My kids are on summer break, so I’m doing a little “summer school” of my own. I'm learning about integrated inner healing and reconnecting with the image of God within.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a response to someone asking how to stay present and aware during difficult moments. I wanted to share it with you because it is the foundation of my offerings.

With the holiday week and travel, you might think your practice can’t go on vacation with you. But your yoga is always with you—because your breath is your most powerful tool. It’s the anchor.

Here’s what I wrote. I hope it comforts you to remember: God is as close as your next breath. And noticing that—that’s yoga.

"I believe I was talking about when the breath becomes more than the air we breathe. There is a uniqueness in how humans breathe. It is both autonomic and voluntary. We don't have to think to breathe, but when we do become aware and attentive to our breath we move beyond oxygen, lungs, diaphragm, oxygenated blood etc. It becomes God's breath breathing us. When we breathe intentionally we can experience our breath as a conversation with God. To geek out on anatomy, when we exhale the air pressure outside of us in greater than inside of us and the breath draws in. This reality of physics resonates spiritually. The letting go first, instead of the doing. We make space, God, the Universe fills it. When we take care of the exhale, the inhale (receiving) takes less effort. The energy that gets the breath in our body is not inside of us but outside of us. There is not an English word that expresses life force that rides in on the breath like the Hebrew word, 'ruach'. There is a natural receiving and releasing with each breath. When we breathe intentionally we can experience the presence of God's Spirit. Our breath being the bridge between the body and mind. We can trust the inherent nourishment and releasing nature of each breath. When we suffer, this becomes powerfully healing. Simply honoring the breath by being aware of its sacredness living us. I could go on and on and if you want to talk more about the theology of physiology. There is actually opposite energies of inhale and exhale that we understand first as separate before we integrate them and offer them to each other that is very much like the principles we are learning in this class about opposites and the integration. I hope that touches on what you wanted repeated."