Absence or Presence?

Today’s home practice ended with Supta Baddakonasana and it was still. I was reminded of something I had read a long time ago.

“Silence is not the absence of sound, it is the absence of thought.”

The asanas I chose today were very basic and with props since I wasn’t feeling too well. It was interesting to watch where the breath was taking place in various asanas. There was no coordination or control on that aspect of the pose. While not jagged or laboured, it was doing its own thing. Finally, in Supta Baddakonasana, it settled into a rhythm so much so that I felt I was not breathing at all! 

There was a brief moment of nothingness which vanished the moment I became aware of the quietness of my breath. It was a pause when I realized that I wasn’t breathing. As a pose, Supta Baddakonasana is an expansive one with length and breadth. A longish stay in it automatically lets the body relax and go quieter. The more time I stay in a supported pose, the more I start to hear. No wonder the phrase, ‘listen to your body’. But, what is the language the elements speak? 

Hari Om