The Breath

Today I feel it is necessary to talk about the breath. Lately it seems like I am being constantly told to take a breath... I began to see that I have not been taking enough time to take care of myself. I was wound up tight. And the spool was just getting tighter and tighter. I had too much going on.  Eventually it seemed like everything was falling a part.

But in hindsight I am only human. I was asking too much of me. And not doing enough to properly care for me. I cannot expect me to take care of everything all at once, even though I am the only one taking care of myself. There is no one around to help me. No one is going to come around and do my dishes or clean my bathroom or sweep the floors let alone make sure the bills get paid on time. If things do not get done they don't get done. I began to realize I was putting too much on myself. I was working too much and having a hard time switching over my mindset between managing a gymnastics gym front desk to teaching relaxation yoga. I was allowing little things to slip. I was being lazier than normal. I struggled through my days, focusing my attention on anything but work and getting annoyed when there was something for me to do. Then I would come home and have no energy to do anything. My yoga practice was suffering and this simply would not stand. Things needed to change.

It is easy to fall into this type of behavior. And for me it adds to my anxiety. Then I panic. And that really adds to not wanting to do anything... So I started reminding myself to breathe. Then tell myself everything will work out, it always does. And it is okay if it doesn't happen right away. So I tackled one thing at a time. And little by little the amount of stuff on my never ending list got shorter. Of course new things get added to it but just like everything else they will get done, in time.

If you are like me it is time to focus on your breath....

The Breath.
The breath is the most important part of yoga.
Without the breath yoga is just exercise.
The breath comes in all forms.
It is our life source.
It gets us through each day.
Without it we would cease to exist.
We breathe all day everyday without really thinking about what we are doing. It comes naturally to us
The breath is what guides our bodies through each yoga pose.
It navigates energy to our body parts that need attention with focused attention.
When we focus on our breathing it begins to relax the body and the mind.
When we are relaxed we can begin to live a more wholesome life.
We can begin to go deeper into our practice and our poses.

“Life is absolutely dependent upon the act of breathing. ‘Breath is Life.’” - Science of Breath

Breathing is considered to be the most important function in the body. All of the other functions are dependent on it.

Below find some breathing exercises that I have learned through my journey with yoga.
Enjoy.

First have a friend help you figure out where in your body you breathe from.

To do so follow this exercise.

Face one another.

Have your friend place their hands on your shoulders.

Breathe in 1, 2, 3

Breathe out 1, 2, 3

Next have them place their hands on your side ribs.

Breathe in 1, 2, 3

Breathe out 1, 2, 3

Last one hand on your stomach, one on your mid back.

Breathe in 1, 2, 3

Breathe out 1, 2, 3

Have your friend tell you where in your body they felt you breathing from the most.

Top 3 breathing exercises

Ujjai breathing – is a deep audible breath that if done properly will sound like the ocean in your ears. There are some really good YouTube videos out there on how to properly do the Ujjai breathing.

Alternate nostril breathing – is just as it sounds. First find your breath. Take a few deep breaths in and out to do this. Then take the thumb and the pinky (in a hang-ten sign) plug the left nostril. Breathe in deeply through the right nostril. Now plug the right nostril, breathe out completely through the left. Breathe in through the left nostril. Plug the left nostril; breathe out completely through the right. Breathe in through the right nostril. Alternating this process for a few breaths.

This is really good breathing exercise to do before a yoga routine.

Retaining breath – This exercise is simple and can be done anytime you want to find your conscious breath. First find your breath. Take a few deep breaths in and out to do this. When you’re ready to begin breathe in deeply for 5 seconds. Hold at the top. Breathe out for 5 seconds. Hold at the bottom. Repeat for a few rounds. This exercise can be done multiple ways. You can also increase how long you breathe in and breathe out for. Try holding only at the top and then only at the bottom. Mix it up.

If you'd like to learn more about the breath and/or how to do more advanced breathing techniques The Science of Breath is a good place to start. It is a very interesting book and a great learning tool.

"Give yourself permission to take time to breathe, to live life, to give, to love, to reflect, to be present, and to just be."

Remember to breathe
xo
Namaste.
Kelly


*The Science of Breath