Quiet

Think of a quiet place. Put yourself there. Notice your surroundings, imagine the clothes you are wearing, and set the desired temperature. If you are outdoors, imagine the sky above you and the earth below. You are in-between....breathing, part of both sky and earth.

There really is no "quiet place" though -is there?

Outdoors, even in a peaceful setting, there are probably the sounds of birds or animals, insects or the wind in the trees. There may be traffic, human voices, or the distant drone of a lawnmower. We may notice these sounds, but can relegate them to the background.

Indoors, even in a library, there are sounds - machinery, air flow, water in the pipes, the whoosh of a ceiling fan or the rustle of pages in a book.

Even if you were in a soundproof room there would still be sound. The sound of your own heartbeat and the sound of your own breath might be as loud as thunder and ocean waves.

The same is true for your mind. Even when our minds are quieter, the undercurrent of our thoughts are always there. They just are. Thoughts are under the surface of every moment of our lives, even perhaps when we are sleeping.

So just take the time to imagine your quiet place, before you start yoga, in the middle of your commute, anytime during the chaos of daily life. Let sounds, and thoughts, sink underneath - or into the background of the practice. Hone your skills of stopping, breathing and turning your attention inward.