Being human means we’ve been blessed with a mind. Yoga helps the mind to work better, to see things more clearly, to concentrate more effectively, and to understand how things really work. How does yoga go about doing this? One of the ways to begin is to learn to watch the breath.
In Yoga it is said that the mind is like an agitated monkey and that if we learn to control the breath the mind will follow. So correct breathing is likely to make our mind more peaceful and less willful leaving more time for us to think straight.
Have you ever noticed the link between your emotions and your breathing? What’s your breathing like when you’re afraid? Probably fast, shallow and erratic. What about if you’re concentrating? Smooth and slow. And when you’re angry? Your exhalation is likely to be restricted, perhaps even non-existent.
My grandmother used to use this idea, perhaps unwittingly, with all her grandchildren – if we were upset or angry we were only allowed to speak to her after we’d taken a few long slow breaths. And as if by magic our ‘problems’ seemed to shrink before we got to voice our disgruntled opinions.
OK, so I no longer get upset if someone else is sitting on my side of the car. But modulating the breath – ensuring that it is smooth and steady – still has a part to play in calming the mind and clearing the emotions. Yoga uses these principles to still the mind, with the result that we not only release ourselves from our emotional attachments, but we can also draw the mind to a point of complete stillness and lasting happiness.
If you’d like to know about other simple ways to improve your breathing read the following short article: Breathing: The Key to Life.
3 responses so far ↓
1 reen // Dec 5, 2009 at 10:54 am
what do you do when the air quality is so bad that taking a deep breath is aversive? the last month spent in a mexican city has made me appreciate my breath even more. i get up early and practice so that the rest of the day goes better. also in my work with children with physical handicaps, every time i remind them to breathe deeply and they do, there is the sweetest smile of relief on their sometimes tortured faces. simple medicine.
2 Helen // Dec 19, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Reen, I hear you. December in Mexican Cities can be a tough ask on the lungs. It’s wonderful though to see the relief something as simple as breathing can provide someone.
3 Yoga Breathing Exercises Can Improve Your Health « // Mar 2, 2010 at 10:01 pm
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