The best and the greatest is breath. - Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad

Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave, but don't leave me
Look around, choose your own ground.
-Roger Waters

Brahman is Breath. Brahman is what is referred to as the Ultimate Reality. Breath is our connection to the veiled infinite. Breath is our best understanding of what we may call God, how we may know God, how we may reconcile our connection with God - how we know ourselves as God.

Our primary practice is breath. As yoga teachers, we are teachers of breath. Breath is the Truth. Breath is the revealer. Breath is the healer. Breath is simple. Breath is the teacher. Breath is the beginning. Breath is repeating. Breath is living. Breath is strengthening. Breath is the union. If we breathe together, our association of Truth is indelible.

Kindness and compassion are at the very foundation of yoga. They are not simply virtues to practice, but expressions of our true nature. Yet make no mistake—an authentic yoga practice will dismantle the ego. That's how you know it's real. Yoga challenges every assumption about who we think we are and the stories we tell ourselves. It invites us to discover something far greater than our personality.

One of the ego's greatest habits is personalization. It constantly asks, Why did this happen to me? Why did they say that to me? The ego survives by taking things personally, assigning blame, and reinforcing separation. Left unchecked, it can trap us in an addictive form of victimhood where lasting joy becomes nearly impossible.

Lao Tzu reminds us, "If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame." As long as our peace depends on someone else changing, freedom remains out of reach.

YS 2.1 तपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः॥
tapaḥ-svādhyāya-īśhvara-praṇidhānāni kriyā-yogaḥ

You must be fueled by a burning desire to continuously study the Self, which is only available in the present moment, and to devote your self wholly to this effort—these are the actions to be taken to attain Yoga.

Follow Your Bliss
- Joseph Campbell

Take From Me All That Is Not Free
The phrase is a popular chant often dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, symbolizing the removal of ego, fear, and illusions. It entered modern spiritual culture largely through the chanting and teachings of spiritual teacher and musician Bhagavan Das.

This month’s Pusht is a revisit from June 2024’s Pushti. It is very apropos given that we are in the midst of Summer heat. So come sweat. May we utilize it. Let all your physical, mental, spiritual, and energetic impurities burn up in the fire of our great desire for true joy and bliss. May we be forever transformed by the fire!