Is your breath smooth?

Is your breath smooth?

Have you paid attention to your breath? How many of us really stop and watch the breath and pay attention to the temperature of the breath moving out or breath going in?

Breath is an important and major component of life, in fact, its life. What are we without breath? Just a bag of bones inside the skin we have as our largest organ. 

Do you know skin also acts as a medium for the exit of toxins from the body? Sweat is one way of excretion of toxins

Breath is another major way to clear out the body of toxins. We breathe out the toxins through a process in the lungs.

Breath is a major connector to the mind. It works as a string for the control of the mind. Check your moods. They are impacted by the mind. The only link to the mind with the body is the breath. 

Breath, when taken slow and steadily, is the secret of relaxation. Fast breathing is a sign of stress. 5- 7 breaths a minute is very relaxed slow in-breath and complete relaxation. Usually we breath 15- 16 breaths a minute in the busy schedule we plan for ourselves.

What is the importance of breath?

Breath is the link to the mind as I just stated here. It helps bring the mind under the control of your body. 

The body also reacts with the moods with the nature of breath. Moods are determined by the nature of your breath. Fast breath is direct of a stressed person. You are scared you breathe fast when relaxed you breath slow deep breaths in.

When breath out is long its a sign of stress being released.

Each breath in refreshes the body and breath out relaxes the body.

Types of breathing techniques:

We have the Ujjayi breath or breath of victory. The breathing is down with a constriction in the epiglottis behind the throat

The bhastrika breath is the bellow breath which cleanses the lungs of the stresses. The bellow breath throws out the stress of the day.

The silent breath in meditation is silent and no sound in the throat or the nose. Its breath in normally through the nose and out through the nose. Unlike this method, the ujjayi breath throws out through the throat and with a sound in the throat.

Use of stoppage of breath is a mode of allowing the mind to relax and catch up with the breath and focus on the breath rather than the thoughts that keep the mind occupied throughout the day.

Taking a longer breath can increase the use of the lung capacity

Lung capacity we discuss in another session. 

Muralidharan R Nair Bangalore 

12th October 2020