Response-ability

I once saw a guy throw his phone down onto a cement sidewalk after receiving some sort of news he didn’t like. I thought, “Yup, that’s a redhead.” and “He could really use some yoga!” Those of us who are more sensitive to the heat of the sun are also more sensitive to emotional heat. I’m more of a door-slammer myself but I understand what he must have been feeling. In yoga we cultivate Witness Consciousness by paying attention to what is going on inside our mind while we practice our meditative motion. We learn to calm ourselves and quiet the mental chatter with our meditative breath. This can help us to recognize when we are in the grip of an emotion in daily life, and remind us that it is possible to pause, breathe and take a moment to find a mindful response to any given situation.