The breath is without a doubt one of the most important essential ingredients of how we stay alive. Our breath tells us so much about our state of mind & our state of being. In yoga, the breath is directly related to Prana (life force)

The breath is quite often taken for granted, most often the breath is forgotten about, we just breathe, it’s there, why think about it, right? As long as we breathe we are alive, that’s all that matters.  Have you ever taken a moment to notice how you breathe? The quality of the breath matters a lot, the length, the inhale, the exhale, deep or shallow. Most people do not take time out to just sit and observe their breath (unless they are yogis or meditate) If you have never listened to your breath perhaps give it a go, take sometime to sit & listen to your breath, really feel your breath, notice are you breathing shallow or deep? Do you feel like you are using all of the breath? Right down into your lungs/belly. Count your breath, how many seconds do you comfortably inhale & exhale? Did you know that there are 4 parts to the breath? There is the inhale, then there is the natural pause after the inhale, the exhale, then the natural pause after the exhale. Perhaps see if you can notice the pauses in your own breath.

Each breath fills the body of clean life giving oxygen (Prana) as we inhale & on the exhale we expel carbon dioxide, stale un- wanted air, along with stress and toxins This is something most people know, but have you really thought about what else the breath does? Hear are some examples that come to mind of what the breath does for the body. Oxygen to the brain & to every single blood cell, oxygen helps to keep the flow of blood throughout the body, the breath purifies the body, calms the central nervous system, regulates our blood pressure & heart, stimulates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The breath is also linked to our digestive system. Our breath flows through the body in cycles, we don’t always breath the same way. Try this, place the back of your hand under your nose, take a big inhale & gently exhale through the nose only, you should notice that the breath is different on both sides of the nostrils, one side a stronger flow to the other, now if your were to try this again in say 15 to 20 mins you may find the breath is the other way around or not the same. The breath is always changing in some way, many factors can contribute to this, such as the time of the day, the food we eat, external factors like temperature, even our state of mind, as well as whatever is going on in life will effect the breath cycles. The really great thing about the breath is we can control our state of mind or moods & emotional state. We can also use the breath to focuss our mind & create clarity when used with Pranayama or meditation.

The most important part of yoga is the breath. This is why yoga is so dam! Good for us, not only on a physical level but also on a much deeper level. The breath is our connection/link between mind & body. Yoga will bring deep awareness to the breath.

The most important ingredient of any yoga class should be correct full breathing. The correct Asana (postures) are very important, however the breath should come first. With out utilizing the breath in yoga we may not be practicing in a safe way & missing out on the real benefits of yoga. Yoga is a tradition that goes back thousands of years in time & is not just about the physical.

The late yoga master Professor T. Krishnamcharya emphasised a great deal the use of the breath in his teachings. One of the many great things about this particular tradition of yoga is the importance of the breath. Krishnamcharya would say that there is a big difference in being able to do a pose (asana) and then being able to breathe fully and correctly in the asana. The accomplished yogi is not someone that can stand on his head for however long, the person needs to be able to maintain a long even flow of breath while doing the asana, once you start finding it hard to breathe or start rushing the breath this is your body telling you to either come out of the pose or perhaps you are just not ready for that type of asana. This is what real yoga is and where the benefits on a deeper level begin. Try & practice yoga without the need to be attached or getting a result, just enjoy your breath & the body you have been given. Yoga will create wonderful body awareness. There is nothing like that feeling of being connected to the mind, breath & body.

The following is a simple breathing practice (Pranayama) & Meditation, both practices aim for a deeper awareness of the breath, as well as slowing the breath down, making it longer & smother. Both these practices will help to focuss & stabilize the mind, they can be done anytime of the day, however best done in the morning before the mind gets distract with the days activities.

Ujjayi Pranayama: Take a comfortable seated position on the floor, It is very important that the spine feels long & lifted, not hunching over, use a pillow or bolster if this feels better (sitting in a chair is also fine if the floor is to much) lower the chin down, inhale and exhale through both nostrils with a slight constriction of the throat producing a gentle throat sound. Don’t force the breath, it may take a few times to get the idea of it. Start with 5 to 10 breaths, and then maybe move up to 15/20 breaths in time.

Meditation: try this very easy simple meditation. As with Pranayama make sure you are comfortable, rest the hands on the knees with the palms facing up. Use the fingers to count the breath, each full breath (inhale & exhale) is one count, use the thumb to lightly press against the tip of each finger with each full breath, moving all the way along all fingers (both hands) it should be a count of 10 full breaths, once you get to 10, count your breaths back down to zero using the fingers. This is a great meditation to do if you are just beginning yoga or just find it hard to meditate.

Do yourself a favour and take sometime to enjoy your breath. Hear is a thought, if you are only given a certain amount of breaths in your life time, would you want to waste them? Would you take care of every breath? Make each breath count? Perhaps you would think about slowing each breath down, making them longer, which in turn would make your life longer, more healthy and with a lot less stress, just a thought. Happy breathing. Namaste.

Blood pressure refers to the pressure of blood in the arteries, it is very important to have the correct amount of blood pressure in the arteries, if your blood pressure becomes to high it is knowen as Hypertension. Hypertension (high blood pressure) can lead to diseases like Stroke, Heart attack, Coronary Artery Disease or Kidney infection. If your blood pressure reachers as high as 140/90, then it is more then likely that hypertension is present. If untreated hypertension can be fatal

There are two types of high blood pressure, Primary Hypertension and Secondary Hypertension. Some of the causes of Hypertension are, stress, heredity, obesity, smoking and alcohol or poor diet. High blood pressure tends to effect adults in their later stages of life, however Hypertension may also affect young adults as well. There is medication available to treat high blood pressure, however for most part there are side effects, most not very pleasant.

Lifestyle choices like Yoga can be very beneficial for Hypertension. When it comes to choosing yoga for Hypertension, think carefully about what type of yoga class you go to, as choosing the wrong class will end up being a very bad experience and could be armful. My personal thoughts for yoga and Hypertension are private classes. Private classes are the safest and most effective way to treat Hypertension in yoga. A lot more individual attention is required with the student. The yoga teacher needs to be able to keep an eye on the student and often check in with how the student is doing and feeling. By doing private, one-on-one yoga classes, the yoga teacher will get to know the student and their lifestyle, in return the yoga instructor is able to plan a practice suited to the students lifestyle and Hypertension. What’s most important when practicing yoga for Hypertension is the breath, a longer more even flow of breath with a focuss on the exhale will help dramatically with Hypertension and it’s effects. Another important thing to remember is, leave out all inversions, inversions can be very dangerous for Hypertension, the head should never go below the hips. Depending on how severe the high blood pressure is, this also means leaving out asana like downward dog (Adho-mukha-svanasana) The following are some asana’s (poses) I have put together when practicing yoga for Hypertension. Please take note that this is a general guide and if you plan to practice yoga regularly then an experienced yoga teacher that has some idea of your condition and your lifestyle must plan your yoga practice.

Asana’s (poses) like Uttanasana (standing forward bend) can be done, however they must be modified, as to not allow the head to go below the waist/hips, a great way to aid with this is, by using a chair, when bending forward just allow the arms to rest on either the back of the chair or on the seat area, this will not allow the head to go below the hips, using a wall can also be great for this Asana. Prasarita-Padottanasana (wide leg forward bend) can also be used in this way. Other Asana’s, such as Janu-Shirshasana (head to knee pose) Paschimatanasana (forward back stretch pose) Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Spinal Twist) Uddhiyana-Marjaryasana (cat pose) Upanasana (Wind Relieving Pose) are also great for Hypertension. Always include a good rest at the end of any practice; give your self a good 5 min rest. Bring a focuss to your breath, and the rise and fall of the belly with each breath, you may even like to count your breath, which will help slow it down. Pranayama (Controlled breathing) is always good to finish with, something like, Anuloma Viloma; Anuloma Viloma is also called the Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique. In this Breathing Technique,  you create what is called a mudra, you do this by starting with a fist, you then extend the last two fingers and the thumb, block off one side of the nose with the thumb and rest the other two fingers on the other side of the nose, then just Alternate from side to side, you inhale through one nostril, retain the breath, and exhale through the other nostril, only retain the breath for a comfortable period, start small and work your way up, stop if it ever becomes uncomfortable. Just remember to never rush your practice, allow yourself plenty of time. Enjoy, Namaste.