PHOTO:GEORGEPETERS/ISTOCKPHOTO.COMYOU WAKE. THE DAY BEGINS.Your mind runs over all that is required of you.
Sigh.DeepSigh.Without even realising, within minutes of waking, your body
is speaking to you — asking you to slow down and breathe. In our culture of
demand, our bodies live in a state of continued stress. Our bodies and minds
are often swinging between states of chaos and rigidity, placing extraordinary
demands on the sympathetic nervous system (the fight/flight system). The
result is a lack of energy and a system primed for disconnection and dis-ease.
According to the commentaries of theYoga-Sutra, the Eight-Fold Path of
practice counters obstacles such as chaos and rigidity. The second chapter,
theSadhana-Pada,reminds us that the main cause of these obstacles along
the spiritual path is often a lack of insight.
This lack of insight is also pertinent in today’s scientific
wellness model. Indeed, many modern remedies for both
mental and physiological dis-ease now draw upon
practices similar to the Eight-Fold Path of Yoga.
One such similarity on the path is the control of the
breath: Pranayama. It is well known that Pranayama
is practiced to extend life and our bank ofprana,
which we are karmically born with and can choose
to squander or maintain. Ayurveda promotes that
our prana can be surely extended and our karma
improved with correct practice.
Both science and the sutras align to the notion
that the breath allows us access to our innermost
being. With practice and refinement, our breath has
the power to delve into our sub-consciousness, bringing
to awareness the resistance within. As our breath is
the manipulator of energy flow, it has the power to
cultivate qualities of calmness, peace, lightness, comfort and
attentiveness. This brings simplicity to complexities, and connects
our bodies and minds, allowing for integrated wellbeing and the
space within for energy to flow.Prana = Energy Ayama = Extend
Pranayama practice helps us to discover the subtle and more
discrete energies within our minds and bodies and offers us the
ability to make the finest attunements. The aim of breath practice
is to let consciousness flow without judgment. Our minds may
wander, yet when we focus on a practice of slow and steady
inhalation and exhalation, our breath fluctuations stop; this ceases
the duality of body and mind, and integrates thought, emotion, and
our physiological being. We become singular and readied for
cultivating the other aspects on the eight-fold path. Scientifically,
Pranayama practice extends energy by activating the parasympathetic
62 nervous system (the relaxation response), which counters the
october 2017yogajournal.com.auBreath allows us to access our inner beings, connects
our bodies and minds and helps energy to flow. Follow
these simple steps for serene wellbeing and happiness.
As I live and
BREATHE
By Celia Roberts