There is something so well known in the yoga world that we often take it for granted. To the world outside of yoga, it can be a revelation.
The ancient yogis knew the power of our breath and the energy behind it for calming us, energizing us, opening up spaciousness in us and healing ourselves physically and emotionally. They also believed that if we slowed down our breath we would live longer….
There is now research being done in Europe as to the power of our breath for healing and reducing anxiety and depression. The hope is to prove that breathing therapy is a cheaper and healthier alternative to drugs. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? For us yes! For the Pharmaceutical companies, not so good!
Yoga breathing is called Pranayama.
Prana means life force. We bring Prana into our body through our breathing, as well as our senses. Ayama means expansion, while yama means control.
So Pranayama is the expansion of the life force in our body through regulating our breath.
As we deepen and harmonize our breathing we also slow it down, which in turn calms down the autonomic nervous system and our stress response.
There are different Pranayama practices that can bring about altered physical, mental, and emotional states. Some of them are quite energetic and transformational and take years of practice. Caution is advised when trying to do the advanced practices.
I think because of this risk, many of the calming and soothing practices, which are completely safe, may have been overlooked.
I’m happy to share some simple breathing awareness exercises on the main pages. Please click here to begin your exploration of your breath.
My hope is that it will begin to transform how you breath, and how you feel.
It starts with tuning into your own breath. Getting a base line of how you breathe, and then gradually deepening it and slowing it down.
Aahh…. now that feels so good…. and does a body good!
Find Your Middle Ground 
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