You can make space for relaxation any time.
Breath, it’s the first thing we do upon entering life, and breath is the last thing we’ll do before we exit.
While Pranayama is not always the most outwardly impressive element of a yoga practice, for me it is the most integral and has certainly been the most life altering piece. Allow me to share with you how and why.
I’ve had a consistent yoga practice since I was 20, dabbling in all forms of yoga. However it wasn’t until I found Restorative Yoga that I truly fell in love with the breath and the gift of transformation and respite it offers.
I still remember my first Restorative Yoga teacher guiding us to carefully craft the support for the restorative poses of her class. It was there, all propped up, feeling truly held in these poses that I learned to let go.
When we can learn to let go with the breath, we find an everyday space to shed the stress, anxiety, tension and worries we forever cart around. And so with the release, we also create space. Space to nurture, nourish and support ourselves via that same medium of breath.
Breathwork is the first real step into mindfulness, for where else can you be but in the here and now, when you are with the breath? Pranayama is the practice of controlling your breath, with the goal of it connecting the body and mind.
A recent study in the Journal of Neurophysiology supports the theory that directing the focus to the rhythm and pace of the breath can positively affect the body and the mind. The study highlights numerous regions of the brain that are associated with emotion, attention and body awareness. These light up when we simply focus on the breath.
You may be wondering why the breath is such a strong tool for respite? It’s largely to do with the Vagus Nerve. The Vagus Nerve is an integral component of the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), also known as the Rest, Digest and Renew system. This stimulation of the vagus nerve reduces our neurophysiological experience of stress.
The Vagus Nerve is connected to both the lungs and also the diaphragm. So by controlling our breathing we quite literally can control our stress response. When the Vagus Nerve detects a breath pattern that is slow, relaxed and at ease the brain receives a signal that things are okay, no need to worry, we can relax.
So with that being said, here are three breathing techniques I strongly believe every yogi should have in their toolbox, whether you’re on your mat, in a stressful situation at work or caught in gridlock traffic:
Falling Out Breath
A great way to find relief quickly.
We naturally sigh when we are emotional, as it helps to reset our breathing, reduces muscle tension and induces that feeling of relief. But the most beneficial attribute of this breath technique, is that it stimulates the Vagus Nerve.
How to
1. Find a comfortable position, lying down or seated.
2. Inhale as much as you can via your nose, and then take an audible exhale out via the mouth (a big HA release, much like a sigh).
Try 5- 10 rounds.
Three Part Breath
Otherwise known as Dirga Pranayama. This is a beautiful way to connect to your breath in a very physical way, quite literally taking you out of your mind and into your body. A fantastic breath for settling a wandering mind and really opening your entire torso up to breath.
How to
- Find a comfortable position, lying down or seated.
- Place your palms on your abdomen and take 5 rounds of breath into this space, feeling your palms gently rise and fall with each breath.
- Place your palms on your rib cage and take 5 rounds of breath into this space, feeling your palms gently move wide and contract with each breath.
- Place your palms lightly on your collar bones and take 5 rounds of breath into this space, feeling your palms gently lift and then settle with each breath.
- Allow your hands to rest lightly by your side. Breathe in first to the belly, then continue the breath out into the side ribs and finally fill the chest up with breath.
- Exhale out of the chest, out of the rib cage and out of the belly.
Aim for 5 – 10mins of this three part breath.
I encourage students to liken this breath as filling three containers. First filling the belly, it then overflows into the side body and then the side body gets so full it overflows into the chest.
Belly Breathing
Also referred to as diaphragmatic breathing can be really helpful before (during, or even after) experiencing a particularly stressful event. Belly breathing helps to reduce the heart rate and blood pressure all while promoting that feeling of relaxation and strengthening the diaphragm.
How to
- Find a comfortable position, preferably lying down.
- Place one hand on the middle of your chest and the other on your belly.
- Through the nose, inhale slowly. Drawing the breath down into the bottom ofthe lunge and then down into thebelly. Feeling the belly push up into the palm. The chest should remain relatively still.
- Exhale via the mouth through pursed lips, feeling the belly gently soften and fall. The chest remains relatively still.
Aim for 5-10 mins of this deep belly breathing.
Helpful tips for practicing Pranayama
- Focus on all elements of the breath.
Eg: pace, texture, feeling, temperature, weight etc…
- Make sure you are comfortable.
You can sit, lay down or even stand to practice pranayama. - Eye open or closed.
Choose what’s most suitable. Often closing the eyes helps to block out any visual stimulus, therefore helping you to remain focused. - Accept that your mind will wander.
Thoughts will come and go. Allow them to pass on through without getting attached to them or creating meaning or story around them. - Remember it’s a practice.
Go easy on yourself, knowing that some days the practice will be more difficult than others. Just try to enjoy nourishing yourself with life sustaining oxygen.
Often the good, good stuff, isn’t the most photogenic or Instagram-worthy stuff. Instead, it’s the simple stuff – like learning to breathe more effectively. Learning to take care of ourselves first and foremost. Recognising when we are flooded, overwhelmed and dysregulated. Noticing that tight knot of anxiety in the chest, and learning to soften it. You know, that simple stuff.
So if you’ve been looking for a sign to stop, slow down and pay attention to the breath, hopefully this has been it.
** Safety note: These techniques should be safe for most people, however it may be difficult if you have asthma or other causes of breathing difficulties. If you feel any dizziness, please return to your normal breathing pattern.
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