Who’s tired of drama? Yes me too! So here’s what we’re going to do. Let’s end the drama and recruit everyone to start practicing more Pranayama (breathing techniques). Sounds simple enough. But is that all there is to it?
Part of my history is that 15 years ago, a car ran over me and then drove off. It was your classic showdown between car and human (the car always wins). Some might think that the hardest part of recovery is in the physical body, but for me, the mental and emotional healing was even harder. I postponed my healing by getting stuck in needing to make sense of the accident. The drama of the questions consumed me: Why me? Why now? Why hit me and leave me? The drama of making sense of the past was taking up all my time. And in devoting myself to Drama-yama, I lost the emphasis on breathing and healing.
The word Pranayama refers to breathing practices that, at first sight may seem a bit strange, but can actually have wonderful effects.
Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras offers 5 behaviors that—if practiced regularly—promote peace and happiness in our lives. They are the ethical suggestions for how to live and get along with others without constant drama. The Yoga Sutras teach us to choose our attitude and how we manage our lives. These are known as Yamas: Ahimsa (kindness), Satya (truth), Asteya (sharing), Brahmacharya (responsibility), Aparigraha (abundance). Please take note that there is no mention of “dramayama.”
Yama Means You Can Control Yourself
Yama is also the underlying attitude that supports our behavior. To simplify it even further, you can put all the things in your life into two buckets:
What Doesn’t Make Sense: Drama-yama
What Makes Sense: Pranayama
The alchemical formula to happiness is simple (yet not always easy to follow): Spend more time on Pranayama (breathing on purpose) and little to no time on Drama-yama. It has certainly been self-evident and true in my own life. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia
What Doesn’t Make Sense: Drama-yama
- Trying to rewrite the past and/or solve it
- Getting consumed with worry about what’s going to happen
- Looking for reasons to be offended. And taking everything so seriously
- Having to get things perfect, especially only giving yourself only one chance to get things right.
- Making the opinion of other people more important than your own.
- Getting stuck in habits (mentally, physically, emotionally.)
- Playing the victim.
- Giving up.
- Limiting yourself.
- Measuring everything.
What Makes Sense: Pranayama
- Inhale. Be grateful for what you have right now. Exhale. Give up all hope for a better past (eg stop holding your breath). Everything has a beginning, middle and end just like practicing 3 part breathing known as Dirga Pranayama.
- Be present. Promote concentration and focus by practicing the oceanic sounding breath known as Ujjayi Pranayama.
- Give yourself a million chances by taking one deep breath at a time.
- Live your life based on what brings you the most peace and happiness. Even out the duration of your inhale to your exhale. This balance of equal breath is known as Sama Vritti breathing.
- I am free to be me. Listen to yourself the most. Gather the advice of others but at the end of the day cool your mind to make your own best decision. Try the cooling breath known as Shitali Pranayama.
- Your nature is to keep expanding. Allow yourself to be creative, to dream bigger dreams and to be ever growing into your infinite potential. Practice Kapalabhati Pranayama to inspire and invigorate you!
- The best things in life cannot be measured. Instead of thinking so much, feel more with your heart. Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing Nadi Sodhana to help you relax so you can calmly feel the beauty in your life.
Are you ready to end the drama?
