Discovering the power of breath
Breath. Pranayama. Control.
This March we have been fully focused on all things breath. Think Pranayama. Controlling, cultivating and enhancing that precious divine life force we all have inside of us. You may have heard of it in Traditional Chinese Medicine by the name of Qi, as in Qigong. In YOGA, we call it Prana and the practice of pranayama is often used to cultivate this innate energy… although the breath comes into every aspect of the yoga practice.”
In the Prasnopanisad (one of the ancient yogic texts) Prana is defined as that basic entity in which the whole universe is made. Matter is the grossest manifestation, where the mind is a subtle one and higher states of consciousness are the subtlest manifestations of Prana.
Why is breathing practice important?
Through practising Pranayama we can bring greater union between the body and mind, whilst removing agitations in the Pranamayo Kosha (the energetic body). This positive effect will ripple throughout each of the Kosha’s: calming the mind, body and spirit. In Western terms, it soothes the nervous system, increases blood oxygenation and reduces inflammation whilst releasing stored trauma and bodily tension. Clarity, flow & synergy are words that instantly can describe a divine breath practice…
But don’t take my word for it, here are a few words from TYF’s Breathwork and Qigong teacher Conor Conch…
“As we all know, breathing is one of the many bodily process that we don’t have to think much about. We can quite happily live our lives without wondering how it affects our condition, our attitude, energy levels, and individual ability to experience our full potential. But when we begin to appreciate the benefits of conscious breathing we might feel that it can actually have quite a big impact on all of these things. Consciously breathing is one of the easiest ways to recalibrate our bodies, regulate the nervous system, handle stress and even help us deal with various ailments. We can create the environment in the body for healing to take place either by activating and charging it up allowing for emotions and movement to be expressed or through deep relaxation. Breathing functions as a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious, combining our internal experience with the external environment as we generate and distribute our flow of electromagnetic energy. The quality of this life force energy is directly related to the quality of our physical, mental and emotional health.
Whether you experience breathwork through yoga, meditation or alone as it’s own practice the affects of conscious breathing is often noticeable quite quickly, and can even be quite profound.”
Conor
Conor shares his practice every Wednesday evening at 7:15pm here at TYF as well as monthly workshops which delve deeper into breath and the process of release.
Click the button below to find out more…
Want even more info?
Check out the most recent “Discovering the Power of Breath”. A discussion between Josh Lipscombe and Christopher Gladwell about all things breath.
Christopher Gladwell is a “Yoga Master, Certified Breathworker, and Founder of Holokinesis. Christopher embodies “Deep practice, study and living the vision of non-dual yoga and tantra in its manifold facets (physical practice-asana, bodywork, breathwork and pranayama, meditation and mindfulness, vibration and mantra, devotion and bhakti for nearly 40 years.”
Cultivating and mastering your breath and Prana, although requires time, effort, discipline and regular practice… is not rocket science. Fundamentally there are three parts to beginning any breathwork practice…
Inhalation ॐ Hold ॐ Exhalation
And we’re pretty sure you're a pro at this already…
Keep it simple. Just breathe.