What is happening to us is often outside our control; changing our reaction to what is happening to us – is controllable. The key to this is awareness. This is same intention that advanced yoga students have for their yoga practice. They want to become keenly aware of their experience. They don’t want to just notice the physical feelings they are having – they want to also notice the thoughts these feelings are creating, and the resulting moods. Once they can see how the physical is connected to the mental and the mental to the emotional, they are ready to alter these connections.
Holding a Yin Yoga pose for three or five minutes gives us time to really look deep and see what is happening. We start to see these connections forming. We become keenly aware of emotions like irritation, anger, fear, or even boredom, surfacing. We can start to trace these emotions back to certain thoughts and sensations. We can then choose, if we like, to change the way we are reacting. We can choose to awaken or to A.W.A.K.E.N.
(Next: A.W.A.K.E.N. )