be a better breather

Every time I wanted a cigarette I would focus on taking long slow breaths, as if I were smoking. It helps tremendously, I found this while looking for my trigger(for smoking). Later, I noticed that when I couldn’t sleep at night I was holding my breath and taking very shallow breaths. Focusing on the long slow inhale and pushing out through a humming sound helped the most, I would fall asleep in no time. This is simple, and definitely worth doing.

My breathing has been noticibly better for the last few classes. If I start off with ujayyi from the beginning it’s just like starting a motor. It just keeps running. I think I even heard my instructor smile as he heard me take a deep breathe in chair pose and said “yessss, breeeeaaaathe into the pose.”

It’s really all you have to get through difficulties. Take everything away and all you have is your breath.

I got my Ujayyi on.

I breathed through my entire class yesterday.

I was on my way to becoming the ocean in Savasana, but that is very advanced.

I was pretty close to becoming a wave though. For a while I thought that I was the one making the noise that waves make..on the beach near the cave I was becoming a part of…inside of myself.

Why can’t I do this?

Granted I am getting over a cold and I can’t really breathe properly, but still. My yoga teacher took the time to tell me “What am I going to do with you? your breathing was horrible today”

Why can’t I fucking breathe?

I think I’m getting better.

It’s during yoga that this is a problem for me.

For easier classes I am a great breather.

For my private classes which are much more challenging, I forget to breathe. I am too busy thinking about my form. Am I even? Am I extending myself as much as I can?

I’m paying to much attention to my body and performance and listening to my teacher’s instructions that I forget to just enjoy the experience of ujjayi breath.