Breathe!

July 6, 6:19 AMPhiladelphia Yoga ExaminerJonathan Bartlett

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This beautiful piece of artwork is available at www.prisonsfoundation.org

The breath is an integral part of life and living, and the human aliens way back when--the Vedic meditators who gave us yoga--knew that, too. Most of us in the West think that breathing is just an integral part of keeping the body alive on a moment by moment basis.

While they are right, yoga folks, and others around the world believe that it’s way more than that. In fact, some of the oldest cultures on Earth connect the breath to a subtler and as yet undetectable dynamic going on in the body. That would be Chi, Ji, Ki, Prana, an energy that is believed to be the source of life in the body—that which distinguishes a living body from a corpse. Sure, on inhale the breath provides the blood with the oxygen necessary to perform a number of different body functions; and on exhale, it rids the body of the carbon dioxide but on a higher level, the yoga folks believe it also does a lot more, to wit:

1. Rids the body of toxins, not just the physical stuff that science associates with breathing. The breath also removes the esoteric waste products from the unseen dynamics that take place. These include tension stored in muscles, the by-products from negative emotions such as anger and fear. While this must be taken on belief that there is still more going on in the body than science has yet discovered, take a few deep breaths and notice the difference in your emotional and mental state. Pay attention!!

2. Serves as a significant source of prana, the life force that keeps us going. Prana can also be found in food, sunlight, the energy emanating from other living things, and more.

3. It is a constant reminder that we are alive. When we pay attention to our breathing, which is not often for most of us, we are reminded that there is life in the vessel we occupy. This is why the breathe is often used as focal point for meditation. While we might think that such awareness comes from our mind, do me a favor and follow your mind. You will note that it goes here, there, backward, forward, down there, vacillating to points beyond comprehension. From the mind, there is not the constancy that the breath offers. In fact, it is the source of chaos(more on this in a future post).

The Breath and Asana.

When you combine yoga postures and breathing together, you are doing for your body an activity that is like no other. Sure, movement and breathing occurs during any physical movement. But each yoga pose, according to the yoga folks, focuses prana on those avenues of energy associated with the muscles and bones that are engaged during the pose, and the spine is always engaged during each and every asana. It is the major conduit for prana, the bio-electrical energy that is always there, as long as there is breath in the body. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Take a moment during your day to breathe mindfully.

To some, it might seem to be an alien activity, but give it a try and see what happens. You have nothing to lose. When you are in an elevator or waiting for a bus or in line at the grocery store, instead of letting your mind wander hither and to, bring your attention to your breath. On inhale, push your belly out a bit and let the air move into lower regions of the lungs that often don’t receive it. In general, we breathe very shallowly, mostly into the upper parts of the lungs. Pull in a full ‘yogic’ breath, from the lower regions, through the thoracic area, to near the collar bone. Feel it as it enters your nostrils and flows down your throat and into the deep recesses of your lungs. Take note of this sensation. Really pay attention. Don’t let your mind wander. How does it feel? Do this on a regular basis. Crazy as it may seem, a simple activity like this just might change your life. Give it a try.