May 2020

Every day, breathe deeply. Breathe oxygen into the chest, then allow it to fall to the ribs and finally drop into the belly. This inhalation or inspiration is referred to as puraka in Hatha yoga. In Eastern philosophy, this inhalation can be compared to birth. Each breath can be taken as though it is our first and is filled with the potential of the world’s possibilities. Breathing in this manner is a conscious event. One’s attention is focused on this one task. Breathing usually happens automatically. When we allow the rest of the world to fall away and laser in and do conscious breathing, a physiological cascade starts to happen. The heart rate slows, blood pressure is decreased, stress hormone production is lowered and a sense of calm settles over the one-who-is-breathing.

Let the breath sit in the belly for a moment or two, neither inhaling nor exhaling. Feel the full potential of that one inhalation. This part of respiration is called kumbhaka...