Managing Stress Through Yoga – Just Breathe
As mentioned on Monday, in the first part of this post “Managing Stress Through Yoga – What is Yoga,” a regular practice of yoga is a great way to deal with the daily stressors that come our way. Today, let’s explore the breath a little.
The Breath of Life
Controlled breathing is an important part of yoga. In fact, some would say it’s the very place a yoga practice should begin. In yoga, the breath signifies your vital energy. Controlling your breathing can help to control the body and gain mastery of what’s commonly called “monkey mind” (I love that term!). Monkey mind is a term used to describe the regular “chatter” that most of us experience in our heads throughout the day. Each of us is plagued by a seemingly non-stop mental conversation about things to do, issues to resolve, and priorities to manage. By focusing on your breath and maintaining it in a very deliberate way you can reign in thoughts that may otherwise hamper stress management and relaxation.
In addition to the increased mental focus achieved through yoga’s controlled breathing exercises, there are other important benefits. Pranayama (the yoga term for mindful breathing) helps to increase the body’s ability to take in oxygen-rich air and distribute it more effectively throughout the body. This practice increases the overall health of the body, causes it to function at a more efficient capacity, and helps to fight fatigue, headaches, and other stress-related symptoms.
Learning to Breathe
Through yoga, you can learn to control breathing by first paying attention to it. By noticing and making note of current breathing patterns, you can make adjustments, as necessary. Typically a newcomer to yoga will find that their breathing is shallow and mostly maintained within the upper chest. This faulty breathing is then replaced with deep, diaphragmatic, lower-abdominal breathing.
For example, you would begin by breathing deeply in through the nose, using the diaphragm and expanding the belly. Then, additional air is taken deeper into the lungs, expanding the thoracic cage (fancy name for your ribs). And finally, take the breath into the throat. After holding for a moment, release the breath – also through the nose – completely exhaling at a slow and controlled rate equal to that of the inhale. (I.E., if you count to four on your inhale, count to four on your exhale too.)
By practicing this deep breathing you become more aware of breathing patterns, not only during yoga practice, but throughout your day. Unlike most physical poses, yogic breathing is something that can be summoned by anyone, anytime, at a moments notice to help relieve stress. When waiting in a long line at the bank, sitting in traffic, or when encountering a frustrating situation with a coworker – deep, controlled breathing can help release the tension of the situation. Pranayama can not only prepare one for a more stress-free day, but help to relieve ongoing troubles as they arise.
