Your breathing is such a natural process that it’s easy to take for granted.
You breathe approximately 22,000 times each day. That is 22,000 opportunities to be attentive to the present moment. How many of those breaths are you aware of? Four, eight, ten breaths a day? Any at all?
Your breath is the greatest asset you have–your most immediate connection to energy and life-force in your body. Breath is more important than food and water. It is said you can survive anywhere from three weeks to two months without food, and three to four days without water. But you only have about three full minutes without access to air and your breath.
When you cultivate awareness of your breath, you have access to an incredible tool of power, strength, meditation, and relaxation. Learning breath control (pranayama) helps you to feel more control in your life, to feel grounded in the present moment, and to feel the ecstatic freedom of spiritual enlightenment (so those wise Yogi masters say...).
I have been spending the past few weeks in deep pranayama practice, making space three times each day to breath powerfully and to explore breath retention–holding the breath for a short time at the top of the inhale and at the bottom of the exhale. The results have been incredible. As I breathe deeply and hold, I keep thinking "Now after 20 years of practice, I am actually practicing real yoga..."
Asana holds very little power compared to the breath.
The art of breathing evokes a sense of awe, wonder, and curiosity. To truly embrace the breath is to remember that we are all sharing one universal breath–all of us humans, animals, plants, and all other life-forms. It is said that most people spend over thirty minutes each day worrying about something, creating stress over some imagined experience. But you can catch yourself in this process of worry and take a deep breath instead. And here's the real secret: it's not the inhale that is so important, it is the EXHALE. We spend too much time sipping air in. We need to let it go!
When in doubt, BREATHE OUT!
In my yoga classes I am adding more and more breath focus and pranayama. It's the awareness of each breath paired with those intentional breath retentions that is so powerful and transformative.
If you are curious to learn more, then join me in a yoga class to explore the power of your breath!
"Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment." ~Thich Nhat Hanh, in Being Peace