Today at yoga the man practicing next to me was trying it out for the first time. At the end of class he turned to me and expressed how the hardest part was the breathing. Got me thinking…..
I began a yoga teacher training a few weeks back and it was an amazing beginning of a new journey in my life. When I left I felt nourished and at the same time overwhelmed. There was so much information and I had homework for the next session. This included learning Sanskrit, reading two books, learning how to teach poses etc. Some times when I get overwhelmed I forget to breathe.
Breathing – we don’t often think about it. It happens naturally. The air flows in and out and we barely recognize it. When we get tense we may hold our muscles tight and take shallow breathes. When we are nervous our heart may start racing and we take fast breathes. Sometimes we may even hyperventilate. I have on occasion or two been given a brown paper bag to breathe into, still not sure how that works.
Today in my yoga practice I paid extra attention to my breath, to the in and out. My teacher spoke of breathing into my “back body”. How the heck do you do that? I have always wondered, but today something snapped, an “Ah-Ha” moment.
Imagining where the breath goes, in your mouth, down your throat, into your lungs and the far reaches inside your body. The muscles on the outside will show you. The belly goes out, your rib cage expands, your chest rises and falls. And when you are lying so still you can feel the slight movements of the breath in your arms and your legs and all over.
So next time you think about it, take a deep breath, imagine where it is going and make it go there. Next time you are stressed, take a look at what your body is doing and try to settle down into a more relaxed posture. Let go and BREATHE!!!
