Yoga

The breath is the tool of the body that gives life. We can learn how to work this tool through the practice of yoga. Some practitioners believe it is the tool that helps us find our way home, to ourselves.

Learning to use the breath during your yoga practice can take some time but will definitely give amazing and transformative results. The breath is there for all of us to use and once we start to find our way with this tool we can start to feel the magic of our bodies.

Using the breath as a way of igniting internal fire is practiced by Ashtanga Yoga students and advocated by its guru, Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois. Jois believes that cleaning the body internally is possible through practiced and controlled use of the breath.

His thoughts on cleaning the body are that two factors are required, air and fire. Four inches below our navel is the place of fire in our bodies. He believes this is the position of our life force. To make and maintain a fire, air is required and here is the necessity of the breath.

Long even breaths will help to strengthen and maintain our internal fire. This will increase the heat within our body and help to heat up our blood and thus physical purification can occur. This internal heat can then melt away impurities in the nervous system as well.

Breathing in long even breaths will increase the internal fire and strengthen the nervous system in a manner that is aware and controlled and at a pace that is even. After some time and practice the fire can start to grow in strength and then our digestion, health and life span can increase.

Look at someone that has been practicing yoga for many years and see the sparkle in their eyes, their skin texture. This is a practice that really does work from the inside out.

The inhalations and exhalations need to be even. Uneven breathing or breathing too rapidly will give the beating heart an imbalance which can then give an imbalance to the physical body and the nervous system.

I have been practicing aware and focused breathing for some time now and the benefits to myself, my family and my life are amazing. For the first time I feel I am learning to use my body as a tool in a way to make magic. The feelings of bliss that can overwhelm me as I use the breath in a prolonged manner are quite magical.

I can feel that I am starting the long and slow process of cleaning myself from the inside out and truly I can feel this. Practicing certain postures such as a handstand with the breath work I have learnt and the bandhas locked and maintained I can nearly feel the toxins leaving my body, fantastic.

We all have the possibility to learn and maintain the use of our breath. We all do it every day, all day, breathe. Starting to be aware and maintaining breath use will come as an amazing surprise to many of us and something I can only recommend to everyone to try.