The Privilege of Breathing

I took deep breaths today because i have the privilege of doing so.

“Breathe for those who are struggling to breathe” - Words my friend & teacher J Miles shared during last week’s pranayama practice, while the wildfires were burning in California.

In many cultures, nature is revered as a manifestation of the divine. In India, there are the deities of fire (Agni), air (Vayu), earth (Prithvi), sun (Surya) and moon (Chandra) to name a few. For some, it's a common practice to give daily offerings or prayers; after all, we’re created from these same elements.

One day, not too far from now, we’ll give our bodies back to Earth, and nature will continue on for another few billion years. By then, humans may be a distant memory of the land, recorded in a few ancient texts that survive the natural processes of creation and destruction.

An old oak tree holds more wisdom than the smartest supercomputer or AI system any human will ever create.

The systems in place aren’t concerned; they tend to disregard that which doesn’t bring immediate satisfaction of some material desire.

I suppose it makes sense that many spiritual and indigenous populations who seek to honor the land have been shunned or stolen from for centuries.

In Yoga, Prana is our life force, which is found in the air we breathe. Most of the land may technically belong to corporations, but we know that can’t actually be the case. Nature can’t belong to a human because a human belongs to nature. and if we forget this, she will remind us.

Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivyah - Earth is my mother and I am her son.