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Breath & Mind – A Miraculous Connection!

चले वाते चलं चित्तं निश्चले निश्चलं भवेत्

योगी स्थाणुत्वम् आप्नोति ततो वायुं निरोधयेत्

cale vāte calaṁ cittaṁ niścale niścalaṁ bhavet

yogī sthāṇutvam āpnoti tato vāyuṁ nirodhayet

Breathing is core of yoga.

Cultivating breath awareness is key for developing stillness and peace of mind. It’s simple really, all we need to do is pay attention to the experience of breathing in, and pay attention to the experience of breathing out. And yet for most of us this is the hardest part; being still and attentive to the breath in each given moment. Perhaps the thing we struggle with most in life is stillness? Stillness in body & in mind.

How Breath & Mind is connected?

The breath is the bridge linking our mind and body. The practice of deep breathing helps to stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system, bringing us to a calm state.Diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) which allows the body to rest and digest, slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and respiratory rate and diverting blood supply towards the digestive and reproductive systems. When the Parasympthetic Nervous System is active, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) becomes less active – they counteract each other. The SNS raises the heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate, diverting blood to the brain and skeletal muscle in readiness for fight or flight. By deactivating or overriding the SNS, we can interrupt the vicious cycle of adrenaline and cortisol which contribute to chronic stress levels and predispose us to panic attacks and anxiety. It’s possible therefore by voluntarily changing the rate, depth and pattern of breathing to change the messages being sent from the body’s respiratory system to the brain. Breathing techniques may provide a portal to the autonomic communication network enabling us to make a change in our breathing patterns. This suggests we can send specific messages to the brain using the language of the body, a language the brain understands and responds to.

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For breath awareness, please follow these steps:

Sitting onto a chair or on ground, or lying down on your back. Take support where you feel is needed in order for your position to be as comfortable.
Let your spine become elevated and shoulders spacious as your hands rest over your heart space (which is centre of chest).
Draw your chin in lightly towards your throat, like a straight spine where neck is comfortable.
Bring your awareness to your breathing rhythm. With a natural breath become aware of your chest rising and expanding lightly as your lungs fill with air. As you breathe out feel how your chest softens as the air leaves your lungs.
Take 6-8 breaths here. (pause to observe)
Then lower your hands to your abdomen and feel your breath in your belly as it expands away from your spine, on the exhale feel how your belly softens and draws back, almost hollowing back towards the lower spine. Take 6-8 breaths here. (pause to observe)
When you feel you have established a deeper connection to the breath, integrate further with the spine by inhaling arching your torso forwards as you roll onto the front of sit-bones, as if you are propping yourself up, your chest lifts further away from your pubic bone.
On the exhalation round into your spine towards the wall behind you as your chest and pubic bone move closer towards one another, rolling onto the back of your sit-bones.
Upon completion, settle into stillness and notice how you feel physically by bringing awareness.

The movement of the breath is a mirror to the movement of the mind. When the body is disordered, make use of the body to reduce.

When thought is agitated, make use of Prāṇāyāma to reduce. Who has controlled the breath, he can control the mind & vice versa.

Mind and breath go together like milk and water. Functioning of breath means functioning of mind and so also functioning of mind means functioning of breath. Thus destruction of any one leads to destruction of both.

So next time, whenever you feel anxious or scared, just breathe.

Namaste!

Veenu

Breath & Mind – A Miraculous Connection!

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