If you’ve taken a yoga class you may have heard the instructor direct you to breathe into some part of your body. A decade ago I remember hearing the directive for the first time, “breathe into where the tension is” - in my anatomy trained brain I couldn’t figure out how you could send your breath to your hip when your lungs, while one of the largest organs in the body, did not reach into the hips. And like most things in yoga one day it clicked.

 

I took a big deep inhale; first pulling the air in through my nose as my diaphragm contracted calling upon all the muscles between my ribs and moving downward expanding my chest cavity as my lungs expanded into it. As I exhaled all of those muscles pulled my rib cage both upward and outward. I expanded, and I released. In yoga we practice moving with the breath. When you inhale you expand the body, when you exhale you soften and release. You may not be able to send your airways into your hip but you can send your attention to your hip, expand the muscles and ligaments to create space and exhale to soften and release tension that’s being held there.

 

For me it was the simple act of not focusing on “what is this instructor talking about” and bringing my attention to my hip while I expanded with my inhale and softened with my exhale. When I was willing to let go of my definition/understanding of breath I found the power to release tension from my body existed within it.

 

In fact, your breath involves a lot more than filling your lungs and has a lot more power when you harness it.

 

Breathing, unfortunately, is something most don’t give much conscious thought. Thanks to your autonomic nervous system your bodies will carry on breathing without you telling it to.

 

When you are stressed, scared, or anxious your bodies tends to breathe shallowly or gulp in more air than you expel. The extreme of this is hyperventilation, which happens often during panic attacks. In today’s society (at least here in the US) we are often stressed; even if you don’t feel anxious you may feel overbooked, overworked, and exhausted all of which leads to the same shallow breathing. In this case there is a stimulus (stress or something that exists in the mind) and a physical response to the stimulus (change in breath and tension in the body ((among other things)).

 

This connection works both way. If you practice long, slow, and deep breathing, it Is virtually impossible to feel stressed as this is in complete opposition to a physiological state of stress.

 

In yoga this practices are called Pranayama Exercises. Pranayama is the formal practice of controlling the breath, which is the source of our prana, or vital life force. In Sanskrit prana means “primary energy”. In essence the practice of controlling the breath aids you in controlling your energy. I’ve yet to run into someone who was searching for less control of their lives; while you can’t control your life you can practice controlling your life force.

 

The first step into this practice is attention. Out of the roughly 72,000 breaths a day if you begin to consciously take 10 breaths per day with purpose you’ll begin to see changes within a week. If you are experiencing a physical response to stress you can take five minutes to consciously take long, slow, deep breaths and see a change immediately. If you practice breath work daily, you’ll change your entire life.

Inhale your power, release your tension.

 

Inhale your confidence, exhale your doubt.

 

Inhaling gratitude and exhaling love,

 

Melissa

 

Here are some daily practices you can begin with:

 

Box Breathing 

 

Step One: Sitting upright, slowly exhale through your mouth, getting all of the oxygen out of your lungs. Focus on this intention and be conscious of what you’re doing.

 

Step Two: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose to the count of four. In this step, count to four very slowly in your head. Feel the air fill your lungs, one section at a time, until your lungs are completely full and the air moves into your abdomen.

 

Step Three: Hold your breath for another slow count of four.

 

Step Four: Exhale through your mouth for the same slow count of four, expelling the air from your lungs and abdomen. Be conscious of the feeling of the air leaving your lungs.

 

Step Five: Hold your breath for another slow count of four.

Repeat. Begin by setting a timer for two minutes and build upon your time.

 

2:1 Breath

 

The average person is comfortable with a 6-count breath—the in-breath and the out-breath last for 3 counts each. Begin by letting your breath flow quietly and smoothly through the nostrils. Enjoy the tranquility created by this practice of breath awareness, and allow your mind to settle into the counting experience.

 

When you are ready, begin to deepen your exhalation by contracting the abdominal muscles, pushing additional air out of the lungs. On your next inhalation, slowly and smoothly release the contracted muscles, letting the next inhalation be a little shorter than the last. Gradually adjust your breathing to achieve a 2-to-1 ratio, exhaling for 4 counts and inhaling for 2.

 

Ujjayi - Victorious Breath; Ocean Breath

 

Ujjayi means victorious breath; it’s also referred to as ocean breath due to the sound it creates. This breath is often used in asana (posture) practice, especially in ashtanga and vinyasa classes.

 

Sitting, Standing, or Moving. Lengthen the spine and take a steady breath in through both nostrils.

 

Inhale until you reach your lung capacity; maintain a tall spine. 

 

Hold your breath for a second, then constrict some of the breath at the back of your throat, as if you were about to whisper a secret, and exhale slowly through both nostrils. 

 

This exhalation will sound like an ocean wave or gentle rush of air. You should feel the air on the roof of your mouth as you exhale. Repeat up to 20 times.