In this 3 part series I am going to take you back to basics.
Session 1 - Breath
Session 2 - Asana (postures)
Session 3 - Meditation and awareness
The idea behind this is to strip it all back and feel confident in our practice, wether that’s at home or in a class. It’s important we know the fundamentals before we progress in our practice.
When we are born we don’t immediately start running , we learn how to crawl, then walk and THEN run. Be confident with the basics and your practice will have a whole new feeling.
I am starting with breath because I believe it is vital for your practice. Yoga means ‘to yoke’ or ‘unite’. We are uniting breath and movement and this is why yoga can be massively therapeutic. By combining these aspects this is how we can regulate are nervous system and create that sense of calm and relaxation.
So here it is……
Session 1
BREATH
The number 1 question I get about breath is ‘Do I breathe in and out through my nose or mouth?’ This can be confusing because there are so many breathing techniques out there. So in a yoga class as you are in or transitioning through postures you want to be breathing in and out through the nose if you can, unless instructed other wise.
EXHALING through the mouth can be grounding, however if your INHALING stick to breathing through the nose.
Why, because when we breathe in, the nose and all its functions helps too clean, warm and moisten the air before it reaches the lungs which can reduce things like inflammation.
Another important factor I like to talk about in my classes is belly breathing. We want to be breathing fully, meaning we are filling the lungs on the inhale and emptying on the exhale, without having to strain. Majority of us do not fully exhale and this can leave stale air at the base of our lungs. If not released this air can start to cause problems.
If we can spend a short amount of our day focusing on our breath implementing these actions we can help to improve our respiratory health and also regulate our nervous system leaving us more focused, calm and present.
Click the video below where I discuss the basic function of breathing
I also want to share with you a guided breath session, using the full yoga breath.
Mastering this will help you implement other techniques when it comes to it. To access this video and subscribe to my mailing list just click below.
I hope these help
If you have any questions please get in touch, send me an email, I would be happy to help in anyway I can.
Lots lots love
Jen
Xxx