The classical teachings of yoga come from Patanjali and the first statement in his written compilation known as the Yoga Sutras states, “Atha Yoganusasanam,” which basically translates to “Now, yoga begins”. You can’t worry about what happened in the past or feel anxious about what is to come in the future when you focus on now – the present moment. You can bring yourself to the present moment at any time by paying attention to your breath.
Your yoga journey can begin right NOW! All you need is yourself and one minute. Close your eyes and take the deepest inhale that you’ve taken in a while. Keep breathing in until you feel like you may burst. Then, slower than you want to, make as much noise as you want and sigh your breath out. Repeat as many times as you want to or need to depending on what your current circumstances may be. That’s right – innnnnnnnnhale, exxxxxxxxhale, innnnnnnnnhale, exxxxxxxxhale, innnnnnnnnhale, exxxxxxxxhale. Congrats! You can officially call yourself a yogi! That IS yoga and YOU did it! Yoga in a nutshell is breathing. Sounds simple enough, right? Stick with this practice and your life will get better and better, breath by breath.