Just Breathe.
{Photo: littlewindmillyoga.com}
“Master your breath, let the self be in bliss, contemplate on the sublime within you.” ~ T. Krishnamacharya
Yoga means many different things to many different people.
Some practice to de-stress.
Some practice to overcome injury.
Some practice to master physical postures.
Some practice to experience mindfulness.
Some practice to find community.
Some practice to look good in Lululemon pants.
Others avoid it like the plague out of the belief that it is waaaaay too woo-woo.
Me? I practice Yoga to remember how to breathe.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Repeat.
Sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it? Automatic, even. At least it should be.
But of course it is not so simple. Particularly in North America, where our stress-filled, anxiety-ridden, harried, multitasking lives are seemingly reduced to an endless To-do list. The all too familiar result of residing in the depths of this kind of modern life crazy is shallow, rapid, uneven breathing.
I think of this sort of breathing as treading water in the deep end of an endless panic pool.
Sound familiar?
Perhaps, like me, you have a long-ingrained habit of holding your breath. Whether it be in moments of worry, fear, excitement, anxiety or even boredom, your breathing is never intentionally deep or measured. In fact, you probably don’t give any thought at all to how you breathe.
I really believe that habitual breath-holding is a classic symptom of generalized anxiety, but I can only speak of my own experience and observation here.
What I do know, from my own Kundalini Yoga practice, is that whenever I bring awareness to my breath, something powerful happens. I become fully present to the moment.
As I consciously expand and contract my lungs to full capacity, the opportunity to transform not only my state of mind but my mood is born, simply by noticing the undeniable connection between breathing patterns and emotion. It is truly an amazing exercise in mindfulness.
Whatever Yoga means to you, whatever style you practice, whatever your reasons for practicing are: try incorporating breathwork into your routine if you haven’t done so already. A great place to start is long deep breathing — a simple technique with big benefits.
Let me know how you do!
Practice tip: Long Deep Breathing
This breath exercise is to be done very slowly and deliberately. The air moves in and out of the nose (not the mouth).
Sit, stand or lie down with your spine straight.
INHALE:
Inhale deeply and slowly through the nose, gradually extending your belly outward (visualize round Buddha belly).
The idea is to allow your ribs to expand, allowing your lungs to fully fill with air.
EXHALE:
Slowly contract your belly in. Gently push all the breath completely out of your lungs.
A slow, measured pace is important here. Make sure the length of inhale is equal to the length of exhale.
Try adding long deep breathing as a five-minute exercise to your daily practice for the next week.
Notice how you feel before you start, what you are experiencing during the exercise, and your state of being afterward. Write it down.
Continue on with it as a daily practice if it works for you.
*****
{Breathe}
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