Prana follows attention

The idea that prana follows where our attention is directed is a profound and powerful yogic teaching. This truth was brought to the forefront of my mind the other day when I was reading Anusara teacher, Christina Sell's fab blog. In it she says, As far as I can tell, all yoga has ever been about is harnessing attention, about managing energy and about consciously choosing what we are going to do with our energy, with our vital force, once we gain access to it.

So, here is the deal: we are all given the power to harness the life force and direct it towards that which we desire to manifest. My teacher, John Friend, says one of the reasons we practice asana is to cultivate a strong vessel (our bodies) to contain more prana.

Think about what happens with the news all the time. Fear sells. We get scared and then we focus our attention on all the bad stuff that could happen and then we are ruled by fear. Often there are people who benefit from our fear, we plug into them so we can stay "safe", to find out more about what we need to do to protect ourselves, what bad stuff is coming.

Now, what if, through becoming intimate friends with ourselves, and by making space for the truest desires of our hearts and souls to show themselves to us, we purposefully focus our energy and attention? Can you imagine? What if this is what all parents taught their children when they began to share their hopes and dreams?

Setting a sankalpa (an intention) is a practice that helps us consciously step into the flow of Life. What, at this time in your life, do you wish to plant and nourish with your attention?

"You are what your deep driving desire is; as your desire is, so is your will." - The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad