I was asked today, before one of my yoga classes, to teach them how to breathe. Then they asked, “Why don’t I know how to breathe? Why hasn’t this been taught to me before, what’s the problem with our culture that we don’t know how to breathe?”
As adults, we usually breathe from our chests unconsciously. Our bodies take over and we stay alive every day with most of our attention focused on productivity, earning and spending money, food, and I’m sure you can fill in a few more blanks. This is an act that nourishes our entire bodies, calms our minds, and allows for ‘a say’ in our mood and reactions at any given time. Yet, we leave our breath to a small and quiet rhythm with little notice.
Breathing is the only vital function that we have full and continuous control over.
3 Part Breath: Reclined or seated, place one hand on your lower belly and the other on your chest. Relax your torso and begin to breath naturally, flowing toward long, slow inhales and exhales. Notice which hand rises first or if both are equal. Let your mind divide your inhale into 3 parts: lower belly, middle ribs and chest. As you begin fill your torso with air starting low and pausing in between each of these 3 sections. Retain that breath for a moment before allowing your exhale to flow slowly down and empty your torso 1/3 at a time.
Learning to breathe with purpose is about slowing down and listening, relaxing, and leaking air in slowly. This leak, this Ocean Breath, creates a sound much like the rhythmic, subtle ocean. We then have time to observe and impact the journey of each inhale and each exhale.
“Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.” ~Krishnamacharya
Presence and Positivity 