Breathing is a right we're given from birth, but only after delving deeper into my yoga practice did I recognize how little I was optimizing my available life force, or prana, and at least once a day I find myself bringing my awareness to my breath with this mindful practice. It's a somewhat complex breath that I've seen students hyperventilate trying to do "right". But at its root, it's simply about being mindful of the inhale and exhale and guiding the breathe up your spine that helps to encourage a serenity that envelopes your senses during less-than-serene moments in the day.
- Inhale, grabbing the breath from the base of your spine and allowing it to naturally rise to your abdomen, rib cage and lungs as you slowly count to 3.
- Exhale, noticing how the breathe glides back down to your core (also known as root chakra or coccyx), gently massaging your organs as you count to 4, pulling your navel towards your spine to expel any nervous or unwanted energy.
- Repeat 3-5 times and notice the shift in your mind-body-spirit.
I've found that after about five breathes like this; my anxiety lessens, my mind clears a bit more, my shoulders inch further down from being up by my ears, and it becomes easier to look compassionately at the guy who just picked his nose before grabbing a hold of the subway car railing that I'm holding onto as well. (And even better, it's taking your yoga off the mat and into your real life...you did the work, might as well use it!)
Photo is a dramatization of the above noted episode and sourced from The NY Times
Music also helps, and Dirgha pranayama sounds a bit like this to me: Bliss "Blissful Moment"
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