Written by Guest Contributor: Lynne Lessard
Lynne Lessard is a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher based in Ottawa. Like her page on Facebook, follow her on Twitter (@lynnelessard) and/or contact her at yoga@lynnelessard.com for yoga & wellness news and details on class offerings!
I often get asked what the “best yoga pose” is for someone who has never tried yoga before. The answer can vary depending on what your needs are; however there is one thing that just about everyone can benefit from, and that is learning to breathe.
I know – it seems completely ridiculous and obvious. I mean, why would anyone need to learn to breathe? We’ve been doing it just fine for our entire lives! In fact, on average, we take 20,000 breaths a day, without any training at all! But I’m talking about really breathing, deeply and fully, using our entire bodies.
What do you mean I’m not breathing fully?
When I gave breath training a chance, I realized that I was rarely fully breathing. In fact my breath, like that of many others, was very shallow. If you watch a baby breathe, you see that they naturally use the entire body, expanding the belly, ribs and low back with each inhale, and letting the belly fall gently with each exhale. For some reason, most of us lose this natural full-body breath as young as toddlers, and as a result, we miss out on the benefits of full breathing. That said, there’s a good chance that you aren’t making full use of your breathing potential. For example, you might have a reverse breathing pattern, like I was once did (meaning your belly falls on your inhale and rises on your exhale), you might have a tendency to hold your breath, or you might have a shallow breath that’s stuck mostly in your upper chest, neck and shoulders. Good news though – however you’re doing it now, it is possible to re-train and improve your breathing pattern.
Why should I practice breath training?
In yoga, breath work is called Pranayama, a Sanskrit term translated by B.K.S. Iyengar as “rhythmic control of breath,” the breath being energy or life force to be controlled with ease. When we breathe with our entire body, we draw the easiest path for oxygen to reach all of our muscles, including the brain, and we provide a massage to our organs, promoting their movement and helping with processes like detoxification, digestion and blood flow. It is also vital to our mental wellbeing. For example, thanks to breath training, I’ve been able to better manage issues with chronic fatigue, as well as feelings of stress and anxiety, and even things like irritability and procrastination. The benefits of full breathing encompass a range of common issues like these, so I hope that a breathing practice can help you achieve your personal wellbeing objectives!
Where do I start?
I’m here to help! This video tutorial is an introduction to basic breath training. We will check-in on posture and breath awareness, and then explore some basic analogies and techniques to help gently re-train your breathing mechanics. For this exercise, it’s best that you have a quiet and uninterrupted space, a yoga mat or a carpet, and depending on your posture needs, you may want to have a cushion, a yoga block, a rolled-up towel, and/or space against a wall.
Enjoy, and let me know how it goes!
How did this exercise go for you? Have you had any successes or challenges with breath training? Share your experience and/or questions below or in the YouTube comments.