The fourth part of Raja Yoga defines all the breathing techniques, which show us how to conquer the mind and therefore control the body and the senses. Unless we control our breathing, we can never control our mind and body.
Breath is life and life depends on breath. We take it for granted and rarely think about our inhalation and exhalation of air that we think happens automatically, until the moment comes when we find it difficult to breathe and we have to make an effort. When we have the flu and our sinuses are blocked or suddenly something scares us, our breathing becomes short and unstable, then we realize how fundamental breathing is to our existence and how out of control breathing has become .
Beyond this point, which is more obvious to most people, is the other more hidden problem, which is: most people do not breathe properly to benefit their mind and body on a deeper level, which in turn it is causing many diseases in our world. Watch your breathing for a while and you will find that while you are going about your business all day, much of that time you are breathing very quickly and briefly or most of the time you are just holding your breath while under some kind of pressure. tension. . By the way you get out of bed, the way you eat your food, or the way you speak, your breathing is not controlled and is continually held or shortened. Many clients of mine when they come for treatments tell me: “Most of the time I feel like I have stopped breathing for a long time.” As this form of unconscious breathing becomes a habit due to all the pressure and stress that we feel throughout the day, over time, if not dealt with with better habits and the yogic breathing practice of Dirgwa Swasam *, it will it will turn into a disease or illness. Short, interrupted, or held breathing is the root of most modern illnesses.
Modern physicians are generally not trained in herbal medicine or oriental natural cures such as yoga or Ayurvedic medicine, so they will not look for signs of illness due to bad breathing habits. In the practice of natural medicine, one of the first things a therapist will observe will be how deeply and frequently a person breathes, during silence and when speaking, and what their pulse is like. Are you out of breath when you speak? Do you know how you breathe when you eat? From the depth of the way a person breathes, you get a lot of information about what kinds of health problems they may have or will be prone to in the future. If it is very short, you will have problems such as asthma or depression, if it is very fast, bone problems and nervousness.
We know we can’t live without breath, but we take it for granted that it will never stop until the day we leave the planet. This is true, but the way we use our breath can, on the one hand, give us maximum health, and on the other, take our mind deeper and deeper into uncharted territories. With good use of the breath we can go deeper into the mind and produce many changes that were previously considered impossible. With all the various yoga techniques and breathing practices, one can master what goes through the mind in order to control it and change it into healthier, kinder and more compassionate thoughts.
One of the things that happens when we don’t breathe properly is that our nervous system suffers and we become short-tempered, impatient, and less understanding of other people. This, in turn, leaves us insecure and exhausted many times thinking that we are fighting the world when in reality we are only fighting ourselves.
The health of the mind and body will increase as the breathing becomes deeper and slower to adapt to the rhythm of the heart. If the heart is too excited due to the habits and excesses of life, breathing will become uncomfortable and difficult, but if the heart is pleased with peace and calm, breathing will lead you to happy times.
Remember to breathe deeply and follow the breath as you go about your daily life; this will teach you more about who you are.
Yogi Cameron
* Dirgwa Swasam is a complete yogic breath, which is the way we should breathe at all times. As you inhale the stomach comes out, the chest expands and the shoulders rise a little. As you exhale, the shoulders relax, the chest moves inward, and the stomach is sucked in slightly.