When the breath moves, the mind moves. When the breath is still, the mind is still. By thus controlling the breath, the yogi attains steadiness.
Hatha Pradipika
Pause for a moment and notice your breath. Your body is currently breathing on its own, quietly inhaling and exhaling. Each inhale brings oxygen to your blood, and each exhale removes carbon dioxide from your body. This dance or wave has been happening since the moment you entered the world, and the dance will end when your final breath is taken. And yet, it isn’t until we pay attention to our breath that we even recognize it is there, quietly listening to our every word and maintaining our every action. The practice of yoga teaches us to both pay attention and use the breath to our advantage.
Breathing is an action that is usually performed automatically and without thought. However, it can also be practiced consciously as you did in the exercise above. We tend to take an average of 15-18 breaths per minute, and by simply paying attention, we can slow that rate down. Slowing our breathing rate down strengthens our parasympathetic nervous system (PSN), or our “rest and digest” portion of our autonomic nervous system. Each inhale we take activates our sympathetic nervous system (aka SNS or fight or flight), and each exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system. We need both, but our bodies tend to have an SNS overload and imbalance. We become quick to fight and flight, which in caveman days helped us run away from a tiger, but today, it means we get equally stressed by getting cut off by a driver.
Yoga teaches conscious breathing while holding various postures. By consciously breathing, we continue to pay attention to the breath while in a posture. Certain postures may produce more “stress” on the body, but the practitioner is taught to continue to breathe and find an easy breath in each pose. The Sanskrit word asana is defined as posture, or as as which means “to sit” and ana which means “breath.” Asana vinyasa means “a special way to place the breath in a posture.” Although a vinyasa in the ashtanga primary series includes the vigorous movements of a chaturanga, updog, and downdog, a teacher’s recommendation of “sitting and breathing consciously” is still considered asana. With this in mind, the body still receives the benefits of asana, regardless of the posture.
The benefits of yoga are vast and unique to each individual. Many people experience a calming of the mind in this crazy, tech-driven life. However, yoga has been around far before Instagram. The mind has been full of vritti, activities or fluctuations of the mind, for thousands of years. The idea of calming the mind is neither new nor a result of our fast-paced times. The ancient practice of calming the mind through yoga has worked for thousands of years and continues to provide the same benefits.
Today, people find yoga for various reasons. Some are told to do it upon their doctor’s request to relieve stress and tension; others are looking to stretch their bodies to complement their current exercise, and some come because they are looking for a gentle way to strengthen their body. Yoga asana can certainly provide all of these for practitioners. The Hatha Pradipika states, “Among the practices of Hatha Yoga, asana is said to be the first practice, as it gives steadiness, freedom from disease, and lightness of limb.” While you continue to practice asana, your body will become stronger, your mind will ease, and your limbs will feel lighter. In One Simple Thing, Eddie Stern quotes Pattabhi Jois, “Yoga is an internal exercise: what happens underneath the surface of the postures is where the lasting changes to our mind and emotions occur.” The inner work is what shines as the “outer work” is done.
The magic in yoga, the reason it helps those with stress, stretching and strength, is because of how it affects our central nervous systems, particularly our autonomic nervous system. The SNS and the PNS work together to keep us alive. While the SNS is there to move us toward activity, the PNS is there to slow us down, using the vagal brake, and aiding in rest and digestion.
The vagus nerve, responsible for the vagal brake, is the most comprehensive communication system outside of our brain. It is the oldest and primary branch of the parasympathetic nervous system. Vagal tone is like the tone of a muscle. High vagal tone is associated with cardiovascular health and a stronger immune function, while low vagal tone is associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and digestive disorders. Vagal tone can be improved through yoga.
Yoga allows us the opportunity to sit in various postures and listen to our breath. It teaches us to be in the here and now. It calms our mind while creating heat in our body. It teaches us to stay calm while in postures of comfort and discomfort. Thousands of years ago, our minds were equally mixed up. Thousands of years later, the practice continues to work to relieve stress from the mixed-up world and create space within.
