A human being can survive without food for 40 days or more; can survive without water for up to a week, but we die if we do not have air for more than 5-10 minutes! In today's society we do not take the time to breathe properly: I mean, we REALLY do not take much time to notice IF we are breathing, let alone take the time to observe the quality of our breath. We rush from here to there; grab fast lunches on the fly and rush to the next task, panting in our hurry to get to our destination. When we do breathe it is often a shallow breath, concentrated in the upper chest- more closely resembling the breathing pattern of panic or flight. Often, the tensions of the day's activities leave us with a tight chest, strained, constricted breathing, and equally constrained and tight thoughts. In addition to asana practice, pranayama (Yoga of the Breath) is an excellent way to bring calm clarity into your day; it takes only a few minutes and can bring fresh perspective whenever needed. Many people take a few minutes to pause and breathe or meditate before a meeting, presentation, performance, or as a study break; pranayama is useful any time you need to detach from your mind and rest.
The breath is the wave upon which yoga postures flow one into the other and is one of the most important aspects of yoga. When we take a moment to notice and improve the quality of our breath we have more oxygen moving to the brain, the muscles around the rib cage and upper back relax more, our stress levels reduce and we are able to achieve greater perspective in our day. With full and proper breathing we find our bodies and minds are more open and clear; thus yoga practice deepens in both posture and observance.
Namaste
