24 HOURS TO IMPROVE BREATH AND FEEL LIKE A SUPERHUMAN

Why Is Being Aware of the Breath Necessary During Your Yoga Practice?

Let me share some wisdom on why we should concentrate on the breath during Asana Sadhana and how conscious breath allows us to explore the human system deeply.

If you have to look after your health, a family at home, a career you are extremely invested in, and a side affair, trouble will knock on your door, and you will always feel uneasy. You won’t feel completely at ease unless your body, thoughts, and emotions are all directed in the same direction. Experientially, our minds, feelings, and emotions require a single thing to focus on. You become calm and peaceful if these factors hold onto the same thing. You will have trouble if your body moves in one direction, your mind moves in a second, and your emotions move in a third direction.

Nothing and nobody are as trustworthy as the thing that belongs to you – your breath, not your career, not your fortune, not your family, and not even your romantic relationship. So when you fall in love, you say things like, “Take my breath away”. Because respiration will always exist as long as you exist, the breath is the safest, purest, and most trustworthy thing to concentrate on.

If you do not concentrate on breathing while performing an asana, your mind will wander. So, concentrate on inhalation and exhalation. If I rob you of your breath, you and your physical body will disintegrate. You and your Sharira are connected through your breath. The ‘Kurma Nadi,’ known in yoga, links your body and yourself. So, just breathe.

What happens when you go in a flow state of mind while doing a simple activity like reading? You may notice that your breathing becomes slow and deep. You will feel at ease and may feel light & blissful.

Breathing Consciously

In a pranayama or meditation class, our yoga Gurus constantly tell us to ‘breathe consciously.’ The core of yoga is breathing by becoming 100% aware because it helps us connect with our subtle inner energy. You can move between different states of consciousness with every breath you take. Conscious breathing also influences our physical, mental, and emotional well-being on a biochemical level.

One day, if you consistently remain aware of your breath and truly move with it, you will realize how closely your body and you are connected. Once you realize this, you may hold your physical self at a distance and stay a witness to your thoughts and actions. This may put an end to all of your problems and suffering. Overindulgence in our body and mind is the source of all the problems and misery in our lives. Suffering ends when you can keep your body and unnecessary thoughts separate from one another. Only when suffering is not feared will a person dare to live their life to the fullest.

Firstly, breathing deeply is a technique for returning to the present moment. You become present when you focus on each breathing step; you let go of the accumulated tension in your brain and the anxiety of the future and concentrate on the current moment. Anxiety, tension, and worry cause shortness of breath. Because of this, intentional breathing is a form of meditation. But this is only the beginning of the benefits of aware breathing. If you don’t breathe consciously, you lose yourself in the whirlpool of thoughts and start thinking compulsively.

The Science behind Conscious Breath

Conscious breathing causes your brain to function differently. Conscious breathing is handled by the cerebral stem’s more primitive medulla oblongata. Therefore, mindful breathing activates the cerebral cortex and more sophisticated brain regions. Conscious breathing causes the cortex to send impulses to the brain regions that influence emotions. The cerebral cortex can be activated to calm and stabilize emotions. Mindful breathing allows you to direct which mental faculties predominate, elevating your consciousness from the instinctual and primordial to the elevated and enlightened.

Does controlling the breath work?

Controlling the breath does not mean breath-holding. In contrast, it means you can create distinct states of consciousness by altering your breathing rhythm. Slowing your breath impacts your emotional state. Slowing down breath release deliberately stimulates the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex then sends inhibitory impulses to the respiratory region in the midbrain. The cortex’s inhibitory impulses flow into the part of the hypothalamus that regulates emotions, relaxing that region. For this reason, slowing your breathing will make you feel more at ease.

Do not forcefully try to slow your breath; simply become aware of it and let it slow down on its own.

Conscious Breath and Life Span

“When the breath wanders the mind is unsteady, but when the breath is calmed, the mind too will be still.” 

– Hatha Yoga Pradipika (2:2), 500 year old yogic scripture

Credit: Hatha Yoga Pradipika

A yogi counts breaths, not years, to determine how long they have lived. 

If your breath count is 15 each minute, it is believed that you may live to be 75 or 80 years old. You can live to 100 if you breathe 10 times per minute. The amount of time you live depends on how quickly you breathe. You’ll live less if you breathe quickly.

Dogs live brief lives because of this. And have you studied the breath counts and living years of a turtle?

Here’s the lowdown: when you’re huffing and puffing with heavy or speedy breathing, it’s like putting a damper on your body’s oxygen supply, which could potentially play a role in shortening your lifespan.

The relationship between Conscious breath and sound

Each vibration produces sound. A vibration like breathing also has sound. According to the Yoga Chudamani Upanishads, at a certain level of consciousness, one can hear the sound of breath. The Upanishads claim that the breath makes the sounds “So” during intake and “Ham” during exhalation.

You become conscious and in sync with the internal sound. You start hearing your breath when you shut off your senses to the outside world. The mantra becomes audible in the inner ear by mentally repeating So-ham. In Kundalini Yoga, the same effect is achieved by mentally chanting Sat on the inhalation and Nam on the expiration.

Conclusion

Consequently, it’s crucial to focus on your breathing. Note! Not controlling, modifying, or playing with it but simply becoming aware of the natural inhalation and exhalation. Isn’t it the most effortless activity that you can do? Your mind has a reliable partner to stay with, for one thing. Your conscious breath will be with you until you pass away, regardless of who leaves you. Additionally, it will take you to a location where your body and you are connected. It’s crucial to be aware of this location if you don’t want various obsessive variables to control your life and instead wish to make or break it on your terms.

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