Breathing Essentials

Breathing consciously is our first step to a more refined and energy-filled life. It is essential that you become very aware of our breathing habits to ensure that you are breathing correctly.

Four Important questions of your Breathing.

1. Are you inhaling through your nose or Mouth?

- If you breathe in through your mouth, you are not allowing your body to naturally filter and purify your intake of air. Airborne pollutants that are not filtered through your nose ultimately end up in your lungs. This is unhealthy.

- If you find yourself inhaling through your mouth, correct it by consciously guiding your breath into your body through your nose. With this gentle guidance, your body will eventually adjust to the healthier way of breathing.

2. Do your chest and stomach expand or contract when you breath in?

- If your stomach and chest contract when you inhale, you are breathing unnaturally, hindering the flow of prana into your body. If this is the case, you must take control of your breathing to correct it. Several times as day, take note of you breathing pattern. If you find your chest and stomach are contracting as you inhale, guide your chest and stomach to naturally expand as you breath in and contract as you exhale.

3. Does your in-breath travel deeply into your abdomen or does it finalize in your chest?

- If your in-breath only travel to your chest, you are not allowing prana to invigorate your body and mind with energy and you will remain listless and lack energy. Thus, this should be corrected by deliberately reviewing your breathing several times throughout the day- if you invite your breath deep into your abdomen enough times, your body will develop this new, healthier habit.

4. What do you feel as life-giving oxygen enters and exits your body?

- By observing what sensations and emotions you experience while life-giving breath is travelling in and out of your body, you raise your consciousness to a new level of understanding. From these positions, you interact with the essence of life and how it affects you in all situations. You will become consciously aware of how the quality of the air you breath affects your body and your overall energy level and recognize when your body is not receiving enough life-giving prana due to polluted or poorly filtered air. You will also realise that point at which your body is not working in natural accord with your respiratory and circulatory systems and either increase your pranayamic or physical exercise to enhance your overall health or break from exercise for a period of time to allow your body to rest.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO BREATH IN THE MOST BENEFICIAL AND NATURAL WAY, YOU CAN ADVANCE TO FORMALISED TECHNIQUES OF PRANAYAMA.