Breathe - My First Blog

We all take our breath for granted, as if on autopilot. Yet not breathing mindfully and correctly can contribute to a long list of ailments such as fatigue, heart problems, male impotency, nutrition absorption difficulties, and most significantly, stress, which can trigger of all the above. Your general well being is greatly affected by your breathing patterns. Without sufficient oxygen and carbon dioxide elimination stress sets in, leading to depression. A fantasic coping tool for dealing with pressure and anxiety is to take in great deep breaths. When you are stressed, overly tired or have done heavy exercise, lactic acid builds up in your system. If this lactic acid is not released, you may feel sore in your shoulders, achy in your joints and sometimes experience flu like symptoms. Drinking plenty of water (at least two litres per day) is certainly effective, but learning how to use the breath can have the most remarkable benefits on your wellbeing.

Of course it would be nice if you can be in a clear meditative space in a beautiful candle lit room in a proper sitting pose or reclining pose, however, the beauty of the breath is that it can be practiced at any place, at any time. I remember feeling exhausted one day with my toddler on the train. I felt it would not be possible to keep my eyes open for another second. After a few minutes of breathing exercises I was once again wide awake and could appreciate my fun loving toddler again.

Some suggestions of good moments to take a few good deep breaths: Whenever your baby moves in your womb see taking a breath as a way of directly feeding you baby. As you put your baby on the breast take great big deep breaths and then your baby will learn to breath also. When you go to the toilet, slow down and take deep breaths. While driving the car take deep breaths at every traffic light. You’re at a boring lecture and it would be embarrassing to be caught snoring. Im sure you get the idea, so breathe. You will feel more energetic, absorb more nutrition from your food and feel clearer in your mind.

Before we go into some of the specifics about yogic breathing I really want to say that if you have difficulty with any of the exercises, don’t worry. Simply remember to breath deeply in and out whenever you can.

In yoga, breathing exercise is called pranayama. The air around us contains prana. This prana is the food of the air and is what keeps us physically, emotionally and spiritually alive. When we breathe in air we are eating this prana. Another way to look at it would be that you are breathing in life force energy. When you breathe life force energy into the body you raise your energies. You start to feel better. Colours are brighter . Smells sharper. Emotionally, you feel grounded. Things in your life start to become connected and you see pathways where before their were none. You start to connect with other people whose life force energy is also growing brighter. The universe becomes purposeful and synchronised. In India I have actually known Sadhus who lived entirely off prana breathing. They are called Breatharians. I personally feel food is too good to go that way, but breath is very sweet.

I will give you specific breathing exercises to try. It is best to be lying down with your upper body slightly elevated , lying on your back with a bolster under you spine and neck or sitting in a supported position, all of these are good positions. If lying on your back, it may be good to bend your knees so your back it comfortable. If you are sitting up, bring your chin to your chest.

Ujjayi Breathing is supposed to bring one power and success and it is very simple. Breathing only through the nose take a deep breath in and out to cleanse you before you begin. Clear your mind. Now taking the breath thru the nose and letting it run over the back of your sinuses ( sort of where a snore comes from) long and slow and deep. Start from your belly then the ribs and finally the upper chest. It is almost a controlled rolling inhalation that has a slight sound which may remind you of the sound of the ocean from the hollow of a seashell. Allow yourself to exhale once again over the sinuses and slow and controlled. Let it slowly hiss out. It flows out of the chest then the ribs then the belly. Just keep repeating these slow long breaths allowing them to get slower and longer as you get comfortable. Try taking 20 of these. If that’s too many, try 10 or even 5. Once you have become comfortable with this and have been practicing for a few weeks you can add something. Try counting your length of breaths. Start by breathing in for 10 seconds and then exhale for 14. To count just simply repeat in your mind the mantra om 1 , om 2, etc. This will count seconds accurately enough and be calming. If the breath becomes distressing lower the ratio to inhale 6 exhale 8. I now like to inhale 12 and exhale for 18. Try doing12 rounds of this. Do not do to many rounds 10 - 16 is plenty and any more will have an opposite effect to what you are working towards.

After several more weeks and this is feeling good you can add Kumbhaka or breath retention. Do not practice breath retention while you are pregnant! Also if it feels heavy in your heart do not continue. The practice is as you have learnt above except after inhaling you hold the breath in for as long as is comfortable, then let the breath flow out with your regular timed exhalation. Once again after several weeks you can then start timing the retention with the om mantra count. You may eventually be able to hold for up to a count of 10. Never take it to a panic stage; 10-20 rounds is more than enough. At the end, always take a deep cleansing breath in and out. This can really wake you up , motivate you , and improve your energy.

Reflect on your breath: it is a miracle and the first miracle you experience upon waking each day. Many people cannot breath with out the assistance of machines or medications. Just taking a breath on your own is the most brilliant miracle of each day. If you are that blessed to start each day with a miracle then surely if you look there will be many more miracles to follow.

Sam Weinstein