Learning the Proper Yoga Breathing Styles
I really wasn’t too sure what to think when I found out that I had to learn the proper Yoga breathing styles in my early Yoga classes. I have been an athlete for most of my life and while there were times a coach might ask me to breathe a little bit, I had never experienced the idea of a “proper” breathing style. Shrugging my doubts away, I was there to learn Yoga in its fullest and I sat down on my little purple mat all ready to go.
We had started with some very simple Yoga breathing styles, just breathing deeply into our core at first. Then, the Yoga instructor switched it up on me a little bit and we went into the Kapalabhati. Deep cleansing breaths came faster and harder and I would have to admit for my first go I felt a little silly. (I even peeked an eye open to make sure that everyone else was doing the same thing as me!) I worked myself up thinking that I might be the only one learning the proper Yoga breathing styles that wasn’t breathing right.
Turned out that I was, and once I relaxed a little and started to focus on what I was doing versus worrying about everyone else I realized that my sinuses were clearer than they had been in days. I started to feel more centered and then the Yoga instructor switched it up on me again.
We switched to Anuloma Viloma, or the alternate nostril breathing, for a few moments and once again I checked myself against everyone else in the class. As our breathing progressed I was able to feel very steady in the steps that were explained and very calm and focused on the task at hand. Another moment passed and I actually began to enjoy the process and felt good. I had joined the Yoga class to have a better mind-body-spirit connection and was truly shocked by how interconnected I could get with the various aspects of myself. Yoga breathing styles were going to become a daily part of my routine.
I consider the various techniques that can be learned through Yoga a step ladder toward self induced health. The more I implemented the basic techniques, the more I felt like I could take on the world in a balanced manner, replacing my usual emotionally charged manner from before. While far from a perfectly balanced human being, I find that I am much less likely to rush into an emotionally charged soap box venting session when I feel someone else is in the wrong. I hear people a bit better now and I try to work through these issues with a greater sense of balance.
I find that the techniques I learn in Yoga are not necessarily the answer to all of the world’s problems but that they certainly give us humble humans that power to be healthier people. Healthier people solve problems better. Even just a few simple Yoga breathing styles practiced on a regular basis can bring your own issues to the forefront and make you a better person when it comes to dealing with them.
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