In this video we're going to learn the Shashumna breath.
It's a wonderful breath to use when you need to calm down and relax.
It also helps to build your lung capacity.
It feels a little bit awkward the first couple times you do it so be kind to yourself,
Laugh if you need to.
The inhale of the breath is almost like you're breathing through a straw so you're gonna kind of purse the lips.
You'll take a nice deep breath in like this and once you take that in breath you're gonna hold the breath there just for a moment or two allowing the energy of that breath to sit in the body move around a little bit and really appreciate it.
And when you release the breath you're going to exhale as slowly as you possibly can through the nose.
So we're inhaling through the mouth exhaling through the nose.
Let's try a couple together.
So taking a nice deep breath in,
Hold the breath at the top try to relax your shoulders.
Good and when you release that breath nice and slow you might even add a little bit of movement to the breath.
So inhaling through the mouth perhaps tucking the chin into the chest as you hold the breath relax those shoulders.
Good and on the exhale lift that chin relaxing the body letting everything melt downwards.
Let's try a few together.
So taking a nice deep breath in,
Good nice exhale.
Once more inhale,
Pausing at the top relaxing those shoulders and exhale.
Good one more holding that breath in for a moment keeping the body relaxed and then exhaling to allow everything to melt away.
Just doing a few more of those breaths at your own pace continuing to inhale like you're breathing in through a straw,
Drinking in your life,
Exhaling to release any tension that might be lingering in the body or the mind.
This is a really good breath to do when you're feeling a little bit stressed or overwhelmed or perhaps if you have a craving for a certain food and you're trying to resist that craving this breath can keep you centered and keep you focused on what your goals are at the time.
So give that a few tries see if you can try it throughout the day maybe a couple of times during the week find a time that it fits naturally for you.
Could be while you're in the car,
Could be while you're taking a break in the washroom or maybe even at your desk or while you're cooking over the stove.
There's really no reason that you can't fit a couple of moments of breathing into your day.
Good luck!
