As some of you may know, I am studying throughout this year to become a yoga teacher. Already I have come across some great resources. Among my required studies of movement, pedagogy and anatomy, is the study of yogic philosophy. I would like to share with you a story from the Brhad-Aranyaka Upanishad, one of India’s oldest sacred texts from the time of Vedanta. I am always going on about the breath and how important it is. Here is a story that illustrates this with charm and poetry. Enjoy!
    

The six vital functions-the life breath, the faculty of speech, the eye, the ear, the mind, and the semen-were disputing among themselves about which was most excellent. They brought their dispute to Brahma [God], who told them, “One of you is most excellent after whose departure the body is thought to be worse off.”
     The organ of speech departed and, having remained absent for one year, came back and said, “How have you been able to live without me?” They said, “As the dumb, not speaking with speech but breathing with the breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, knowing with the mind, procreating with the semen. Thus we have lived.”
     The eye departed, and having remained absent for one year, came back and said, “How have you been able to live without me?” They said, “As the blind, not seeing with the eye but breathing with the breath, speaking with the speech, hearing with the ear, knowing with the mind, procreating with the semen. Thus we have lived.”
     The ear departed and, having remained absent for one year, came back and said, “How have you been able to live without me?” They said, “As the deaf, not hearing with the ear, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the speech, seeing with the eye, knowing with the  mind, procreating with the semen. Thus we have lived.”
     The mind departed and, having remained absent for one year, came back and said, “How have you been able to live without me?” They said, “As the stupid, not knowing with the mind, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the speech, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, procreating with the semen. Thus we have lived.”
     The semen departed and, having remained absent for one year, came back and said, “How have you been able to live without me?” They said, “As the impotent, not procreating with the semen, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the speech, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, knowing with the mind. Thus we have lived.”
     Then as the life breath was about to depart, even as a large and spirited horse might pull up the pegs to which his feet are tied, even so did it pull up those vital functions together. They gathered around him and said, “Venerable Sir, do not depart, verily, we shall not be able to live without you. You are the most excellent among us.”
Translation by S. Radhakrishnan, The Principle Upanishads
(George Allen Unwin/London: Humanities Press, 1953).
 

Now, think back to your day. How much time did you spend engaging your speech in conversation? Or your eyes in sight? Or your mind in thought? Now think to how many times you consciously took a breath…I leave you with that thought.