The breath is the key to going deeper, and by going deeper I mean going beyond the place where we spend most of our time, in the mind thinking. It's true that we think, we have to think, but do we need to be thinking all the time? This is a fair question to ask if we consider the science of yoga. We have to start believing that change is possible. The key to change is from the decision to change, the decision to change must be anchored into the body through the breath, otherwise it becomes like a new year resolution, usually meaningless.

The serenity prayer used in 12 step meetings asks us for the 'serenity' to accept the things we 'cannot' change. The 'courage' to change the things we can, and the 'wisdom' to know the difference.

If we have an 'issue' with something or somebody, a conflict for example, even within our own mind, how do we resolve it? Can we accept it? We can start right there just trying to accept the situation, sitting with our feelings about it and watching our breath. We may find that we are ok, more ok than we thought we could be, if we give ourselves the time to go into the breath and out of our head.

If we find we cannot accept the situation for whatever reason, we may need to find the courage to change something. Where does courage come from? Again I believe sitting with our feelings, I mean really sitting still with a situation we are challenged by and feeling it deeply will lead to a resolution either to accept or change the situation. This is surely meditation in action.

Swami Vishnu Devananda advocated the phrase, adapt, adjust, accommodate. This is based on 'ahimsa', completely non-violent conflict resolution, always accepting and then adjusting to the new set of circumstances. I have found this very useful as an experiment in peaceful resolution, it works every time, we just have to get our ego out of the way. But in 'real' practical situations, dealing with people and money, stuff like that. I have found it does not always work, but hey that's just me.

'Common sense in an uncommon degree is what we call wisdom' Anon.

Common sense is like a practical knowing wisdom, it resonates from somewhere intuitive, somewhere other than the mind.
The body, mind and breath as described in earlier blogs are anna-maya, mano-maya and prana-maya-kosha's and the unification of these three layers of experience through asana and prana-yama opens us into the vijnana-maya-kosha or what we may call the higher mind or intellect. I haven't read this anywhere so don't quote me but it is my experience that this is the case.

Even simpler than that, if you're still not convinced is the fact that surely when we breathe we oxygenate our bloodstream sending a more pranic filled essence into our brain and it is a physiological fact that the brain needs an abundance of oxygen.

All you gotta do now is do it..............

Hari Om Sat Tat.