Sit Down, Be Quiet: A modern guide to yoga and mindful living. Michael Wong James

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       You’re One Breath Away From Calm

      Did you know that the average person takes between 12 and 20 breaths a minute? Over the course of a day, that’s 17,000– 30,000 breaths. That’s a lot.

      We breathe when we sleep and when we eat. We breathe when we’re on the bus and we breathe more when we’re chasing it. As long as we are alive we are always breathing. But how often are we really thinking about it?

      ‘ONE DEEP BREATH CAN HELP ALLEVIATE A WHOLE WORLD OF CHAOS’

      How often are we giving our breath the attention it deserves?

      Breathing is automatic. It just happens. Sure, it’s keeping you alive, but that’s no big deal, right?

      The amazing thing about breathing is that when you choose to focus on it and take the time to notice it, you get so much more out of it. So maybe it’s time to start paying more attention to the breath.

      We can all relate to times in our lives when things have gotten a bit messy or out of control, and these are the times when the breath is our biggest asset. One deep breath can help alleviate a whole world of chaos.

      When I was 18, I was living in Los Angeles and I had asked my friend Brandon to teach me how to drive a manual car. Driving manual wasn’t a common thing in LA when I was growing up, so I wanted to learn. From the moment I got in, it felt like there was way too much going on: three pedals for my feet; one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on the gear stick. I had to look with my eyes, listen with my ears and deal with about a hundred and one other things going on around me on the road. It was complete chaos.

      But in one of those first lessons, Brandon simply said, ‘If you put your foot on the brake, no matter what else is happening, the car will slow down and everything will be ok. Then you can decide what’s best from there.’ Fifteen years later and I’ve never forgotten this.

      And that’s how the breath works. No matter the chaos that’s around you, just remember that if you stop and take a deep breath, everything will slow down. Then you can decide what’s best from there.

      The Breath Is Life. Respect It.

      When used with the right approach, the breath has the power to calm our minds, ease our anxiety and appease our anger. The breath is transformational, and the best thing about it is that it’s always there (and it’s free!).

      The breath gives us the support to do the things we want to do in our lives and it will never let you down if you give it the respect it deserves.

      I’ve been lucky (or unlucky) enough to know the value of the breath since I was very young. I’m asthmatic and I carry around a little blue inhaler that helps relieve my airways when I have an attack. I’ve had trouble breathing since I was very young, and there are times, even today, when I literally can’t get the breath in; a simple inhale and exhale feels like I’m sucking a peanut through a bendy straw. Unless you also suffer with asthma, you’ll never know the fear that comes with simply trying to breathe.

      For me, breathing is not something to take lightly. (The sad part here for all the asthmatics reading this is that there isn’t a magic moment coming up where I say, ‘And yoga will cure your asthma!’) However, over the years yoga has gone a long way to helping me control my anxiety around it. The breath is a tool that can physically calm, emotionally ease and spiritually invigorate. You just have to know how to use it.

      Remember that breathing is simple: it’s an inhale and an exhale. Approaching each and every breath one at a time reminds us to live in the now. Yogis will say that life only exists within the space of the inhale and exhale, and to ignore this is to ignore true living. So the longer the breath, the more we are putting into living.

      Most of us forget to value the breath. It becomes an afterthought and often we don’t honour its purpose. A lack of integrity in the body, much like the breath, will only lessen its benefit to your life and the things you want to do. Don’t wait until it’s compromised to prioritise it.

      Jake Paul White

      Go Deep, Go Slow

      Omar Sultani

      ‘Take a few deep breaths …’

      I bet you’ve heard this phrase once or twice before in your life. Maybe your other half said it to you after someone royally screwed you over. Maybe your colleagues have said it after your manager yelled at you unnecessarily.

      Taking a deep breath has immense value. It can be like a warm and comforting hug you didn’t know you needed. It’s the support you want, the space you need and the permission to know that everything is going to be ok (and the world will not end).

      In yoga the breath is everything: it’s the first thing we do and the last thing we let go. We lead with the breath in the first pose, the last pose and every pose in between.

      How To Take A Deep Breath

      Do you actually know how to take a deep breath?

      It’s funny how we all have a tendency to say, ‘Of course I do.’

      But to be honest, I didn’t until I was taught. The truth was that I’d never really thought that hard about it.

       Do I open my mouth or keep it closed?

       Do I fill up my belly or my chest?

       How slow is ‘slow’ for the inhale and for the exhale?

      These are all questions many of us ask when we really think about it.

      For me, I believe slow is the way to go. Slowing down the breath gives you time to appreciate the inhale and exhale, the quality of breath and its value to every moment of your day. In yoga, like life, first we breathe, then we do everything else.

      Regardless which technique you choose to use, every breath you take has four parts.

      The first two are easy.

      Part 1: The inhale. The air enters the body through the nose.

      Part 2: The exhale. The air exits the body through the nose.

      The last two are a little more subtle.

      Part 3: The space at the top of the inhale where no more breath enters.

      Part 4: The СКАЧАТЬ