7/27

kumbhaka

this is one of those case where a little bit of knowledge goes a long way,
but that's all i have at the moment:
how it was explained to me
so if i have gotten this totally wrong
don't shoot me.

i have been taking class with a teacher who focuses on kumbhaka: the retaining of the breath.

according to him this practice induces the panic of death and yoga prepares you for the moment that you die. it prepares you to be able to be conscious, not lose awareness or control, because how you die informs the quality of the next manifestation of your spirit.

this is important in the present, because we all die small deaths in our daily lives: we lose a job or someone we love and how you meet these "deaths" determines how you will go forward with the rest of your life.

it is a good argument for meeting the trials and tribulations of day-to-day existence in a direct, conscious and responsible manner,
it is a good argument for not taking the easy way out.