Blog post #6: Yoga and the Breath

I often hear from my yoga students that they have a hard time with the breathing aspect of yoga, especially as they get older.  Building awareness around the breath is a very important component of any yoga practice.  There are so many benefits to developing proper breathing technique while in movement, while holding postures as well as in savasana, our final relaxation. Building breath awareness in yoga transfers to our everyday life, and can serve as a tool for dealing with anxiety, stress, sleeplessness and more.

When I am leading a class, my cues usually include an “inhale” or an “exhale”.  Generally, the inhales occur when the body is opening up, and the exhales, when there is a folding, twisting or releasing motion.  We strive to match the length of our inhales with the time it takes to open up, and the length of the exhales with the time it takes to come into the fold, twist or release.  There is a certain cadence, a rhythm that we want to establish where our inhales and our exhales become even in duration.  If you are not able to keep up with your yoga teacher’s cues, don’t worry about it!  Just do your best to focus on your breath. 
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Awareness of the breath keeps us grounded and present. In yoga, breathing through the nose is preferable.  The nose has a natural filtration system, and it also slows the flow of air, which has a calming effect on the nervous system.  The three qualities we want to cultivate in our breath are smooth, slow and steady.  When we notice that our breath is jagged, interrupted or even held, we know we are going beyond our edge, most likely forcing too much, and risking injury.  Let the breath be your guide. After all, it is what makes yoga yoga!