Don't Forget to Breathe!
As a yoga teacher, I end up saying something along these lines many times in each class. It seems silly, yet almost every time I remind students to breathe, I hear the sound of held breath being released. We think we know how to breathe, but yoga shows us otherwise. As babies we knew how to breathe -- we breathed with our whole bodies -- but somewhere along the way we started to hold the breath. We started to guard ourselves from pain, fear, and hurt feelings by tightening up the body and holding the breath. We became chest breathers -- getting only a small part of the oxygen and energy -- the Prana -- that is available to us.
Yoga teaches us how to breathe with the whole body again: filling the belly, the ribs, the chest... maybe even the neck and head ... drinking in the breath and then slowly releasing it -- savoring it as it goes in and out. When we breathe fully and deeply something very interesting happens: We are present. We can experience whatever is happening without having to mentally check out, distract ourselves, or pull off whatever tricks keep us from feeling and experiencing life. The simple act of taking a full, deep breath makes the difference between simply showing up in life versus being truly alive, engaged, and vibrant.
For a short, relaxing breathing break, click here.
