturday led was packed today. All the usual suspects, plus all the Bikramites, plus a few new people. Returning Guy, who usually only does Mysore, came for the first time. He was amazed at how crowded the room was, and everyone was talking before Volleyball Guy got there, so it sounded like a cocktail party.

Practice was good. How could it not be, in a room with that many people, in a room so warm and energetic?

One thing I've been noticing is that I do not think ahead in the sequence any more. When I first started, I always thought ahead. The most difficult version of that was the thinking how long the whole practice was going to be. I used to step onto my mat and be kind of overwhelmed at the scope of the project. Now, though, I never think about how long practice takes. Then for a while, I thought about what poses were coming up next. No way to avoid that, when you're learning the sequence and have to try to remember what's next. But I wondered if I would ever get past that. Apparently I have. It's nice. The practice has a much more organic flow.

I have a new book, which I've just begun, but which looks very interesting: Swara Yoga: The Tantric Science of Brain Breathing by Swami Muktibodhananda. Link on the right side of this page. Interesting stuff about nadis, pranayama and swara. Swara seems to be the yoga of breath--and more subtle than pranayama. Please don't quote me on that. I've only read the first couple of chapters. Yoga makes one so much more sensitive, physically, but I am finding it very hard to articulate the things I am learning.

And this afternoon, I'll be on the hunt for a new book. I have a new person transferring onto my team from another department at work. I suspect I may have my hands full with her. I am going to get a book on passive-aggressive behavior, because I think that's what is going on. I'd like to be able to recognize it and respond with compassion and a clear mind. These...uh, "opportunities" are always interesting challenges for me: how can I bring my yoga into the "real world"? How can I help someone who is suffering get a taste of freedom and bliss? And is that even possible? I don't know, but it's a very tempting thing to try.