“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Breath (noun); the air taken into or expelled from the lungs during respiration.
Breathe (verb): to take air into and then expel from the lungs; to respire.
In the ancient language of Sanskrit, the word prana means breath and respiration, in addition to energy, vitality, spirit and ‘vital airs’. Prana was understood as a cosmic energy that flows into our system from distant places and, via the sun, connects all things one with the other.
In the Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, rLung means wind or breath, a subtle flow of energy out of the five elements (air, fire, water, earth and space) and most closely connected with air. The general function of rLung is to help growth, movement of the body, exhalation and inhalation and to aid the function of mind, speech and body.
In Hebrew, ruach means breath or wind, spirit. In Scripture, the word is applied both to human beings and to God. The Hebrew Bible describes how Adam became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into lifeless substance (clay), and it suggests that at the moment of death the breath returns to God.
In Greek, pneuma mean breath, wind, and/or spirit.
In Latin, the word spiritus means spirit, courage, vigor, and breath.
In Arabic, the word for spirit is associated with aspects of the air, including breath, wind and even odor.
In German, the word atmen means to breathe.
In Hindi, mahatma means both great soul and great breath.
Breath affirms relationship with the world: in order to maintain life we must draw in the oxygen needed from the atmosphere and we must release carbon dioxide into that atmosphere. - Unknown
On average, we take roughly 20,000 breaths per day. A primarily subconscious effort, breathing is affects all parts of the body and has a general effect on our sleep, memory, ability to concentrate, and energy levels.
At birth, our breathe is imprinted with a cosmic pattern that potentially contains within it the symbol of the purpose of our lives. This is our signature breath, our unique fingerprint.
Spend a few minutes with your breath.
Close your eyes. Listen to and feel in to your natural breath - your inhale and exhale. Notice, without judgement:
Do you breathe through your nose or mouth?
Is your breath deep or shallow?
Where do you feel the natural movement of the breath – belly, ribs or chest, back?
Is your breath fast or slow?
What is the sound of your breath?
Do you feel restricted in some areas?
What is the position of your head and body?
Is the inhale and exhale the same length?
Practice: Three-Part Breath or Dirgha pranayama is a yogic breathing exercise that involves filling the lungs as much as possible using the entire respiratory system. In Sanskrit, dirgha, meaning “long”; prana, meaning “life force”; and yama, meaning “restraint,” or ayama, meaning “extend” or “draw out.” It is the most basic of yogic breathing exercises. It is a calming, grounding promoting promotes physical, spiritual and mental health.
Close your eyes, relax the face and body, soften the heart and shoulders. Allow your breath to flow naturally through the nose. Place both hands on your belly, a few fingers below the belly button.
Begin to deepen the breath and direct the breath towards the belly, expanding right down into the lower abdomen. Feel the belly inflate like a balloon with each inhale and soften towards the spine with each exhale. Continue for 5 deep breaths.
Keeping the right hand on the belly, slide the left hand to the outer left edge of the ribcage. This time, send the breath down into the belly as before, and then expand up into the ribs. As you inhale, the belly expands before the ribs. As you exhale, the ribs soften before the belly. Continue for 5 calming breaths.
Again keeping the right hand on the belly, slide the left hand up to the heart center or chest – just below the collarbones. Once again, take a deep inhale down into the belly, expand into the ribs and this time send the breath all the way up to the chest.
Imagine your breath in 3 parts. Inhale: belly, ribs, chest. Exhale: Chest, ribs belly. Continue for 5 grounding breaths.
If possible, hold the breath for 4 -10 counts. Enjoy!
On Wednesday, March 10, Nubia Teixeira, yogini, author, and classical Indian Odissi dancer, will demonstrate how using pranayama breathing techniques, along with mudras — the art of using your hands to create a flow of energy in the body — will help purify, heal, and energize you.
You can register for this free class here.
Resources:
Comments