Breathing, we do it every day right? So why would we need to practice it? An awareness of your breath is such a beautiful thing to have and from a biological point of view gaining a deep breathing pattern is great for the optimum performance of your body as well as helping to regulate anxiety and other heightened senses and helping the body to relax.
Did you know that generally we only use the top half of our lungs to breathe? Meaning we are often activating our flight or fight response without even meaning to!
So how can we get to know our breath properly?
Learn the rhythm of your breath
This seems like a really silly thing to say but notice how you breathe. In those points where the day is a little quieter notice how your breath sounds, feels and its length. Also notice this when you begin to feel hurried or stressed. Noticing the difference can actually help to tune us into those little rhythms where the breath changes and the nervous system reacts which in turn may help us to calm the breath immediately before it becomes quick and hurried.
Belly breathing
Taking note of that fact that we only use the top half our lungs to breathe on a day to day basis learning what it feels like to breathe fully can be revelatory. I find the easiest way to do this is laid on your back, one hand on the heart and the other on the belly. Breathe normally to start, becoming aware of which hand is moving with the breath. Then bring you awareness to the belly and begin to let that move with the breath, taking full inhales and exhaling until everything has left the body.
Counted breath
The body reacts to shallow and fast breathing by quickening the pulse and stimulating the nervous system often contributing to feelings of panic or stress. A brilliant way of training the body to breathe a little slower is to count the breath. Count your inhale and then use the same count for your exhale. As you settle into the slow even rhythm maybe make that count slightly longer as the breath deepens.
Using your breath in yoga
So the tips for watching and calming the breathing above are completely applicable to both yoga and in general life and are a brilliant way for starting a breath practice if you’ve never had one before. Within yoga breath observation and sometimes control is a common practice and I’ve outlined some of the practices below.
Ujjayi breath
Ujjayi breath is that breath you hear people slipping into in class, making the sound of an ocean or waves. This breath is amazing for creating a rhythm to a yoga class but also for stimulating the body and building some body heat. Ujjayi breath is a deep inhale and exhale. While the exhale is taking place a constriction of the back of the throat is taken to create that wave sound. A great way of practicing and learning this is to imagine you are trying to steam up some glass with your exhale. Try it to start off with with the mouth open and then lightly close the lips and use the same throat constriction to create that oceanic sound.
Golden thread breath
Where ujjayi breath is great for during a yoga practice golden thread breath is a beautiful breath to end a practice on in a seated position. This is a great breath for relaxation so perfect before bed or at the end of a day at work. Breathing in deeply through the nose, exhale through pursed lips. While doing this you can come to a visualisation of that breath leaving the body as a thread, again causing the exhale to deepen and slow. Allow your mind to focus on the sound of the breath and the feeling of it passing your lips. If ujjayi breath is a heating and stimulating breath then golden thread breath is cooling and calming.
Do you have a breathing practice? Is it something you ever give though to off of the mat or have you been inspired to now? I’d love to know, so drop me a comment below or let me know over on instagram