Welcome to my Yoga Off that Mat series! For this first lesson, we’ll start at the beginning. You can’t do yoga without a good breath. One would argue the same could be said for life. Let’s begin!
We are less than 24 hours away from Christmas Eve, meaning you are probably reading this on your phone while sprinting through the airport, down the freeway, or through a mall with 8 million of your closest friends. Only to reach the destination to cook a full turkey meal, wrap a bunch of presents and/or deal with the relatives you only see this time of year.
Yes, I think we can agree it is NOT the most relaxing time of the year.
But it should be.
For better or worse, we are with the people we call family and have the free time to enjoy their company. We don’t often find ourselves in a 20-minute conversation with our Uncle George talking about the state of politics today, but tomorrow you’ll have that time. Enjoy it. How many times will the stars align to let you have that conversation again?
I get it though – easier said than done. We are rush, rush, rushing from one thing to another with no time to just breath.
But you know what? You’re breathing already. You HAVE made the time. You just didn’t realize it.
Now give yourself the few minutes it takes to focus on your breath and let all that other stress go.
- If you have the chance, find a comfortable seated position. If life is too hectic, just move on to step 2, taking this breath with you into the car rental check-in line, dining room table, or the middle of the big family photo.
- At first, change nothing. Just bring awareness to your breath. Is the inhale deep? Do you exhale out all your air?
- With the next breath, feel the inhale travel through your nose all the way into your abdomen – filling the belly, the sides of the ribs, the chest and the throat. As you exhale, purse your lips like you were blowing through a straw. Slowly release every last bit of air.
- Give yourself a few of these breaths, feeling each one be a little longer than the last, particularly the exhale.
- If you’re a numbers sort of person, take 15-20 breaths before returning to your “normal” breath and the situation around you. Otherwise, just enjoy the breath as long as time allows or until you feel calm.
It’s that easy! The simple act of focused attention on breath can relax us quite easily. Exhaling through the mouth allows the breath to cool, calming us further. Perhaps you feel your muscles unclench or your thoughts get clearer. At the very least, you probably won’t want to punch the guy across the way anymore, so it’s a win all around.
Take this breath with you through your holidays, your travels, and back to work. Pretty much any time you find yourself in a stressful situation. It’ll be our little secret.
Namaste, friends! And happy Christmas!
