Welcome to The Daily Breath Yoga Blog

Yoga is not just a bendy exercise, it’s a way of life. This, more than anything, is what inspired me to start this blog. Yoga does not belong to breathy, willowy, beautiful people. It does not belong to the thin, who look fabulous, sweating mercilessly in their clothes that look like skin. It does not belong to people who use phrases like"aura" and "clear my energy." Yoga is for all of us – the graceful swans and the fat, pimply, t-shirted masses.

So, whether you are a graceful swan or a fat (or just squishy) t-shirted mass, join me here, on my imperfect journey and lets make some discoveries together.

The first thing I'd like to explore is being ok with what is - today.
This does not mean that you do not desire to change it.
It does not mean that you are settling for less than the full dream.
It means that today IS - and that is OK.

We are doers and getters and achievers,
and we do a great job doing and getting and achieving.
These wonderful accomplishments push us to schedule and plan and set goals.
After all, if you don't know where you're going, how will you get there?
We look back and evaluate. We wish we'd done this or that, so we work harder to make up for the opportunities missed.

This constant movement of the mind and heart between past and future, or even constant movement forward into the future puts our minds and our hearts out of sync with our bodies.

Our bodies are today.
Our bodies are right now.
Our first practice is to bring our minds in sync with our bodies in this moment - even if just for a few minutes.

Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes
Sit comfortably. Or lie on your back.
Relax your jaw.
Let your eyes close gently.
Notice your breath - don't try to force or manipulate - just observe.
Bear witness to what IS right now.
How does your body feel?
Where does your mind go? (Gently try to bring it back to your breath)
How does your breath feel? Where does it go in your body on the inhale? Does it feel tight and stiff, or does it feel relaxed and deep - or somewhere in between? Does it change the longer you remain present?

When your timer goes off, bring your hands together in prayer at your heart center, bow and and say 'Namaste.' (nah-mas-te). This literally means 'I bow to you.' A deeper meaning is that this is the recognition of the divine spark in each of us. I've heard it translated as "The divine in me recognizes the divine in you." It is a nice way to end your practice whether you are being respectful of your teacher, your classmates or even yourself (most especially yourself!)

Welcome to The Daily Breath. I hope that we will learn many things from each other along the way!

Brandye