Katrina Repka - Breathing Space

Discovery

Learning about the power of the breath

Focus

The power of the breath to help you see yourself clearly

Emptiness

The power of the breath to fill you with radiance and strength

Time

The power of the breath to transform conventional thinking

Criticism

The power of the breath to erase self-destructive tendencies

Family

The power of the breath to restore equilibrium and equality

Balance

The power of the breath to balance the inner and outer worlds

Creativity

The power of the breath to release the creative self

Communication

The power of the breath to link the head and the heart

Addiction

The power of the breath to remove the hidden obstacles that prevent progress

Faith

The power of the breath to overcome hesitation and connect you with your truth

Release

The power of the breath to release you

Without the following people this book would not have been born, survived infancy, or grown to maturity:

Chris Grey

Jennifer Lyons

Ayesha Pande

Jill Parsons-Stern

Ellen Archer

Pam Dorman

Sarah Landis

The team at Voice

Mom

Dad

The ISHTA Yoga community

and Alan, of course

THANK YOU!

This is the story of a year I spent in New York, studying with Yoga Master Alan Finger.

It turned out to be such a life-changing experience for me that I wanted to share with other women what I had learned from him and help them to make the same kinds of important discoveries about themselves that I did.

When I met Alan, I lacked confidence and was prone to self-criticism and emotional fluctuations. I could not let go of the pastand I was afraid of the future. To be honest, I did not know who I was or where I was going. Thanks to his knowledge and guidance, the time I spent with Alan has been transformative. I am more decisive and assured now. I have become more like the person I always wanted to be.

If you have ever wondered whether you are the person you really want to be, or felt at all hindered by personal obstacles and uncertain of your true role in life (even if you are successful in your career or chosen field, or perhaps because of this success), our book will help you to remove the emotional blocks and mental traps that are delaying your progress.

In twelve simple, clear exercises we show you how you can use the power of your own breath to discover who you are and what you want. These exercises are designed to purge anxiety and negativity, and to clear and cleanse the body and mind so that you can make your own decisions about the life you want to live. By harnessing the breath to unite your body, mind, and spirit, you will learn to move forward confidently on the path that you choose.

Alan was guiding me as I learned the exercises in this book. You may find it helpful to record yourself reading an exercise aloud and then play it back as you practice (remember to leave a suitable length of silence where the instructions indicate passing time), or share the exercise with a friend and take turns leading each other; do whatever helps you to relax and enjoy the experience with the least effort.

I also benefited from writing down what I felt before, during, and after each exercise. This became a record of my feelings as the breath began to work its magic in my life.

The breathing exercises in this book are gentle and safe, but if you have a preexisting medical condition, please check with your doctor before doing them. Pregnant women should not hold the breath, although, of course, breathing in and out is highly recommended! (For detailed instructions, please refer to individual exercises.)

Breath work is one aspect of a full yogic practice; there is much, much more to learn, if you are interested. The first step is finding a good local teachersomeone experienced who can guide you (an international listing of teachers trained by Alan can be found on his website www.ishtayoga.com). There are many different styles of yoga; whichever you choose, do look for a certified instructor, someone you feel comfortable with. Remember always to listen to your body and your breath, and never to overdo things.

This is a true story, but the order of some events has been changed, and my conversations with Alan and others are not always recounted exactly as they happened. Nonetheless, the substance of everything we discuss in the book is real and true. Also, except for Alans, the names of all of the characters (and a few of the places) have been changed. As for the breaths, some of them have Sanskrit names that we have replaced with English ones to make them more accessible.

So lets begin.

Namaste. Which in Sanskrit means The light in me bows to the light in you.

Katrina

LEARNING ABOUT THE POWER OF THE BREATH

What am I doing with my life?

The old, familiar question. The one I thought Id left behind.

I slouched in the hard plastic chair and stared at the sudsy laundry tumbling in the washer across from me. Around and around it went one way. Then around and around the other. Nine oclock on a Thursday night in New York City. I should have been out on the town. Instead, I was sitting in my apartment buildings basement laundry room. Getting ready to use the dryer. Fold the laundry. And find my boyfriends missing sock. Although I had no objection to the title Domestic Goddess, it wasnt at the top of my list. Nor was it the role Id had in mind when I arrived in New York four months ago, intent on a voyage of self-discovery.

My life in Manhattan was supposed to be the complete opposite of my life in Calgary, Alberta. I would be thinner, smarter, happier, hipper. My work would be glamorous, my days and nights filled with excitement and fascinating new friends. I wasnt going to settle for the comfortable routine that had threatened to stifle me in my old hometown.

To live in New York had been my dream since childhood. When I was only three, I asked my father if we could go and live thereI must have seen the city in a film and been impressed by the skyscrapersand he tried to dissuade me by saying that it was a dirty, scary place. But then he said pretty much the same thing about the Chinook Centre mall in southwest Calgary. Some twenty-five years later, I had my chance. In the summer of 2000, I persuaded the University of Calgary, where I was studying for a masters degree in communications, to let me fulfill part of the course requirements by taking classes at The New School in Greenwich Village.

Before I left for New York, I had broken off the relationship with my longtime boyfriend, David. My friends thought I was crazy; he had a house in a new suburban development, a Jeep Cherokee, and money in mutual fundseverything a Calgary girl could want. But when he asked me to marry him, I turned him down. They all said he was the ideal husband, but I was far from ready to be the ideal wifesomeone like my mother, who, while she was married to my father, had waited on him hand and foot.

Some two weeks into my New York study trip, I was in The New School computer lab, where I had taken to going during my lunch break to write up class notes and check my emails, when I heard someone behind me say: Is this funny? I need someone to tell me if it is, before I hand it in.