Sit Down, Be Quiet: A modern guide to yoga and mindful living. Michael Wong James

out in one strong release.

      • Pause and repeat until you feel calmer, lighter and refreshed. You can’t overdose on this technique.

      Just Breathe

      Now that you have these three techniques, try them out and see which works well for you. You will find that at different times, a different technique serves best. Remember, you take between 12 and 20 breaths in a minute, so you’ve got a lot of opportunities to try them out.

      There is one certainty in life: if you don’t breathe, you will die. To live to the fullest is to breathe to the fullest.

      So when things go right or things go wrong, just breathe.

      When you’re not feeling your best, just breathe.

      When things are fast and need to slow down, just breathe.

      At the end of the day, no matter the situation, just breathe.

      Sjaak Van Tunen

       MEET THE BOYS

      YANCY SCOT SCHWARTZ

       NEW YORK

       PRO-SKATER. VEGAN. DHARMA JUNKIE. YOGI.

      What’s your story? I was born in Queens, New York. My dad was from Brooklyn, my mum was from Ecuador. My mum was a babysitter and my dad a maintenance man – he was a masterful electrician. We had our apartment for free so my parents were able to save some money. They rented out the spare room, so growing up I had a lot of kids and strangers in and out of the apartment. My dad was very mellow, super quiet. My mum was very strict and her discipline could be very physical. At a young age I became interested in skateboarding and that ruled my life. It was eat, sleep, skate back then.

      We’ve all got a few stories that we aren’t the most proud of. Care to share one? When I was 17 I ran away from home. My mum had gone back to South America so I ran away to California with a drug-addicted girl and stayed there for a year or so. I told my dad I would be gone for a week but I didn’t come back for over a year.

      What’s the best and worst relationship you’ve ever had? Skateboarding. It’s gratifying and it’s an elite community, but it’s an unforgiving art. I’ve broken bones and had surgery. It’s a risky way of life.

      What was the biggest challenge when you first started practising yoga? My ego. Letting it go in order to do the class was very challenging. I had to learn to let that part go and keep practising, with no expectations.

      People expect you to be strong all the time – both emotionally and physically. Sometimes I want to throw my hands up in the air and give up.

      But I must go on.

      What’s your favourite quote?