While it is the first thing we learn to do, most of us forget to breathe, or at least neglect to do so as deeply as we should.
Breathing oxygenates every cell of the body, from your brain to the vital organs. Without sufficient oxygen, the body becomes more susceptible to health problems such as chronic tension and weak nerves.
In yoga, the science of breath is called Pranayam, which means the control of the movement of life energy (prana) through the use of breathing techniques. Prana means life force, Pran is first unit and Ayama is expansion. Yogi Bhajan said “With pranayam we expand the first unit, the seed energy.”
The purpose of pranayama is energy management to effect and manage different states of health, consciousness and emotion.
When you are angry, nervous, afraid or under a lot of stress for instance, your breath becomes shallow, erratic, your pulse goes up and breathing comes from the shoulders instead of expanding the lungs and diaphragm.
We normally breathe 15 cycles per minute. Men breathe at a rate of 16 to 18 cycles per minute and women breath 18 to 20 cycles per minute. When we are able to rhythmically slow down the breath to only four to six breaths per minute like the monks, we have indirect control over our minds. This control eliminates obnoxious behavior, promoting a calm mind regardless of state of affairs. When you consciously control your breathing rate, you can control your state of mind.
Gassho Center, Cebu (2018)
By changing your breath rate, you can already create a huge change:
8 breaths per minute – Feeling more relaxed. Relief from stress and increased mental awareness. Parasympathetic nervous system begins to be influenced. Healing processes are elevated.
4 breaths per minute – Positive shifts in mental function. Intense feelings of awareness, increased visual clarity, heightened body sensitivity. Pituitary and pineal glans begin to coordinate at an enhanced level, producing a mediative state.
1 breath per minute – 20 seconds to inhale, 20 seconds to hold, 20 seconds to exhale. Optimised cooperation between brain hemispheres. Dramatic calming of anxiety, fear and worry. Openness to feeling presence and the presence of spirit. Intuition develops.
The mind follows the breath. The key to controlling the mind is in controlling the breath.
Yogi Bhajan said that “Life is not under your control and the mind is not obedient; but there is something the mind does obey. That is the rate of the breath. When the breath is long and deep and slow, the mind is constant and one-pointed. If you can train yourself to breathe eight breaths per minute, youcan have your temper and your projection under control.”
More than mastering your own breath, you may want to attend the Learn How to Breathe Like a Yogi workshop. You will learn how to use the breath and get acquainted with the basic techniques to effect and manage different energy states of health, consciousness and emotion.
Where everyone’s starting anew for the year, why not start from the breath? Breathe deep and slow, and may progress follow.
In loving service,
Rosan
