When I first started practicing Yoga I could not have cared less about the Breath. For me, all I wanted to do was get my leg and knee back into working order so I could start jogging again. At that moment in time, talking about Breath was unimportant.
But I was so very, very wrong.
Everything revolves around breath. Without breath, you die. There is no other way around it. The last moment of life is an exhale. Therefore, logically, the quality of breath is directly related to the quality of your fitness and of your life. Sound important now? I hope so, because if it doesn’t, than you are missing out on one of the more significant and rewarding parts of Yoga.
The discipline of Breath is called Pranayama. Prana means energy and learning to listen, retain and let go of that energy is key to any Yoga practice and key to your own life enjoyment. I love the look in my students eyes once they finally figure out ‘belly breathing’. They had no idea how much space they had there or how filling it with good air made them feel so..good! From there I then teach them to bring the breath up further from the belly to the chest. This is a full Yogic breath. This kind of deep belly breathing relieves all sorts of disorders from digestion to depression to nervous tension and aggravation. This is the first kind of breathing I teach my students. I advise them to focus upon this breathe in every posture, but to not beat themselves up if they forget. It takes practice. It takes time. Furthermore, and you can try this out for yourself, right now, by focusing upon the breath you will be amazed at how much further you can go into a posture. Just imagine expanding your muscles each time you inhale and extending them each you exhale. Envision it in your mind and see what a difference it makes.
From there the art of Pranayama goes into other forms of breathing such as Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Shitali, Sitkari and Nadi Shodhana as well as focusing upon the exhalation vs. inhalation. These breath exercises are done with a specific purpose in mind. The first two help to create heat in the body and are great in the morning or during the cold winter months. The following two are good for releasing heat from the body and I recommend this kind of breathing for strong Pita types or for those living or working in an environment where they find their body heat is quite high. The last, depending upon how you alternate the nostril, helps to regulate all the energies in the body. If you feel like you are extremely agitated one day, you might try just breathing through the left nostril, as this is activates the Yin, Shakti or Female energies. In science speak, this would translate to the parasympathetic system. Conversely, if you feel the need to wake up a bit, or perhaps get your blood moving or your digestion going, trying breathing through the right as doing this will active the Yang, Shiva or masculine energies of movement rather than the feminine energies of acceptance and relaxation.
There is much more to the breath than what I have covered in this brief summary, but I hope it was enough to at least peak interest in its importance and variety. If you would like to read more about breath and its many benefits I suggest the books, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, Yoga for your Type by Dr. David Frawley or checking out your nearest pranayama class or get personal instruction from yours truly and experience the joy of Breath for yourself.
Goode Yoga 