Inhale, and God approaches you.  Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you.  Exhale, and you approach God.  Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.  ~Krishnamacharya

Inner Bliss was delightfully calm tonight as I arrived for my second class of my 30-day Holiday Class Pass. There’s nothing like a yoga studio to chill you out… 🙂

But as soon as we started practicing, my energy sparkled, and I was having so much fun! I began my practice with a new pose that I had never done before–it’s always exciting to experience something for the first time. Thank you, Tammy, for the surprise!

The chi kept flowing as we practiced standing splits, and my movements made me elated–I felt like I was flying! I soared on my breath, inhaling and exhaling with such intention and awareness.

So tuned in, I had a realization when I was breathing into my heart: As it lifted, my shoulders naturally dropped down my back for support. Rising the heart on the inhale, sinking the shoulders on the exhale. A rhythmic flow of give and take that completes itself.  Now that I understood the relationship of lifting and supporting, the pose became so much lighter, intensely brighter, yet softer, more inviting.

When I lost the breath, the Ego chimed in: “When is this going to be over? My ankle is burning!” I laughed in my head and said to the Ego, “What’s the rush? Let’s just practice.”

Focusing on the breath was enlightening and gave a deeper meaning to my practice tonight. I felt so connected to myself, as well as to my fellow yogis. When we ended the class with a resounding “om,” the sound was vibrating with such a peaceful energy, like a Warrior.

The heart, the breath…what will be my next intention?