Connecting with the breath

Have you ever just stopped and noticed your breath? Noticed the flow in and out of your body? Noticed how it can be easy to breathe at times and at times it’s harder to get a breath in and out?

Before I started Yoga I never noticed my breathing in anyway. Just kept on going Day in and day out not even realizing how important my breathing can be to me and not just because it keeps me alive but more on a deeper level.

I remember when I first started yoga my breath was shallow and it was very hard to get a breath in and then have to move into a yoga posture as well. Well that was a stressful time and I guess that’s what bought me to the mat amongst other personal reasons.

At the start of practice we would come to our pranayama and I still remember counting my inhale and exhale and maybe at times hold at the top and at the bottom. I still remember the panic I felt as I tried to count and was worse when I paused the breath. A panic that was like I need this to hurry up so I don’t pass out right here… yup I know that’s not what yoga and pranayama is all About, but this was where I was at back then.

Over the years I started to lengthen my breathing and started to connect more with my breath on a deeper level.  Once I was able to change my breathing on the mat I became calmer off the mat using the techniques I had learn’t through yoga. I handle stressful situations on a whole different level, I still get stressed but I know it’s different, I am different. My yoga practice has slowed down as my breath is my guide and as my practice is slowed my teaching has also changed to a different level as well.

Before yoga I never realised how connecting with our breath is an important tool to learn and practice on and off the mat, it took many years and patience to become connected to my breath but I am really blessed now that I have this tool to help de stress myself when required.

Breathe in and breathe out!!!!