The breath is our constant companion throughout the course of our life – from our first breath the moment we are born, until our very last. However, how often do we pay attention to how we breathe? How many times a day do you stop and pay attention to the depth of your inhales or the length of your exhales? Have you ever paused for long enough to observe the subtle moment of stillness at the peak of your inhale or at the end of your exhale? If we were the betting type, we’d probably wager a hefty sum that this is not something most of us do regularly, if at all.

In yoga, the breath is often referred to as pranayama, which means “life force” or “energy”, but we prefer the term: koorma nadi, which translates as “string” – the string that connects or binds you to your body. This image of a connecting string creates both beautiful visual to help us understand its relationship with the body, but also reflects the fragility of the breath – something so delicate yet so powerful.

Becoming a watcher

At the start of each yoga practice you will often be asked to sit comfortably, become still and “tune-into your breath”. What you are essentially being asked to do is become a watcher or an observer of your breath. The idea being to turn your consciousness from your external environment inwards and start to notice the intricacies of this delicate string that constantly moves through you.

Breathe through it

In yoga, when we practice the “asanas” or “poses” we work with the body, by either synchronising the movement with the inhale or exhale, or we observe the breath whilst holding a certain pose for an extended amount of time. Moving and observing the breath through various postures works to unify the two different aspects of your being (yoga meaning to unify). For most, it creates this lovely sense of being hypnotised by both elements of you that are constantly in the present moment – the body and the breath. Neither get wrapped up in the past or future, they are always in the place where life exists – the present. Drawing your consciousness to the present allows you to just be. Sorry for those looking for some kind of magic results or goals. But to those who have experienced this, how nice is it to just “be” sometimes? There are no expectations or goals or eureka moments or anything like that, you are simple creating the space where you can just be you.

Change your Mood

Have you ever noticed how your breath changes when you become angry or nervous or stressed? Oftentimes, without knowing or being aware of it, when we are in a heightened state of emotion, the breath shortens, it becomes shallow and even restricted by holding the breath. If we regularly feel these emotions, breathing in this way can become a pattern or a habit, meaning that even when in a situation of calm or rest, bad breathing habits can trigger those negative emotions and catapult us back to a state of anxiety and unease. The simple answer is to start to become aware of how you breathe and start a new pattern of fullness with a constant softness and ease.

Give it a go!

Practice this for one whole day and see how you feel at the end. The idea being, irrespective of the situation you find yourself in, whether it be a negative or positive one, your fullness of breath helps you approach each moment with a sense of calmness and peacefulness, setting you up for a pleasant day – everyday! So, no fancy breathing practices in this post – step one is to become the watcher.

We’d love to hear how you get on with your simple breathing practice – comments below are welcome.