When people first begin to practice yoga, they often are so focused on the poses that they forget that there is more that goes into it than knowing what proper postures are and how to achieve them. One of the most important parts of practicing yoga is learning how to breathe properly. While you may not have thought about it, your breath absolutely will influence your overall yoga practice and what you get from it. This can be traced back to how connected your breath and your mind are. You know when you’re feeling super stressed out and you take in a deep breath to get your wits about you? Yep, we’re talking about something exactly like that, but on a bigger scale. Let’s get into the details of how breath affects your yoga practice.

Breath and Asana

There are many different things that happen to your body when you are breathing correctly while you are practicing Asana. When you shift your breathing to a controlled state, the breath is focused in the cerebral cortex, which is the evolved part of the brain. This is because you are aware of the breathing that is happening. It is when this happens that you can truly begin to experience transformation.

When you brain reaches a point a quiet and calm, you will find that strange awareness arises in you. Both emotional stress and racing thoughts are far less likely to arise, giving your brain and your body a break. Energy, also known as the prana, can flow much more easily as you push past all physical and emotional blocks that could be weighing you down.

Additionally, your body’s overall alignment can be changed for the better when you learn to control your breathing. Both your posture, joints and any negative attitudes being held in your body can be resolved. Essentially, through breathing the right way, you are allowing for your brain and your body to become one.

Breath and Your Mind

We have spoken about what an amazing process meditating can be as well as all the peace it can bring to your life. When you practice the right breathing during your yoga, you can gain the advantages of both meditation and your poses all at the same time. However, by doing the two in unison, your body and your mind learn to work together in a way that you have never experienced before.

Ujjayi Breath

This type of breathing is used when you are in the middle of a flow or when you are in a pose that you consider to be relatively strenuous. In order to practice this type of breathing, you will first close your eyes, imagining that you are looking down at your nose. Then softly smile and slowly but deliberately begin to lengthen your breath. The next step is to try to close the back of your throat, the same way you would if you were going to try to whisper something. This will allow you to breath through your nose and actively feel the air moving from your nose down your throat. Be sure to keep your mouth closed or it will not work. Breathing like this is the most beneficial way you can connect your breath and your body during your yoga practice, or truly anytime.

Enroll at Nobe Yoga Today

If you are interested in getting better at perfecting your breathing during your yoga practice, the best way to do so is to enroll in a class at a yoga studio. Nobe Yoga is Miami Beach’s best yoga studio and we would love to help you reach your full potential. Contact us today to learn more about what classes we offer!

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