Breathing
Inhale you inspire, exhale you relax. Balancing the breath is balancing the mind. Yoga
without breath is simply exercise, unconscious but beneficial. Breath is the single most
transformative element of Yoga. Listen, watch, monitor and focus on this alone and there
will be an incredible change in your life. Always breathe through the nose, the mouth is for
eating.
In keeping with many traditional schools of Yoga, we believe that the single most important
element of Yoga asana is breath. Breath links body and mind. Every movement of the body
can be linked to the breath and every breath to a state of mind. This flow, the connection
between body and mind consciousness, is one of the most beneficial elements of Yoga
practice. This is the essence of asana and the preparation for deeper practice.
Breath affects strength, stretch, endurance and balance. Breathing techniques are critical in
the development of whole lung breathing instead of the typical half breath or shallow breath
we develop through our unconscious lifestyle. Breath is the fuel of life. Ninety per cent of
our physical energy comes from breath, our mental state is influenced by breath and, as
Yogis believe, the length of our life is determined by the length of our breath.
By using the breath, and not the mind, to guide us through asana we are able to surrender,
soften, strengthen and develop awareness more easily.
A full breath is a full life.
