01/13/2021
B R E A T H E : Take a few moments to observe how you’re breathing. Notice how your body is feeling; your posture. Is your breathing shallow, rapid, irregular? If so, it’s time to regulate by practicing breath control. The flow that the steady in and out action of breathing creates stimulates a transformation in the body and mind. By simply being aware of our breath it tends to slow down. We become more breath full rather than breathless. Breath awareness is an important practice on and off of the yoga mat.
“Often the mind gets going a million miles an hour, the breath gets shallow and irregular. This not only affects your nervous system, but your entire physiology. The breath is like the conductor of the orchestra of your body. What kind of symphony do you prefer to listen to? One composed of shallow, untalented musicians, or musicians with a deep and full understanding of the music? If your breathing is shallow and agitated, it alerts the body that there is immediate danger or a harsh environment. Deep, full, slow breaths communicate to the body that all is well, peaceful and harmonious. The breath carries nourishing oxygen to the cells of the body, bathing and purifying your very smallest components. (Steve Ross, author of “Happy Yoga”)
“Psychologists have found that breathing practice is effective in fighting anxiety, depression, and stress. Physiological evidence has indicated that even a single breathing practice significantly reduces blood pressure.” (thebreatheffect.com) A simple breathing exercise for calming both the nervous system and your overworked mind is a timed breath where the exhale is longer than the inhale. When your exhale is even a few counts longer than your inhale, the vagus nerve (running from the neck down through the diaphragm) sends a signal to your brain to turn up your parasympathetic nervous system (to relax and calm) and turn down your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). To put your body in a parasympathetic state, gently breathe in for 2 counts, and breathe out for 4 counts, with a one count pause at the top of the inhale and a one count pause at the bottom of the exhale. (mindbodygreen.com)