The power of breath

What is the power of breath?

Breathing is perhaps the most powerful tool used in yoga. Isn’t it remarkable that something as simple as deep breathing can calm your mind, relax your body, and clear your head? And if simple breathing can do that, what can we achieve by practicing more advanced techniques? In this article, we will take a closer look at the power of breath.

Samadhi

Energetic body

According to classical yoga, the human body consists of multiple layers that are connected to each other. If we cleanse the body layer by layer, we will eventually reach the true Self, which is located within those layers. With Pranayama, among other things, we can remove blockages from the energetic body. By cleansing the energetic body, we also directly influence the adjacent bodies, the physical and the mental. This explains why breathing has such a profound effect on us.

Chakras are a part of the energetic body. Would you like to know more about this? Working with Chakra’s, what you need to know.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga has become well known because the masters of this tradition have described many techniques, including kriyas, asanas, and pranayamas, in great detail. According to ancient texts, the goal of Hatha Yoga is to free the nadis (energy channels in the body) from all blockages. Once you have achieved this, you can move on to Raja Yoga. By turning inward and entering deep meditation, you can attain Samadhi.

Ida and Pingala Nadi

Two of the most important energy channels are Ida Nadi and Pingala Nadi. Ida Nadi starts at the left nostril and can cool and calm the body. Pingala Nadi starts at the right nostril and can warm and activate the body. Many pranayamas focus on these nadis with the aim of remedying specific complaints, creating a better balance, or simply breathing better through the nose. Do you know which nostril you usually breathe through most? In addition to Pranayama, there are other ways to switch dominant nostrils, for example by lying on the opposite side.

Pranayama

It can be tempting to quickly move on to complex pranayamas. However, it is more useful to first improve your natural breathing. Otherwise, pranayama will have little or even a harmful effect.

Dit zorgt er voor dat je dieper inademt, er meer zuurstof in je bloed komt en je minder vaak per minuut hoeft te ademen.

 

 

Breathing

Yogis ensure that they use their lung capacity as optimally as possible. They do this by working on their posture and with breathing exercises. These exercises ensure that the sternum provides space by moving upwards, that the rib cage provides space by moving sideways, and that the diaphragm provides space by contracting. These exercises improve your natural breathing by teaching you to inflate your lungs like a balloon. This allows you to breathe more deeply, get more oxygen into your blood, and breathe less often per minute.

Ashtanga Yoga

Traditional yogis take the use of breathing one step further. They use it to go through the steps of Ashtanga. During meditation, they use their breathing as an object of concentration. They sit in a completely comfortable meditative posture, shut off their senses, and concentrate exclusively on their breathing until they can let go of that concentration as well. The power of breathing is that in this way they complete the steps of Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, and Dhyana, to ultimately reach Samadhi.

So Hum

The fastest way to keep your attention on your breathing while meditating is “So Hum.” Think of the sound ‘So’ when inhaling and “Hum” when exhaling.

Sanskrit

Did you know that Sanskrit spelling is determined by the airflow in the mouth when pronouncing the words? And that the meaning of the sounds is also determined by the vibration they cause? So even if you don’t know the language, pronouncing and hearing it is still useful. That’s why intonation and pronunciation are also important in mantras. However, if you pronounce it differently or use a different melody, the mantra will have less effect.

AUM

The ultimate technique involving breathing is chanting AUM. With a sound that starts deep in the abdomen, then comes from the chest and ends with a vibration from the crown of your head, and with the sounds ‘Ah’, ‘Oo’ and ‘Mmm’ slowly merging into each other, you bring resonance to your entire being. According to classical yoga, this is one of the fastest techniques for achieving self-realization.

Whether Samadhi is your goal or not, improving your breathing has many health benefits. You can learn more about the power of breath in any traditional or classical yoga training.