Written by Aviva Tulasi
Pranayama themed Lunchtime Learnings continue each Wednesday in August at 11:45 a.m. EST. You can attend In Person at the Parlour or Online. This Wednesday Amanda leads Ujjayi Breath, Meditation and Movement.
Yoga at the Garden returns for Thursday Evening Yoga. Join us August 17th - September 28th when the NC Botanical Garden is open late.
The next Friday Night Yin with Sam is August 18, 6:15-7:30 p.m. The slow pace of Yin Yoga provides an opportunity to release and to be in the moment.
Many ancient yogis practiced yoga in isolation deep in the forest. They had very few possessions with limited access to food and water, but they always had access to their breath. They also had access to their body and their mind. They experimented with different ways to use their abdominal muscles and their mind to regulate the quantity and quality of the breath. Ancient yogis learned they can manipulate the breath to control their hunger, thirst, temperature and heart rate. Modern yogis continue to explore how breathing can energize, calm, focus, balance and purify our body, mind and heart.
When we are conscious of our breath we can change our thinking pattern.
Try this for a moment. Think about an uncomfortable situation such as waiting in line at a grocery store or being put on hold by a customer service agent. Let yourself settle on being annoyed. What happens to the breath? For many, agitation in the mind causes the breath to become quick and shallow.
Now allow yourself to take slow breaths. As you are breathing slowly, are you still annoyed?
The rhythm of the breath influences your state of mind. Breathing happens automatically, but when we choose to tune into our breath and breathe methodically, we can change our energy level and our state of mind.
The way we breathe influences how we react in every situation. When our breath is quick and shallow, we can enter into a negative stress mode. When we slow down the breath, the mind calms and tension in the body softens. When we breathe out of our right nostril we activate the left hemisphere of the brain which is the language and abstract thinking. When we extend the exhale we enter into our rest and digest mode.
It is really difficult to change thoughts once they start circulating in the mind, but it only takes one thought to change how you breathe.
“The practices of asana and pranayama are simple, reasonable ways to promote a healthy life that supports the commitment to knowledge. Nevertheless, breathing techniques have an observable effect on the thought processes and the ability to contemplate on and with them.” A.K. Aruna from Patanajli Yoga Sutras.
Pranayama is manipulating and regulating the breath, to obtain enough energy and the quality of mind that you want to have. Choosing how you breathe is a tangible method for managing your energy. You are not straining, mastering or holding the breath. You are deliberately choosing a pace of the breath that you need for that moment.
Join us as we explore different methods of breathing in August. Sign up for any of our group classes using our class sign up page.
We look forward to breathing with you!
Aviva Tulasi is a team member at Dogwood Studios. She is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT). She applies the teachings of classical yoga to reduce the effects of negative stress and to balance the nervous system.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and an Insight Yoga Institute (IYI) endorsed teacher. She individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online and in person yoga classes as well as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.