September 17, 2007

Learn to Breath Correctly. Mom is relaxed, even in traffic.

If you’ve ever flipped through the pages of a yoga book, you might wonder if there’s some sort of mystery to all those breathing exercises. “Why can’t I just breathe?” you ask.

A friend of mine had the same question. Then she went with me to a pranayama workshop. Learning to guide her breath opened up a whole new world to her.

The first one was interval breathes. We breathed in for a count of 4, held for 4 and then exhaled for 4. When we did the exercise, all we thought about and noticed was our breath. It was so relaxing. Then, we inhaled for 4 and exhaled for 8. Again, relaxation.

It was so simple.

She told me that now she uses both techniques when she’s trying to get to sleep at night and to help calm herself down during rush hour traffic. She said that even her kids have noticed a difference. Her 13-year old son said, “Mom, you’re much more chilled when you pick me up after practice.” That’s the best motivation to keep breathing!