Every Breath You Take ...

What do Sting, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Ricky Martin, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Gwyneth Paltrow and I have in common? At least once a week, all of us practise
breathing the 'natural' way. Needless to say, I am the only non-celebrity on that list to make the transition from treadmill to yoga mat! My journey towards the asanas (a yoga pose or posture) really began over lunch with Naresh Mahtani (the former CEO of the Law Society). He mentioned how yoga helped him to cope with the daily hustle and bustle of a CEO's worklife. It was not so much what he said as how he said it that germinated the idea of including yoga in my lifestyle.

Of course, it took another six months for that budding thought to sprout into action. But here I am, every Saturday trooping down to Shambhala Yoga Centre to solder a union (the literal translation of the Sanskrit word 'yoga'). As Aarti, my yogi, expounded, yoga is the union of the mind, body and the spiritual. Spiritual not in the sense of religion but as in self-awareness ('who am I?'). And the one thing that unites this trinity is breathing. Trust me, it is by no means an easy feat to breathe ... not in the 'natural' way, ie inhaling and exhaling to the full extent of your chest cavity, your abdomen and your diaphragm. But even attempting this, slows your heartbeat, concentrates your mind, raises awareness of your breathing and ultimately soothes you.

Among the many schools and styles of yoga, hatha yoga (the style I embarked on, mainly because this body can only handle the gentler form that emphasises stretching postures and exercises) is not new to Singapore. It dates back to the 1950s. A revival began in the late 1990s and now, every fitness club and community centre is jumping onto the stretching bandwagon. Many lay claims to yoga as a much-needed panacea to the social ills of the new millennium and an alternative to the diagnostic guesswork of modern medicine. The power of yoga has been proclaimed to ease anything from recurring migraines and nagging backaches to fending off heart attacks and cancer. In rat race Singapore, it was no surprise that the primary driver for the dozen in my yoga class to take to the mat was to manage stress, especially in their work lives.

Stress relief meant slipping (actually more like forcefully willing myself) into a variety of asanas, like the Cat, Downward-facing Dog, Cobra, Locust, Triangle, Warrior I and Warrior II, all the while trying to maintain an even and smooth breathing. These poses seem simple enough in books, TV or when Aarti eases into them. But when I made a go of it, just getting in a pose had me dripping with perspiration. My breathing was erratic at best and often I had to hold my breath to maintain a pose. That was not yoga, Aarti was quick to point out ... only posing. The idea is to 'breathe into your pose and relax'. This seemed almost unnatural during the first three lessons. Imagine your tailbone directed at the ceiling, your legs upright with heels down on the floor, your spine stretched straight towards the floor and aligned with your head, arms in front of you shoulder-width apart ... now try breathing! And to add insult to injury, this was to be a restorative pose in between difficult stretches and bends. My one major achievement at the end of five lessons was to actually maintain this asana and simply breathe. Strangely enough, when I actually did learn to breathe and hold the asana, there was a sense of lightness and relaxation.

What did I get out of this 4,000-year-old philosophy? A certain measure of flexibility and fitness. Don't get me wrong ... by no means can my toes touch the back of my head nor can I maintain a headstand. However, I can bend. More importantly, yoga has enlightened me to the fact that I have toes, back of a head and knees. If nothing else, yoga advocates self-awareness and that has been my most valuable lesson. That and every breath I take.

Bala Shunmugam

Shambhala Yoga Centre has kindly extended a special package price of $220 for a block of 10 sessions to the readers of the Law Gazette. This offer is valid for a one-time use only and is valid till 31 May 2002. Please produce this copy of the Law Gazette to enjoy the package.

For bookings, call Shambhala Yoga Centre at tel: 6735 2163, or visit the website 'www.shambhalayoga.com' for details.