Inside Yoga 43 (20/9/11)

There are many ways in which we can use what we learn in our formal yoga practice – the time spent on a yoga mat or meditation cushion – in our daily lives. While at work, at home, at the shops, travelling and so on, we can use bits and pieces of a yoga practice to improve our state of mind, body and breathing at that particular moment.

For example, we are standing in a queue – be it in the supermarket, the bank, a travel terminus and so forth – and one thing is certain, we need to stay in the queue. The waiting time, however, is making us agitated (whether slightly or deeply) and we just want the people in front of us to get on with it. There are a few things we can do to disarm the rising negativity within us.

First of all, we can turn our attention to our posture: standing as we often are in a queue, we can check to see if we are standing on each foot equally, and then turning our attention to our body we can check our overall posture. Not only will this exercise pass the time, but it might help teach us something about the way we stand in such situations – many people who have sore backs do not realise that it’s the posture that is not helping – and by improving our posture in the queue the wait might not be so uncomfortable.

Secondly, turn our attention to our breathing. If we are stressed by the wait, our breath is likely to lack steadiness and length. This bad way of breathing adds to stress – a vicious cycle of bad breathing, poor posture and agitated mind work together to make matters worse – and the way to unlock this is to first pay attention to how we are, and then make changes.

Thirdly, we empty our mind of thoughts and we pay attention to the calming effects of a steady and smooth breath, combined with a comfortable and upright posture: just doing this for a minute or so, while in a bank queue can work wonders.

And for those who are seated and waiting, with a ticket number in hand and agitated mind, we can apply the same principles of body, breath and mind awareness to calm the situation and pass the time.

In the seat we notice how we are seated – slouching or twisted uncomfortably – and then we adjust our posture, usually by sitting upright. We steady our breath and follow its flow for a while.

All these tips are simple to apply and are an effective way of bringing balance to our situation.

If we are at work, many of these tips can apply. For those with a desk job, periodically do check how you are seated and adjust the posture, and whenever possible, between tasks – for example, when you are waiting for the computer to bring up on your screen the item you need, simply watch your breathing and bring it to a steady rhythm.

If your work involves using your hands and perhaps the whole body, bringing awareness to the breathing and body does help, to steady the breath, and in turn this sharpens the focus, which can be very important in work that has some risk. And in those cases stopping thoughts helps too, to focus.

Yet to be honest, when we are doing something very difficult or even dangerous, our focus is usually there as it has to be. It’s when nothing much is happening, or appears to be happening, that we drift or become stressed (as whatever isn’t happening should happen sooner than it is, eg when in a queue).

Whatever our situation, when presented by a pause, a wait, an idle moment, instead of trying to squeeze it and get agitated and stressed, remember to breathe, quieten your mind and pay attention to what is happening in your own body in that very moment.