Before I practiced pranayama yoga, I would often feel stressed or anxious.  Sometimes (but only sometimes) it would occur to me to stop and take a few deep breaths.  A sense of centered calmness would start to embrace me almost immediately.  I think now that I was so detached from my breath that even the mere act of thinking about it was healing to me.

The paradox about the yoga breath is that it is both calming and energizing.  You are energized, not with a frantic energy, but with a slow and steady energy. 

There are many ways to approach the yoga breath.  Many teachers will tell you not to do anything at first other than observe your breath.  I happen to enjoy the following exercise and I’d like to share it with you.  Read through the steps several times so that you don’t have to interrupt your breathing to go back and refer to them.

Try this:

  1. Whether you sit on the floor or in a chair, be sure your spine is straight.  If you are in a chair, keep your torso free from the back or sides.  Place your feet flat on the floor with your knees directly over your feet.  Place your hands on the tops of your legs.  If you are on the floor, sit with your legs crossed.
  2. Close your eyes and, beyond that, rest your eyeballs.  Sometimes your eyes want to continue to look for something even if your lids are closed.
  3. Remind yourself that your lungs are inside your ribs.
  4. Feel the air entering your lungs and your ribs expand.  Allow your lungs to empty and feel your ribs come back in. 
  5. While you are doing this, don’t push the breath.  Let the breath flow as it will.
  6. Let yourself breathe, and observe your breath, for 2 or 3 minutes.  As you get more used to it, practice it for up to 10 minutes. 

When I was a lawyer, I used to have a computerized calendar that would sound a little chime at the time that an appointment was to start.  I took to scheduling a five-minute breathing session daily and putting it on my calendar.  When the chime sounded, I would stop what I was doing and practice this breathing exercise.  Then I would give thanks, for particular things that I was thankful for, or just because. 

As I got more used to my scheduled yoga breath breaks, I often would do them over the course of the day when I needed to relax or gain clarity or perspective.

I hope you try this exercise and I hope you enjoy it.

Are you looking for an online yoga course?  I use the Yoga Tutor and I highly recommend it.

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I don’t play music when I practice yoga, but if you do, you may want to take a look at these blog posts: