“In yoga, ‘flexibility’ is an attitude that invests and transforms the mind as well as the body.”
—www.yogajournal.com

Adding a little unorthodox movement is a good edit to your day! Sit on the floor during a coffee break, touch your toes (with knees bent) and hang there awhile on the way to the coffeemaker, or stretch to the side while you’re in your desk chair … anything outside your normal range of movement is good. Yoga need not be complex or formal to feel good, and to be good for you. Much of it is simply a matter of listening to your own body, paying attention to your breath, and twisting, bending, and elongating your body in a way that will make you feel better. Lighter. Shinier.

It might extend your life, improve your concentration, alleviate your aches and pains, improve your digestion and immunity, and help you focus on your work. Or maybe, it will just make you feel good. But I hope that at least you try each suggestion once or twice before leaving it by the roadside, if you must. I’m confident that many of you will pick it up again sometime, whenever the time is right for you.

This is to be the first of many short yoga-themed columns. Each article will explain the benefits of each pose and how to do it (with photos or diagrams as appropriate), and give you some listening suggestions and links for further reading.

At the root of all yoga, as with all life, is breathing. And as I thought long and hard about what pose to give as the first yoga gift, I realized that no pose is yoga if it does not involve your breathing. So observing your breathing must be the first lesson.

Pose: Breathing Observation

Benefits: Reduced physical effects of anxiety and stress, improved concentration and immune function, improved sleep

Though breathing may be the simplest thing of all, most people forget to pay attention to it. Simple attention to your breathing can work wonders; some of the most advanced, complex yoga techniques involve breathing. You can heat up or cool down your body, heal illnesses, and change your heartbeat with ancient breathing techniques. The simplest thing to do is sometimes the most complex to master.

When we are anxious, nervous, or stressed, we breathe faster and shallower. Taking a few minutes out of your day to concentrate on slowing and deepening your breathing can improve your concentration, your digestion, and your health. The more you practice this at home, the more automatic it will be to drop into this calm state when you encounter a stressful situation.

How to perform the Breathing Observation pose:
Personally, I am a strong believer of sitting on the floor when you get a chance. Some yogis put rolled towels beneath their buttocks to make a simple cross-legged pose more comfortable. Allow your spine to float up straight.

When I say to sit straight, do not imagine that your mother, or your grandmother, or your piano teacher is observing you. In yoga, never imagine that anyone is observing you. Concentrate only on yourself. Close your eyes and picture the entire length of your spine, from the floor (or your chair) to the top of your head. Now observe how your spine moves as you breathe. How does your body move when you take a breath?

Watch yourself breathe from the inside for a while. If it pleases you, put on some music (no need to buy it—YouTube features choice playlists of meditation music). Or go outside on a breezy day, or a hot day, or listen to the rain as you sit. Just breathe. Concentrate on the speed, the depth, the clarity of each breath. Feel your ribs expand up and out as you inhale, float back in as you exhale. As you pay attention to your body, you might notice that you want to stretch up, elongating your spine, or move your rib cage forward or back, or curve like the letter “C” from side to side. Listen to your body and do what it asks. After five minutes or so, ask your breath to slow down. Focus on lengthening the exhalation. Let your thoughts drift. Stop when it suits you. The more you practice, the longer you’ll be able to go and the more you’ll become aware of the positive effects. This exercise is very healing for the body, the emotions, and the mind.

FURTHER READING
Go to www.yogajournal.com and enter “breathe” in the search window (note that if you enter “breath” you will enter a whole ’nother advanced world … learn how to breathe simply, first!)

FURTHER LISTENING
Go to www.youtube.com and enter “Deva Premal” or “Krishna Das” in the search window. Listen. Breathe. Evolve.

FEEDBACK & QUESTIONS
Email author Christa Bedwin at ChristaBedwin@gmail.com

CREDITS
Author: Christa Bedwin