Does this sound familiar? You rise out of relaxation pose in yoga class, your teacher directs you into some reflection on how you feel, and you think to yourself, “Yes, I am connected to all living things, I do feel peace in my mind, and it seems more and more likely that I actually am filled with bliss in the very core of me,” only to have those feelings completely disappear by the time you get home? The traffic, news of the world, and constant barrage of texts, emails, and calls blast your consciousness like an alarm clock, and you feel your dreamy bubble of peace and connection pop.
I know the equanimity and union that I study in my practice is sometimes at odds with my modern householder life, but every day I wonder: Is it possible to maintain presence of mind in the face of so much rising chaos?
I live in a part of Florida that sends rockets into space and in 1999, the county lobbied for and received its area code, 321, as an homage to the launch countdown clocks so often employed here. What if the countdown was for something more earthbound than celestial? What if we used the countdown to bring us back to that presence – that equanimity – that we lose once we step off the mat? The answer to this question birthed the following mini-practice that I use anywhere and anytime that I need it:
Three…
Take three breaths, full and expansive. They might not start out full, but with attention, they will grow smoother, deeper, and more even. Breathe as if your breath could fill and empty from your entire torso: the front, back, sides, top, and bottom of you. Enjoy each moment of your breath.
Two…
Become aware of your two feet standing or touching the earth. Feel your connection to the planet, almost as if you could send roots through the soles of your feet down, down, down to the center of the planet. As your roots grow downward, the top of your head extends upward toward the stars. Feel yourself standing on the crust of the planet and see if you can sense its rotation through space.
One…
Maintain one thought (just one!) at a time. For this moment only, resist the urge to multi-task because no one can really do that. What we end up doing is several things poorly instead of one thing well. Do one thing, think one thought, feel one emotion at a time.
At the end of this countdown, observe what unfolds. Is it the rocket of your “monkey mind” taking off, or is it your presence rooting down? Use this short practice whenever you want to recreate that wonderfully blissful experience in yoga. Three, two, one…
