Yoga Breathing

When you observe and experience your breathing you are practicing yoga. Exhale slowly through your nose so that you can feel your breath on your upper lip. Now inhale slowly through both nostrils, drawing the breath up through the center of you nose. Do this several times and take the time to really experience how you feel.

You may be wondering why you should do this. The reason is simple; focusing on your breathing brings you back into the moment. One of the philosophies of yoga is that we are given a certain number of breaths in our lifetime. The importance of breath can be illustrated by thinking about the fact that breathing is the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do when we die. It is also important because western medicine has found that stress leads to disease. Breathing reduces stress and can therefore reduce the possibility of disease.

There are many reasons to practice your breathing aside from the fact that it reduces stress. Practicing breathing will strengthen you immune and respiratory system. It can also help you think and act with more clarity. You can train your brain to let go of tension with each inhalation and exhalation.

When you practice breathing in a sitting position make sure that you are in a position that you can comfortably hold for a few minutes with your spine straight. If you are in a chair you should take off your shoes and rest your feet comfortably on the floor. Make sure that your weight is distributed evenly on both sides of your body as you lift your spine away from the chair.

One breathing exercise that you can begin with is breath counting. To do this simply breath in for a five count and then breath out for a five count. If this is too difficult and causes you more stress, reduce the count to four. Over the years as you get better at this and you lungs strengthen you can work up to a twelve count. As you continue this exercise over time it will become a profound experience.