I am my breath & so are you.

Sohum सो ऽहम् - I am my breath

Actually, sohum means “I am this/that” but in a contemplative meaning and a reflection of the sound of the breath.

It’s been my mantra for this past week or so. Getting back to the roots of my practice, I have practiced asana, pranayama and meditation diligently with my teachers every day online and it has felt like coming home.

The Rocket series and the teachers and voices behind it have been a support for me when all the turmoil in the world has made me anxious about the future. Something that’s reoccurring when practicing the Rocket is the reminder of Sohum. I am my breath.

I am my breath.

That’s it. No matter what I’m feeling that particular day when I step on my mat, the reminder that I am my breath has brought me home. No matter the amount of handstands, chaturangas or navasanas I managed to do with my body, the practice has been the same. I am my breath.

When I sat under a tree with the sun on my face in Letna Park this morning, secretly pulling down my facemask for a moment when nobody was around, taking deep breaths of invigorating spring air, that’s what I came back to. I am my breath.

So when the thoughts of whether we’ll be able to finish work on the new studio, or if I’ll be able to feed my family in a couple of months, or if anyone I know will get this virus and get really sick just start to creep in and cause anxiety and stress, I try to bring myself back to the one thing that is for certain these days. I am my breath.

It calms me. It fills me with purpose. It makes me feel whole, human, and fully myself in these tumultuous times.

So, next time you’ve read too many conflicting news articles on your phone, or feel uncertain of the future, or you’re having a particularly bad day. Come back to your practice. Come back to your breath.

Sohum.

I am my breath.
And so are you.

Lisa