BREATHING HELPS BODY RELEASE STRESS
Yoga practice is about connecting the mind, body and breath
Your breath is your Prana, your life force, and it is the most powerful tool you have in your possession.
Your breath can put you into flight or fight and also relax you and release stress and tension. Even more, your breath can help you heal yourself by directing the breath to parts of your body that need it.
The word yoga comes from the root word to ‘ yoke,’ meaning to join together.
At its most basic, yoga practice is about connecting the mind, body and breath. We practise yoga to learn to link our intelligence and awareness with movement and connect both with the flow of the breath.
Our life experiences and postural habits define the breath’s pathways and freedom of movement.
When we are young, we breathe with complete freedom and ease. As we age, we unconsciously constrict our breath as we navigate life’s challenges.
The yoga practice is designed to reopen the body and restore our ability to move in a more natural way. We practise postures we did as children when our bodies were fresh and energetic, in the hopes of reopening the way for vitality and energy, in the form of the breath, to flow back in.
For the most part, the process of breathing is an unconscious one. No one needs to remind you to breathe and to keep breathing; breathing is an involuntary practice.
This means that you may not even be aware that your breathing has become restrictive and tight, and these restrictions prevent you from releasing held stress and tension in the body.
To begin to create a deeper awareness of your breathing patterns, sit comfortably or lie down with a cushion supporting your knees. Place your hands on your belly. Notice the heat from your hands enter this place on your body. After a few moments shift your awareness to feeling the movement of your belly toward your hands.
Open and close your mouth a few times to relax your jaw. Leave your mouth open slightly to avoid any clenching that may interfere with the smoothness of your breath.
Take a full inhalation and fill yourself up from bottom to top. Hold the breath just beyond what is comfortable and exhale completely and audibly through your mouth.
Repeat three times and then return to normal relaxed breathing.
Has your breath changed? Do you feel more relaxed?
This is the power of the breath to instantly change how we feel.
When the breath is relaxed and freely able to move through your body, you will feel more relaxed all over.
Now you are ready to get to know your own breathing patterns.
Maintaining the same position, begin to count as you fully inhale. Count again as you exhale. Repeat this process a few times until you have an average count of how long you inhale and exhale.
We will use this as your base number to keep coming back to after each exploration and to notice if these numbers have changed and your breath has deepened.
Now you can begin to explore more deeply.
YOGA POSES TO INCREASE YOUR BREATH
Follow along with this month’s video on calgaryherald. com to be guided into and out of each of the following postures.
Twists: Twisting poses work on your inner organs and creates a squeezing and soaking action. Squeezing out what you don’t need and creating space for fresh air and fluids to flood back in. After releasing your twist, close your eyes and notice if you can feel the breath expanding more deeply through one side of your body.
Supported child’s pose: With the support of a cushion underneath the belly, the breath is expanded to all sides of your torso and can be felt moving into the back body. Rest here and focus on drawing the breath more into your lower back area. Keep your breathing restful and relaxed.
Savasana two: A great and relaxing way to open the breath and increase space from your naval to the pubic bone. Rest here and feel the breath expand your entire lower belly and pelvic floor.
Square breathing: Your breath is comprised of four separate parts. The inhalation, the natural pause at the top of the inhalation, the exhalation and the natural pause at the bottom of the exhalation.
Mindfully deepen your connection to your breath by inhaling for the count of five, holding the breath for five, exhaling for five and then pausing for the count of five before beginning again. Repeat 5- 10 times. Relax when you are done and come back to the initial resting pose. Count your inhale and exhale. Notice if this number count has changed.
Alternate nostril breathing: This is a great way to feed your brain and open your breath flow. Using one hand, place the thumb against the top of one nostril and your ring and pinky finger against the top of the other nostril. Rest your index and middle fingers at your third eye, the space between your eyebrows. Close your eyes. Breathe in through both nostrils. Seal off the right nostril and exhale and inhale through the left nostril. Pause here and switch nostrils, exhaling and inhaling through the right nostril. Continue to switch nostrils before each exhalation. Continue for at least 10 cycles, more if you are able to keep your breathing relaxed.
As you finish, release your hand and return to your initial resting pose. Check in with your inhalation and exhalation count and notice if things have changed.
Slowly open your eyes. Notice how you feel all over
Namaste and happy yoga.