Yoga has an extremely long history; over 6,000 years in fact! This ancient form of exercise is great for conditioning the body and the mind alike. The practice of yoga is largely thought of as just the asanas (postures and exercises), but breath is really at the heart of yoga training. Some have said “if you can breathe, then you can do yoga”. The use of breathing techniques to quiet your mind is one of the primary objectives of yoga.
By regularly taking the time for yoga, you will become very conscious of your breathing. You will train yourself to control your breath, which will help you become calm and relaxed. As well, the form of your asanas will improve the more you focus on your breathing.
As human beings, our minds tend to wander into thoughts of the past and the future. However, our bodies exist only in the present. By practicing yoga, you will learn through your breath how to draw your mind back to your body and abandon all of your worries.
Yoga can help to prevent stress and disease by letting you do this – letting go of these harmful, stressful thoughts, even for a short time, restores your body and mind to a healthy balanced state. Focusing on the present is what brings about this benefit.
By practicing yoga, you will learn conscious breathing during yoga poses which will keep your mind alert and ever aware of your practice. You will learn how to draw your mind to the present moment – allowing you to leave off all other thoughts.
While there are a number of breathing exercises associated with yoga which will teach you how to release tension and balance your mind, as a start, try the following exercise.
* Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and become attuned to your normal breathing patterns.
* Continue by being aware of your breath but make your inhalations and your exhalations 4 counts each for several rounds.
* Next, increase your inhalation and exhalations to 5 counts each.
* Then increase the count to 6 for each inhalation and exhalation. Become aware of your body – make sure that it is relaxed.
* Continue this way until your inhalations and exhalations reach 9 counts. If this is causing you any discomfort, drop the count back down to more comfortable number for you.
* Keep bringing your mind back to your body to check to see if there is any tension anywhere in your body. If so, attempt to relax that part of your body.
* Whatever number of counts you reach, continue breathing with these long breaths for several rounds, then stop counting and breathe normally for 10 rounds.
What you should learn from this and any other yoga breathing exercise is to still your thoughts and relax your mind so that you are conscious of your body. Over time, you will gain control of your breathing and you will be able to draw on its power to calm yourself during stressful moments.
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