In Yoga we try to concentrate on our breathing. We try to relax, but before long we realize we've kind of taken over that job that the body normally does without thinking. That which usually does the breathing involuntarily now notices the attention we are giving to our breath and stands back and merely cooperates for a while.. The involuntary allows itself to be subject to the voluntary.
And now we hold our breath. Our lungs like two planetary bodies hang in space. In the stillness the conscious mind contemplates the incongruity of thinking about not thinking. Who do we think we are now? Neither the conscious mind nor the non-conscious is breathing. The planets have stopped rotating. The rocks have become motionless. Yet time ticks on.
Finally, gasping, we exhale, and take a big breath, and consciously let go of the job of doing the breathing anymore . Whatever inspired us to start breathing again remains something of a mystery . We eventually just go back to thinking we're in charge again.
