You breathe in a yoga pose for the spaces. — Matthew Sanford
To read more about Matthew click on the link. Confined in a wheelchair for over thirty years, he teaches adaptive yoga for people with disabilities, veterans, and young women with anorexia.
There is a breathing method in yoga called pranayama. Pranayama is a conscious prolongation of inhalation, retention, and exhalation. (Okay Hubbell. We all know you take Yoga, but that’s because after decades of abuse, you need all the help you can get to just put one foot ahead of another. Quit bragging and get on with the meditation.)
My friend’s admonishment is correct, but what caught me was Sanford’s focus on spaces. I have an artist friend who tells me the key to art and very good art is how the painter deals with the spaces. There is a lot of truth in that for all of us. We pay so much attention to the here and now, the aches and pains, our body’s shape and size, but most everything substantive is made up space surrounded by bits of matter. Thus we breathe for the spaces.
Just as we should concentrate occasionally on taking care of the spaces in our body by breathing, and filling them with healthy nourishment, we should pay attention to the spaces in our lives as well. The absences from people, the gaps in our knowledge, and the holes in our heart caused by neglect or inattention, all need a good dose of fresh air and attention.
As advent approaches, take a moment this holiday weekend to spend a little time mediating and praying about your personal spaces.
Leave a Reply +