The OutSPOKEn Cyclist
By Diane Jenks
Hello and welcome to Fall in NE Ohio! Today’s blog entry is about breathing.
Back in May of 2020, James Nestor published his best seller, “Breath,” and suddenly people began to take notice of their own struggles with breathing — from simple sinus issues to sleep apnea, asthma and more.
In his book, Mr. Nestor describes taking part in a series of breathing experiments in hopes of alleviating some lifelong breathing issues he had. As he tumbled down the rabbit hole of many different experimenters and historians over centuries of thinking on the subject, he came to some very interesting conclusions. (Which is to say, I highly recommend the book!)
He often mentions yoga and the ancient yogis and how important the breath is to living a healthy life.
As a yoga teacher who understands the value of using the breath for a variety of things — from relaxation to moving into and out of poses — the very first thing I teach a new student, after making him/her comfortable on the mat, is how to breathe a “yogic breath.”
Yogic breath is in through the nose and out through the nose — which may feel strange at first. Most people tend to be “mouth breathers” and learning to close the mouth while breathing will start out feeling weird.
Here’s how we do it: Sitting quietly, we breathe in and fill the belly first, raising the breath into the chest. We breathe out in the reverse, allowing the belly to soften at the end of the breath and pulling the belly button toward to back of the body.
We expand the exhales, allowing them to become longer than the inhales, and then, we connect the breath — allowing inhales and exhales to flow into one another. Think of an unbroken circle.
As we progress with our practice, we learn to use the breath, especially focusing on areas in the body that are uncomfortable or tense.
In a short time, you learn that you have a lot of control over stiffness and pain and that you can lower your heart rate and blood pressure — all without medication -— just by breathing correctly.
Having said all of the above, you most certainly do not have to sit on a mat or engage in a yoga practice to experience the benefits of conscious and correct breathing.
Focusing and controlling your breath can also give you a clearer picture of what is going on in your head.
The past year has been really difficult for so many of us and, if you learn focus on your breath — even for just a few moments at a time — it will give you the opportunity to “reset” your mood and offer you more clarity.
It can slow you down so that you can see solutions to issues you might be struggling with. Focusing on your breath can relieve anxiety and anger.
As I always say at the end of our practice: Have a happy, peaceful day. Namaste!
Photo courtesy pexels.com
