Last week I participated in a Katonah Yoga Restorative yoga training.
One of the big revelations for me was about how we naturally find the flow in our breath when the body is in the right position.
This wasn’t quite a new revelation, but one that I experienced in a new way in my physical body.
When the structure is right, the breath kicks in automatically. I could feel myself breathe more deeply. Nobody had to tell me to breathe.
As my teacher and mentor Abbie Galvin said,
Never tell anyone to breathe. If they could breathe, they’d be breathing already.
If a student isn’t breathing in a yoga pose, the set-up of conditions isn’t right.
It’s the structure of the body that allows for the flow of breath.
Our job, as teachers, is to help our students set up the form so that they can breathe.
This stuck with me as a metaphor that applies to life off the mat.
Breath is life. It’s how we thrive.
If a person isn’t thriving; if they’re not meeting their potential, perhaps it’s not because of anything they’re doing or not doing.
Perhaps the reason is as simple as, the set-up of conditions isn’t right.
Structure allows for flow.
Without the right structure, the breath can’t flow through the body.
Without the right structure, we can’t find our flow in life.
This is nervous system safety 101.
Yet we often forget this. When things aren’t flowing, we tend to automatically jump to the conclusion that we are doing something wrong, or that we need different habits.
Before you go down the road of fixing your actions and habits, look at your structure.
What support do you have to help you stay grounded, open, and safe to allow for life to flow through you?
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