Or should I write “Tyres & Mats” to be more true to form?!

The compound-of-the-day is rubber.  That which transpires on rubber tires and rubber mats.  After watching Mark Webber win the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday – the 6th different driver to win in as many races – I decided that taking care of your tires in an F1 race is like taking care of your breath during asana practice.  It doesn’t matter how fast your car is (sorry Schumi) or how aggressive you are (Lewis) or even how spectacular your eyebrows are (you know who you are), if you can’t take care of your tires during a race you aren’t going to win.  Smooth driving = less tire degradation = usually better results, or at least more control over your car and your strategy.

In yoga, our breath is the air that fills the tires.  And unless we are able to breathe smoothly throughout our entire practice, our asana practice will get kicked to the curb.  (I mean “kerb” 😉  We all know the struggle associated with our most challenging postures: the speed with which we want to race through them, our lack of ahimsa when we push ourselves into the red zone of pain and ego, the shallowness of our breath.  In short, we are suffering from massive mind-body degradation and need to make a change, quickly.

Whether you are racing cars or on your yoga mat, smooth and easy is always the way to go.  Try it the next time you practice.

If you love F1, yoga, Monaco, Mark Webber, or breathing, I’d love to hear from you . . .