In 1974 Barry White wrote and performed the hit disco song “You’re My First, My Last, My Everything”.  At first glance love is the suggestion.  Dive deeper and the title provides us with a perfect description of breath.  Our breath is the holder of life.

In yoga manifesting breath as a tool offers us a golden opportunity to go deeper within and to befriend the unity of mind, body and inner spirit.  Our breathing body serves as the mechanical conduit capturing the invisible to create and nourish life force, or Prana.  As we control the inhalation and exhalation, we engage yama.

Communicating with our true self through the melodious rhythms of controlled breath, Pranayama weaves the body and mind into a continuum of heightened awareness and sensory experience. The breath adapts, flexes, builds, and releases.  Its purpose in yoga is to achieve a sense of wholeness and an outcome such as silence, healing, openness, warmth, coolness, calmness, energy and possibly the ‘aha’ moment.

Consider the varied approaches to Pranayama that the yoga practitioner can touch on during the journey. Perhaps the focus is on the length of the breath – either through a balanced breath where equal time is devoted to the inhale and exhale – or the path may enter the more grounding version of breath where a longer exhale (compared to inhale) facilitates deep release of tension, judgement and conflict.

Or the student may choose to visualize how breath is expanding in the abdomen and rib cage – offering limitless space for third chakra energies’ golden glow. Maybe the vision of breath flows from one hemisphere of the brain to the other through alternate nostril breath; linking the artistic side to the practical side, enhancing balance within.

Benefit may be received from the practice of seeking internal expansion of an area that’s reflecting restriction – asking the question – what needs to be released or forgiven? Breath might start from the base of a pose – inviting earth energy to fill legs, belly and heart in Tadasana then sweetly surrendering breath back to the earth from a state of continual gratitude. Standing poses intuitively offer space to inflate your shape as you mimic flying gracefully over the planet in Dancer or saluting the heavens through Warrior I.

At the end of practice, the act of releasing conscious control over breath carries with it a sense of trust – trust that breath is available as needed, nourishing our internal experience.

Written by Vickie Dunn, RYT-500, C-IAYT in conjunction with Julie Trone, RYT-500

The concept of self-acceptance is on my mind these days as we move into our next season. Often Springtime is seen as a time for renewal so how will you feel renewed and refreshed this spring? Will you spend more time outside soaking up the sunshine? Will you plant flowers or vegetables and revel in their growth? Will you dive into the nourishing practices of yoga, conscious breathwork and meditation? You are invited to join us here at Yoga Adobe to remember your current state of perfection. Remember who you are as you continually come back to the present moment through conscious breath, moving through empowering poses or the practice of Meditation. Questions? Call me, text message or email and I’ll be delighted to answer.

It’s an interesting play on words – we have a day in our culture set aside to give thanks and call it Thanksgiving.  And if we wish to bring more positive energy into our lives it’s helpful to give thanks every day. So perhaps we can contemplate how to bring a sense of thanksgiving into our lives throughout the year rather than focusing on the idea of giving thanks only on one particular day. I heard an interesting challenge on NPR this week that suggested we start considering what we are grateful for from our experiences in 2017 (pleasant or unpleasant) prior to the actual day of Thanksgiving so we are prepared to share our gratitude clearly with our family and friends as we sit down to share a meal. Certainly there are many families that already have a regular ritual of giving thanks with each meal who won’t feel daunted by this task. And for some of us this is not a daily tradition so it may feel like a stretch to feel grateful for the entire year, all in one day! So take it one day at a time, taking time every day – (not necessarily at a meal)  perhaps when you first wake up or just prior to going to sleep – to remember something you are grateful for in your life. It might be as simple as feeling gratitude for waking up, or feeling grateful for a warm bed. It might be as complex as having gratitude for a challenging situation that’s providing room and incentive for growth. Whatever your choice is, perhaps set a goal for the remainder of 2017 and the entirety of 2018 to be grateful on a daily basis and then notice how your life acquires a new sense of ease; a sense of things falling into place. Enjoy the practice and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Yoga Adobe will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd to share time with family and I sincerely hope that you all have a lovely day of sharing and giving thanks with your companions.

Namaste

Do you ever feel foggy, unable to remember where you left your keys, cell phone, wallet? Do you deal with high levels of stress on a regular basis? Did you know that consistently high stress can damage your brain? Yoga practices have the capacity to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and balance mood. There are a variety of tools we can bring into play to assist you in mitigating the effects of stress.  Consider not only physical movements or postures (asana), but also breath-work (pranayama), chanting and meditation as avenues to decreased stress and increased inner peace. Yoga Adobe offers a safe space within to approach these practices, check out the website for details on class days and times. See you on the mat.

Good Evening! I hope this post finds you well and springing into a lovely, long holiday weekend as we celebrate our independence – not just as a country but as the unique individual that you are.  Celebrate your strength, kind nature, and wisdom as you find your personal path of growth.  Perhaps that path is through yoga, breathwork, meditation and mantra. If so, join us here at Yoga Adobe as we work our way along the path!  Breath deep this weekend, be patient with traffic and with yourself.  See you soon.