Yoga Breathing

Pranyama is considered yoga breathing by many people. “Prana” means life force or energy. Everything in the universe contains some form of life force. “Ayama” on the other hand means to lengthen. So breath lengthening or controlling is sort of the American version of pranyama.

Have you noticed in the mountains or by the ocean the air is easier to breathe?

It is believed that these places have more prana. All of nature holds life force. Since there are less man-made objects to disrupt the life force in these areas, the prana flows naturally.

This picture is of a waterfall. The beach was always closer to me. I always found the ocean stress relieving. Just zoning out and listening to the waves used to do it for me. Once I learned about yoga, I realized why. The waves crashing are meditative. If you can slow your thoughts down and your breathing down ~ you give your brain a rest. Afterward you feel energized and alert yet relaxed.

This concept works anywhere, not just by the ocean. When you are stressed, your muscles tense ~ so you naturally tense up your breathing. If you can breathe in a practiced manner to control the tension, then your body can relax as well.

I’m not talking about life-changing stressful situations here. I think yoga breathing can be helpful in severe stress situations, but it probably won’t eliminate the stress in a severe situation.

When you are in a stressful situation your body sends out a chemical called ‘cortisol’. Cortisol gives you an adrenaline rush so that you can escape from a fight or flight situation.

Have you heard of people lifting something extremely heavy because a loved one is stuck under it – like a car? That is the effect of cortisol.

But if you have a lot of stress in your life your body sends out too much cortisol too often ~ this can cause health problems that include heart disease and high blood pressure. Breathing exercises can control some of your stress.

Breathing exercises can be used to relieve health problems such as nervous system disorders and cardiovascular disorders. These exercises are never intended to replace medical consultations, but people with these disorders might ask their physicians if a yoga practice or breathing exercises would help them.

Most people breathe through the upper part of their lungs. This is called “thoracic (chest) breathing”. We don’t utilize our lungs as we should. If you watch a baby breathe, the belly rises and falls. This is natural breathing, using the full capacity of the lungs as they were intended.

I taught a power yoga class last week and after class a new student approached me to say she never realized how shallow her breathing was. She knew she was under a lot of stress but when she focused on her breathing she realized how she was holding everything in.

You have to exhale every now and then and move forward. Let the stress move out of your body. Everything will never go your way ~ there will always be aggravating circumstances ~ it is how we deal with them that is important to our health.

Let’s take an example of an aggravating situation.

You are stuck in traffic and you were supposed to be somewhere.

Let’s say you will be late and miss out on something you wanted. The more you think about what you are missing, the more shallow your breathing is - the more angry you get ~ all the while tensing your muscles and squeezing your steering wheel. Your blood pressure is probably up – you are holding tension in your shoulders and neck and I’m guessing probably getting a headache.

Now let’s take a different approach.

You are stuck in traffic. You are not going to make it to your destination on time. Take a deep breath. Exhale it out slowly. (Don’t close your eyes for this one please.) Think about your breath, is it tense? Rapid, shallow? Try to slow it down.

A simple yoga breathing exercise of slowing down the breath will decrease tension in your whole body. Before you know it the traffic is moving and you are on your way.

I know what you are thinking. “yeah right, like it’s that easy…”. It’s not easy if it’s something you are not familiar with. It takes practice and it takes a little commitment on your part. But if you want to do something that is good for you, try it.

Have you ever experienced this aggravating situation only to find there was a fatal car accident that caused the traffic? Then how bad do feel? Or are you thankful it wasn't you or someone you love?

Breathing exercises go back to my concept about listening to your body. If you know your body, there are many things you can do for your own benefit. Focus on your breathing, think about it and what it is doing to your body. If it is not bringing in fresh oxygen to make you feel good, then adjust it. Be comfortable. Don't stress about little things.

If you have a regular yoga practice, including yoga breathing exercises, you can breathe through many everyday irritants. Breathing exercises are stress relieving, easy and free. What’s better than that?

Click here for a couple of yoga breathing exercises.