Breathing lessons from a newborn baby
I am a Nana again. We welcomed the newest member of our family on the full moon in the middle of the night last week. We are in love.
As I held this tiny miracle for the first time, I was reminded that life begins on an inhale and ends on an exhale. I often repeat that line while teaching yoga, but to hold a brand new “breather” in my arms brought the truth of it home. Watching her breathe is mesmerising. Our loyal breath, working for every one of us 24/7, whether we notice it or not. Sustaining our life while we are here on earth.
Another line I often repeat in yoga class to demonstrate the power of this portable (and free) tool is this: We can go weeks without food, days without water, but only a few moments without our breath. This speaks to the power of our humble inhales and exhales.
The breath happens automatically, AND we can control it for our great benefit. Whether we cannot sleep, have just had an activating exchange with someone, are experiencing a craving for something that is not good for us, need clarity, or are about to lose our shit, there is a breath practice to meet each one. Like writing ourselves the best kind of prescription based on our real-time needs, we can make our breath conscious and meet the moment with authority. If we remember…
My newest granddaughter is helping me remember. When I watch her breathe, I cannot help but notice that her whole body moves with each breath. We are born knowing how to breathe, and then we begin to forget.
Our breath becomes shallow, short, choppy, and often not deep enough to engage our diaphragm. When we breathe deeply enough to move our diaphragm, our nervous system understands that we are safe, and our “rest and digest” or parasympathetic system comes online. Calm and peace can be expereinced here. Our best thinking happens here. This is the system we want to activate more and more. We often activate the stress response system (fight, flight, freeze) or sympathetic system in our modern world. Making the unconscious breath conscious can change that. Changing how we breathe changes how we experience each moment.
I love to use a breath practice called Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) to balance my brain and soak myself in calm. Doing a few rounds of this breath can stabilize my mind, especially when it is stormy and full of unhelpful chatter.
I have created the video below to demonstrate this breath. If you prefer to read, there are also written directions. I would like to remind you about the cyclic breathing technique I shared with you a few months ago right here.
Directions for Alternate Nostril Breathing:
Sit at ease.
Block off your right nostril with your right thumb.
Inhale through your left nostril.
Block off your left nostril with your right ring finger.
Exhale through you right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
Repeat this cycle for at least five cycles.