The Subtle Power of Breath
Master your Breath, Master your Mind
Breath has the power to subtly shift mood. It is the breadcrumb trail that can take you back to the source of life, light and energy within. Breath practices, called pranayama, can be energising and vitalising or soft and gentle. They are capable of creating powerful shifts in mood and attitude.
At a physiological level, breath practices alkalise the body, eliminating the probability of dis-ease and reducing inflammation.
When I started yoga, I was looking for a physical practice with way too many chaturgungas. I overlooked breath practices because I didn't understand their subtle power. I have now learned that breath practices are transformational and I use them every day. Even just one mindful breath can entirely shift mood. Indeed yoga is an effortless dance of breath and gravity.
Breath practices which extend the exhale ratio to be longer than the inhale switch the body from a state of sympathetic nervous system control of ‘flight, flight or freeze’ into a state of ‘rest and digest’. So creating a powerful stress busting relaxation response.
Other breath practices flood every cell in the body with prana, life force, so that the body zings with aliveness. You’ll feel like you’ve dived into a crisp clear ocean, the ocean of your consciousness, emerging filled with awareness and sparkling energy.
Pranayama can be used to drop you into a receptive state. This will help you to move away from a state of ‘thinking’ and doing’ into a place of ‘sensing’ and ‘feeling.’ At the end of a practice, pranayama sensitises you to the beauty in your surroundings; you will utterly and sweetly let go.
Breath practices can be used as a stand alone practice or as an adjunct to meditation. They wipe the mind slate clean so that your experience of meditation is deep and rich.
Here’s one you can try at home. It’s become popular lately as Navy Seals use it before going into the field. They learned it from the yogis.
Sama Vritti: The Box Breath
Each breath you take has four components: the inhale, followed by a pause, the exhale, followed by another pause.. This practice smooths out the ratio of each part of the breath. Sama vritti, means ‘same’ or ‘equal fluctuations’ in Sanskrit.
The act of counting creates an anchor for the mind, perfect for those days when you are navigating he stormy seas of stress, anxiety and overwhelm.
The Sama Vritti breath references the seasons: Each inhale is like springtime, filled with promise, growth and what is new. Inhales are eagerly received by the body. The hold at the end of the inhale represents summer, a time of warmth and fullness. The exhale is autumnal, a time of letting go. The breath hold at the end of the exhale is winter, the most challenging component where you are invited to go within and contemplate emptiness.
To everything, there is a season.
To Practice:
Find a comfortable seat and spend a few moments watching the natural breath, falling and rising in the chest. Breath in and out gently through the nostrils.
Close down your eyes and continue to watch the breath for a little longer with your inner-sight.
Notice that after each inhale there is a slight pause, before the breath is exhaled. At the end of the exhale find another small pause in the breath before the cycle begins again.
Now begin to alter the ratio of each breath component:
Breath in for a count of 1, 2,3,4
Hold the breath for a count of 1,2,3,4.
Exhale for a count of 1,2,3,4.
Hold the breath for a count of 1,2,3,4.
Continue this with each cycle of breath.
Find a breath ratio that serves your body. If a count of 4 for each aspect of breath is too long for you to comfortably hold, drop the count to 3. Of course you can also extend each component a little longer too.
As you breathe, visualise a square with equal sides being drawn by each aspect of breath. If you are especially visual, you can draw the lines of the square to represent each season – spring flowers, summer heat, autumn leaves and winter cold.
Continue with sama vritti for 3-6 minutes.
When you have completed the breath practice, stay still and quiet and watch the breath return to its natural rhythm. Tune in and notice that you feel calm and balanced.