Linking Breath with Movement

I often talk about linking breath as we move and yet perhaps it could still use a bit of explaining.

Sometimes, just finding the posture is hard enough and now I want you to breathe while in it? What? Would you believe that focusing on your breath actually makes yoga easier?! The breathe is a tool helping facilitate movement and creates a meditative quality in rhythm and harmony with your mind and body and you find flow. Even within a posture hold, the breath continues to flow and aides in reducing stress load.

Vinyasa Yoga is a series of poses linked together and the use of breath is often emphasized with this style of yoga, but using the breath to link movement is important and beneficial in all yoga practices. When we use our breath with movement we sync body and mind and find higher states of awareness. This mindfulness helps us stay present, reduce stress, invites a deeper knowing of ourselves and helps to keep us safe as injuries happen when our bodies are in motion, not when they are still.

That the breath is incorporated with movement is how yoga is different than any other modality and where full integration of body and mind happens.

In yoga, we inhale before we begin movement and continue the in-breath into an expansive movement. We begin the exhale as we initiate movement into a contraction movement. What's cool about this is this way of breathing lines up with our physical bodies. When we are in a posture that's more expansive, we inhale and expand our lungs and diaphragm. Our downward movements are contracting in the physical body and our exhale supports that.

Let's break down simple Sun Salutations, Surya Namaskar A.
Stand in Tadasana, Mountain Pose. Inhale and reach your arms up overhead into Urdhva Hastasana, expanding the body and lifting the heart. As you initiate dive down into Forward Fold, Uttasana, you exhale breath, and as you fold you sustain the exhale, lengthening and slowing movement with breath, controlling both breath and body in unison. As you set hands to ground and begin to step back to Plank, inhale to initiate movement and surrender to exhale as your body finds hold in Plank. Inhale forward to tiptoes, bringing shoulders past wrists and exhale to belly or Chattarunga Dandasana. Inhale to Baby Cobra, Cobra or Upward Facing Dog and exhale over your toes to Downward Facing Dog. 

Practicing paying attention to our breath helps us to stay consciously aware and in the present. If you get lost during your practice, simply slow down and recalibrate your breath and find sync once again. This is where the magic happens.

It is my privilege to make space for your magic,

Jill♡

Yoga On Willow