Pranayama
(breath control) is the fourth limb of the eight limbs of yoga. The eight limbs are aspects of yoga and are
equally important to the practice of yoga.
The limbs support each other and work together to guide us toward
self-awareness, wellness, and peace.
Pranayama
enhances our prana or energy. By
changing our breath, we can manipulate and maintain our energetic life
force. When we practice pranayama, we
change the pattern of our breath in an effort to enhance greater balance,
soothe our nervous system and use our life force most effectively.
We
usually don’t think much about our breathing, but our breath has a big impact
on us. Our parasympathetic system
regulates our metabolic functions such as digestion, healing, and growth. When our parasympathetic system is in charge,
our bodies function optimally and we breathe in and out through our noses
warming and filtering the air. The
sympathetic nervous system takes control when we feel threatened or fearful our
flight, fight or freeze mode. When our
sympathetic nervous system is in charge, we experience an increase in our
adrenaline and our energy is diverted to increased alertness and physical
strength. This causes us to breathe in
and out through our mouths to bring in more oxygen quickly.
Sometimes
our sympathetic nervous system gets stuck in the on position due to our
environment including bright lights, loud noises, stress, and anxiety. When this happens it is a challenge to stay focused
and make decisions. If you deliberately
breathe through your nose during times of challenge, you can change the
response of your nervous system and override your sympathetic nervous
system. Recognizing how your body reacts
to stress and learning to master your breath is not easy, but with awareness
and practice you will be able to keep balanced and grounded.
Reference: (J. Harper, Little
Flower-Yoga for Kids, 2013, Oakland, CA)
Namaste,
Betsy & Jesse
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