Yesterday I had a chance to catch up with Rex about all things yoga, and he said something that stood out. We were talking about all the ways yoga helps us move through life, and he said, “Yoga is the first and last line of defense."

So true. When I think back on the totality of my experiences since I began to practice, this has always been the case. Yoga is the first place I go to process whatever is happening in real-time. It’s also the thing I come back to when all else fails. It doesn’t fix problems, but it does help me regulate my emotions so that I can take the best action. I wanted to think about this idea of yoga as a first and last line of defense, and I figured there’s no one better to do this with than you.

Be here now

Ram Dass may be the one most famous for saying it, but these three words have continued and will continue to echo in the minds of yogis present and future. Being here now sounds like the easiest thing in the world until you realize how many stories your mind can spin at an alarming rate.

Being here now is simple when things are going well, but what about when the news is bad or the situation isn’t what you hoped? I practice being here now when my spouse leaves for deployments. I even thought of “be here now” when I was heading into surgery last April. I have learned and am learning to be able to sit with whatever is.

It’s not all bad though. I become so overjoyed whenever I get to harvest the first tomato of the season that I have to remember to stay present. When I take my dog on a stroll or listen to the sound of the cat purring while she’s happily curled up beside me, I do my best to have a conscious present moment. I am in the here and now when I am creating and when I’m teaching. Sometimes it feels to me like I’m not within time at all (Some people call this a flow state), and that my feet are so rooted that no amount of swirling chaos can sway me.

Creating still waters

“Yoga is the suspension of the fluctuations of the mind” (YS 1.2). I think this is what makes this practice so valuable when we face extremes. Instead of flying off the rails, we have the opportunity to sit with the circumstances. From this powerful place, we can make better decisions, reduce our suffering, and fully appreciate the good times.

And when all else fails…

When all else fails, there’s still yoga. I wasn’t feeling well at the end of last week, and my vision started to gray out. If you’ve ever passed out, you know this is a bad sign. I was going to faint. The intervening voice of my practice said, “Sit down and breathe.” This was especially solid advice since I was by myself at the time. I plopped myself into the nearest chair and focused on my inhalations and exhalations. Amazingly, the feeling passed and my vision righted itself. (I’ve been to the doctor about my fainting. It’s not life-threatening – just unpleasant.)

To me, this is the very heart of why we train. We train so that when we find ourselves in challenging circumstances, we’re able to access the tools we need automatically. I didn’t have to be told to breathe. I didn’t become so panicked that I missed the opportunity to find safety.

What it looks like

The way yoga looks when it’s your first and last line of defense is not the yoga that sells pants. When I thought I was going to pass out, my instinct wasn’t to pop into Natarajasana (Dancer’s Pose). The most visible limb of yoga, asana (postures), is the thing we practice together the most, but it’s the thing that (in my experience) serves me the least when I feel that I’m in extremis.

That’s not to say that asana isn’t valuable. Getting into our bodies and practicing movement is another way to calm the fluctuations of the mind. When you’re doing a repair in your home, sometimes you need a sewing needle, and sometimes you need a hammer…

I only bring it up because it takes a long time to overturn the idea that yoga is only movement. Sometimes your yoga isn’t going to look like yoga. Sometimes you’re going to have to call on the depths of your practice.

How do you do it

The way is to practice. Practice is the way. As you engage with the practice, you’ll become sensitive to sensations and thoughts that arise within you. You’ll learn what elicits a sense of clarity, and which practices are counterproductive. No teacher can tell you how you’re supposed to feel.

Personally, I go back to the breath. Equal parts breathing, 5-7-8 breath, or even chanting a mantra can usually serve as an anchor point. That works for me, but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to have the same feeling. Some practitioners may find that pranayama (breathwork) is difficult or even distressing. No, you’re not weird. It could be that you are just not used to the sensations of breathwork, or you may be in some form of recovery that makes breathwork less accessible.

If the breath is triggering, don’t lose hope. There are other ways to steady yourself. I encourage you to find a comfortable seat and observe the sensation of sitting. Notice how the parts of you connected to the ground feel. Observe the feeling of the clothing on your skin and the temperature of the air in the room. Become a student of the areas of relaxation and calm within your physical body. Notice the tension. Your body may contain a spectrum of feelings. Somewhere among all these observations, you might find a steadiness.

You can do the same thing by concentrating on sounds. Start with the sounds far away from you and slowly draw your focus to things closer and closer to you. Maybe, in the end, you can hear the cadence of your own breath. Everything else is still happening around you, but it’s fallen away. You can arrive at the same stillness some people feel when they’re focusing on the breath. You’ve just found your particular way of getting the parasympathetic nervous system on board.

When you find the method that works for you and practice it frequently, it’ll be there when you need it the most.

First and last, but not only

Yoga has helped me and so many other people through so many circumstances over the years, but I don't want to give the impression that if you practice yoga you can forget everything else. Discernment is an important part of yoga as well, and through discernment, we can determine when we need to access additional support.

For example, yoga may help a person experiencing anxiety. That doesn't mean that yoga is the only thing that can make that person feel better, though. Yoga is a way of life and a set of ideas. It's an ancient practice and a modern practice. It's a powerful adjunct to other treatments for various conditions. It's a thing you can call upon to steady yourself.

I hope your practice will be there for you like a good friend. I hope it'll support you as you take the steps to care for yourself.

Take care, my friends. May you be happy, healthy, and free from suffering.