Yoga and the Breath                          
By Sally Seligman

Breathing is something we do without thinking as it comes naturally! Why even consider it?

Well, consider it this way; when we watch a newborn breathe how does its tiny body move with each breath? The belly rises and falls, right? Now, consider someone you have known who is quite elderly and not in great health. How does their body move when they breathe? Usually the chest heaves up and down quickly and with effort, right?

To breathe fully and from the diaphragm is to allow oxygen to flow through your body and into every cell of your body. We have about 100 trillion cells in our bodies and every one of these cells must have oxygen or they will die.

Most of us start life breathing correctly, but over time our breathing reflects all of the experiences, emotions, and health issues we face during our life and we tend to breathe with the upper chest. Most people are born with good health and good breathing habits. When we retain correct breathing habits we have vitality, a strong immune system, a good complexion, and lots of energy. When the ability to breathe well diminishes we often see more illnesses associated with the respiratory and immune systems such as colds, infections and disease associated with the respiratory system, lack of vitality, premature aging and much more.

 Think of your emotions and compare them to how you’re breathing changes with each different emotion. For instance, when we are sad and cry hard we often “lose” our breath or it becomes short and we “gasp” for breath. When we are relaxed our breath is longer and calmer. When we are scared or afraid we tend to stop breathing for periods of time.

Also, how many of us women heard while we were growing up, “Hold your stomach in!” Certainly most of us! That and other things such as tight clothing, tension due to stress, sitting at a desk all day (which tends to make us stoop over somewhat, cramping our midsections), and such, tend to make us upper chest breathers.

We are designed to use our diaphragms to breathe fully and completely.  When the diaphragm, which is like a balloon, collapses, it moves down and this movement forces air into our lungs. When the diaphragm expands the air is forced out of our lungs. A baby does this automatically and is full of life and energy.  In yoga we talk about the “Life Force” and in Sanskrit, the language of yoga, we call it Prana. To describe working on something to gain control of it we use the Sanskrit word Yama, thus the breathing exercises associated with yoga are called Pranyama.

While there are countless exercises used for pranyama in yoga and other Asian disciplines, the main thing is to relearn how to breathe correctly. Certainly practicing yoga exercises (asanas/postures) teach this, you can start to practice better breathing easily and anytime you think about it while at home, work, and play.


Either lie down or stand straight. Put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. What rises first? Now think of your belly as a balloon and when you breathe let that balloon expand first, then your midsection then finally your upper chest. Breathe slowly and don’t fill up so much that you feel like you are going to pop but just almost full. When you exhale, reverse this process; slowly letting your upper chest relax, then your midsection deflate then finally your belly contract. It will take some time to reestablish your breath from the diaphragm but you can do it with practice (and remembering to do it!). 

 As you re-teach yourself to breathe correctly you will find you have more energy, your appetite will increase if you are underweight and if you are overweight you may see that you are burning more calories. You will see a glow in your complexion that you have not seen in years. You will have more vitality and energy; you will be more relaxed and calm and be able to control your emotions better as you will remember to breathe correctly when under stress.

In the scope of this article, I can only scratch the surface with all that is encompassed in the breath. However, we must start somewhere and just to become aware of your breath and the power you have over your own health using the breath is a wonderful place to start.

Namaste!
Sally


Sally Seligman has trained in Classical Hatha Yoga as well as several other Asian disciplines since 1976. A certified instructor, she is currently teaching yoga at:

Evolutions
1350 SW Blvd, Vineland, 08361
856-690-8999

For more information about her yoga classes you can contact her at: sseligman@aol.com