16/05/2021
What is the link between yoga and breath?
"A yogi measures the span of life by the number of breaths, not by the number of years" -Swami Sivananda
Breath & Length of Life
It is said that if you breathe 15 times per minute, you will live to 75 or 80 years. If you breathe 10 times per minute you will live to 100. The speed at which you breathe will dictate the length of life. If you breathe fast, your life will be shortened. This is why cats & dogs have short lives.
Conscious Breathing
We are continually instructed to “breathe consciously” when we are in yoga class. Breathing consciously is the essence of yoga as it assists us in connecting with the subtle energy within. Also, breathing consciously has a biological effect on our mental, emotional, and physical state.
There is a problem, though. If yoga means union, and the practice of yoga was initially developed to bring us more in harmony with ourselves (through the linking of mind, body, and breath), but we leave a class completely wiped out—then we are not in harmony. By the end of a challenging class, it’s often not only the body that’s exhausted, but our minds may also feel beaten to a pulp. We could end up more fragmented than when we came in, feeling better only momentarily because of increased endorphins and sweat. But when our energy is drained after a strong class, we’ve wiped out a lot of our prana. And if that’s the case, it’s pretty much impossible to tune in to the serene state within us.
The body is exhausted, and we need to sit on the couch or get a cup of coffee to recuperate.
It’s somewhat ironic that by practicing yoga—a practice intended to revitalize and energize us— we can end up feeling drained. We create the opposite effect than what was intended. Yoga should be giving us life, not taking it away. We practice yoga to help us live better lives, we don’t live our lives for a better yoga practice.
So, breathing does matter in yoga. And breath that is smooth, steady, and evenly balanced in length and application is important.
Embrace Yog to Embrace Yourself.
Spandan Yog 🧘🏻♀️💚