I looked around the room; yogis from wall to wall, all sitting in lotus pose (which I only knew as yoga Indian style) with thumb and middle fingertip pressed together resting on their knee, eyes closed, serene and peaceful. And then…the Breath of Fire.
The breath of what!?!
Five years ago, my life changed when my friend Katie introduced me to yoga. I had know idea what to expect from my first class, but I’m so glad I pushed beyond my cynicism. Yoga has become such an important and necessary part of my self-care. Sure, the “Oms” kind of freaked me out and the breath thing was really weird, but once I silenced the critical mind I was able to enjoy the effects of such breathing exercises; I even love the “Oms”…the reverberation in your chest is surprisingly peaceful.
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Lately, I’ve developed this habit of holding my breath. It’s the strangest thing…in the car, at my desk, sitting on my sofa, I catch myself pausing before I exhale. I know why I’m doing this: anxiety. We all know life has peaks and valleys, times of good news and prosperity and times of…well, I like to call it a shit storm. It’s such a strange feeling – to feel so amazingly loved and blessed but contrasted with an anxiety level that I’ve never experienced before.
This new tick (some people twitch, twirl their hair, compulsively buy shoes – I hold my breath) got me thinking about that first yoga class and the Breath of Fire. The Breath of Fire is short, rapid, rhythmic breaths, forcing air in and out through your nose, your belly expands and contracts.
The Breath of Fire helps purify the respiratory system by quickly oxygenating your blood, thus promoting greater internal harmony and balance. Secondarily, the quick breaths pulsate the diaphragm, which massages the internal organs.
Breathing is a natural process for which we do not give second thought, but we should. And since I’ve forgotten the exhale part, I will be giving special attention to the breath.
The take away: Breath is life.
