Good morning everyone.
Happy Monday.
Today is all about the breath and noticing the breath.
We're going to take a short time together to focus on our breathing.
I encourage you to sit somewhere comfortably.
You could be in a chair,
That's fine,
Or if you'd like to sit down on the ground.
Take a moment to get into your comfortable space.
You can even do this in your car.
We begin by closing our eyes.
We're going to take five very slow breaths.
Inhale,
Pause,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Pause,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Pause,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Pause,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Pause,
And exhale.
I'm guessing that felt good.
I know it does when I do.
Go ahead and do another round of five,
Go ahead and do another round of five breaths if you want.
I'll wait.
Do you feel like you just gave yourself a breather?
And have you ever thought about how we say that?
I just need a quick breather.
But then we don't normally use breathers or breaks to actually breathe.
So the fourth limb of yoga is all about breath,
Pranayama.
It translates literally to life force.
Your breath is your life force.
Pranayama is about noticing this very fact.
So there's a deep connection between your breath and the way you feel.
Your emotions and health are deeply affected by your breathing.
And yet we really need strong reminders to actually think about how we're breathing.
So we really just need more practice and more intentionality around this.
Because really breathing will happen quite automatically whether we're thinking about it or not,
Which is sort of a miracle as it's what keeps us alive.
When we do think about our breath and when we breathe slowly with intention,
We have the power to affect our entire nervous system for the better.
Maybe you've done some breathing exercises in a yoga class or in meditation,
But here's something fun just to try for today.
Practice taking five slow breaths.
Somewhere new,
Somewhere that you normally wouldn't give any thought to.
Take slow and deep inhales and exhales with a pause in between each one.
A few suggestions for where you might want to do this is driving your car,
Standing in a line at a store,
Do it while you're watching TV,
Even while you're reading a book,
While you're lying in bed before you go to sleep,
Before you say something you don't want to say to someone,
While you're cooking dinner,
Or while you're listening to a friend on the phone.
So just notice what,
If anything,
Changes when you play with your breath today.
Just really practice being aware.
And I'd love to hear about what new places you found to breathe.
Good luck and have a lovely day.
Thank you.
