One Breathe At A Time
by Kino MacGregor, Miami Life Center
Yoga Magazine, June 2008
This year’s political season highlights some of the most monumental hopes and pitfalls of the past century. As we turn the door on a new administration we must also ask ourselves again where the realization of the dream of peace on Earth is really to be found if it is to be more than just a dream after all is said and done. We know now that the ultimate resolution of the seemingly eternal problems of humanity is not to be found in a battle between nations fought with weapons of mass destruction, nor in a war of words among politicians, nor in the battle of the sexes. So where and to whom do we turn to answer the most difficult questions of our lives? The very heart of the spiritual path is a search for inner peace and when you practice your daily discipline you help translate your individual realization to the larger whole. Society is comprised of its members just as your body is composed of its cells. When you take responsibility for your actions, words and deeds you build a gateway towards the slow, steady realization of true peace one breathe at a time. If a united global consciousness is to succeed each person on Earth must live, act, feel and think with the highest level of awareness possible at each moment. That means you and me too. If you cannot live for one full week without letting your anger get the best of you, then how can you expect whole nations to remain peaceful for any length of time? Simply put, your state of mind matters to everyone.
There have always been wars between nations, lover’s spats and family feuds as long as humanity has been on Earth. Where humans go, drama is soon to follow. Yet underneath the soap opera emotional rollercoaster is the dream of final and lasting peace. Sometimes it seems like those who are the most deeply entrenched within the drama of their own lives are the ones who most desperately yearn for salvation. For centuries humanity has turned to organized religion to answer the deeper questions, yearnings and aspirations of life. Now the search for spirituality takes prominence in the public domain and your participation in activities like yoga and meditation heralds a major spiritual revitalization of society.
Living life on the spiritual path allows you to tap into the magical underlayer of existence and it is in this space that the dream of unity exists. Not in our careless absent-mindedness but in our patient, heartfelt dedication do we find the real fabric that hope is made of. Practicing yoga is not some panacea for all your personal problems and certainly not the ills of the world, however, if you practice yoga you may just find a way to live a more peaceful and meaningful life before your time here is over. What unique and valuable contribution you make to the world is not always measured in terms of grandness, but sometimes in terms of how many smiles you share each day.
“Imagine all the people/Living life in peace. You may say that I’m a dreamer/But I’m not the only one/I hope someday you’ll join us/And the world will be as one” – John Lennon, Imagine
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