How should we begin to our yoga practice? Why is breathing practice so important for yoga?
The breath plays an important role in asana class. You begin the class by focusing on your breath, and everything kind of settles down. The day and its activities start seeming more distant, and all of a sudden there is no hurry anywhere anymore.
The breath truly is the key in moving distractions from the mind.
We all have a busy life out there so it keeps us fight or flight mode most of the time, by slowing down our breathing we will move to sympathetic to parasympathetic state .
We begin to deepen our breath.
LET’S PRACTICE:
Now bring yourself, your mind to the room completely, bring your awareness to the present moment, engage with your breath, connect with the body, connect with your breathing.
Take deep breath into the belly, deep inhale in through your nose, exhale through your mouth x5 times. Your aim should be slowing down your breathing . So begin to count your inhalation 4 seconds and exhalation for 4 seconds. Carry on this practice for 3 minutes. Then see the difference in you. Just notice how you feel?
We’re dealing with problems, facing the challenges, making plans all day long, sympathetic nervous system is active, parasympathetic system is inactive. We need to stimulate it .
When you begin to do your belly breathing , abdominal breathing and engaging your diaphragm , your breath becomes slower. It begins to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system .
We call it PRANAYAMA practice!