It's so simple

Well, I sure *think* about posting to this blog alot, but don't seem to actually get to it very often. Its interesting trying to be so plugged into so many different online facets for my business. Twitter, My 11:11 life blog, updating my 11:11 website, Etsy store, Amazon store, not to mention Facebook or ichat or staying on top of emails!!!!!..... and I wonder why its hard to focus and make real progress sometimes. I am constantly going from one thing to the next and back again and sometimes forgetting what I set out to do in the first place.. and I know I am not alone in this. What is going on is that the information age is really and truly changing the way we live, and we are having to process more information in a month than our ancestors did their whole lifetimes. This alone is the reason why it is more important than ever to MAKE TIME to just be quiet and present with yourself. Call it meditation if you want and buy a special pillow... but all you really need to do is to start really paying attention to the breath. You know how its always the simple thing in life that are really true? Well this is another example. I've really gotten so much out of all the many very powerful pranayam exercises (Pranayam is simply energy management through the breath) that we do in Kundalini yoga, but truthfully its very simple and anyone anywhere can do it. You don't even need a class to start really benefiting. See I'll show you, give me 3 minutes. You have 3 minutes to feel better right?

1. Sit up straight wherever you are. Feel the spine and back of the neck get taller and longer and keep the head facing straight forward.
2. Start breathing veeerrryyy slowly through the nose. Just breathe and notice the sensations of breathing. Notice the stomach expand , notice the ribcage expand on the inhale.
3. Close your eyes and keep breathing longer and longer breaths, and really start to notice the sound of the breath.
4. As you inhale , start counting slowly in your head 1,2,3,4 etc and fill up the lungs slowly and completely. Whatever number you reach at the top of the breath, let the exhale be the same length of time.
5. With each breath see if you can add 1 or 2 counts onto the length , so your breaths are getting longer and deeper as you go.

Try this for just a few minutes, and see what a different headspace/mood/feeling you have created in yourself, just from paying attention and deepening the breath. To paraphrase Yogi Bhajan - "The deeper the breath, the deeper the life"

Its so simple yet there is layer upon level upon layer to the wisdom and power of the conscious breath... I intend to continue to explore and expand upon this topic as this blog progresses...as I progress....

Sat Nam!