Conscious Breathing

Your breath reflects the way you feel. Take a moment here. Close your eyes and just notice your breath. Is it quick and shallow? Is it forceful? Is it characterized by long inhalations and exhalations? Don’t try to change anything, simply notice. “Self-Observation Without Judgement”, as Swami Kripalu teaches.

In the practice of yoga, we focus our attention on our breath as we move through the various postures. As we hold more difficult postures, we put even more emphasis on the breath to help us keep the postures longer. Breathing consciously can be calming and relaxing. Bringing full awareness to the breath, is also a form of meditation.

Your breath can tell you much about yourself and how you are feeling. For example, I know that when I am going through a set of strenuous moves while rock climbing, I get out of breath. The result being that as I come out of a crux (the most difficult portion of a climb) I have difficulty breathing. This is because I simply don’t breathe when I make those moves!

How is this relevant to anything? Well, for climbing or any other strenuous activity, it is very important. The body’s priority is to provide oxygen to the brain first. This means that if the body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs because you are retaining your breath, it automatically starts channeling what it has left to feed the brain leaving the muscles and the rest of the body without oxygen, making it more strenuous to move and eventually leading to hyperventilate or to faint.

And so, in daily life situations, when we get angry or nervous, if our breath becomes fast and out of control or if we restrict its flow, we quickly become physically ill. This being said, becoming more conscious of our breathing can affect positive changes in our lives. So take a deep breath, notice your posture, your heartbeat, relax and let go.

Namaste.

Introductions

When I was born, my father’s wish was for me to find happiness.  I believe that we are all seeking it.

I have recently had the great opportunity to change my life.  It has helped me find balance again.  I feel happy and at peace with the world and myself.

Through this blog, I wish to share with you thoughts and ideas about happiness.  These posts are my introspection but also my understanding of authors and people for which I have the utmost respect.  I hope it will bring an interesting, helpful and refreshing dialog to which we can all contribute and from which we can all continue to grow.

Je crois sincèrement que le bonheur est accessible à tous. Lorsque j’étais petite, alors que d’autres parents émettaient le souhait que leur enfant devienne médecin ou policier, mon père lui a simplement souhaité que je sois heureuse.

Des opportunités surviennent dans nos vies qui nous permettent de changer de chemin ou de s’engager davantage dans une voie en particulier. Je serai à jamais reconnaissante des gens qui m’ont permis de me rendre ici afin de retrouver mon équilibre. Je peux dire que je suis heureuse et en paix avec le monde qui m’entoure ainsi que moi-même.

Ce blog est le partage de mes pensées et de mes idées par rapport à l’atteinte du bonheur. Ces publications sont mon introspection et ma compréhension d’auteurs et de personnes pour lesquelles j’ai le plus grand respect. Je souhaite qu’ils amèneront un dialogue intéressant et de nouvelles idées.

Please note that I plan to write posts in French or in English as thoughts flow.  Thank you for reading me.

Vero

https://www.instagram.com/vero.yoga/

“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease.” ~ Dalai Lama