We are born into this world… breathe in… life begins. Upon our death, we exhale our final breath. Everything in between is our life and our breath is our life – literally feeding life into our bodies. Many people visit our studio for the first time sharing that they feel as though they have lost their breath and ask us whether yoga can help.

It is very easy to lose our breath within our day. Things are hectic; our list of “to dos” never seems to get shorter. We can become so overwhelmed in our lives that we can even feel that bedtime is merely an opportunity to go back through our list of things we did not complete. So what does this have to do with losing our breath?

If breath represents life then the feeling of losing our breath is not only a physical experience but it also represents a sense that we do not have control over our lives. So can we regain control of our breath through having better control of our lives? Likely not, as most of the circumstances in our lives are really not in our control after all. We may wish to believe that we are in control (and certainly try to control what we can) but the reality is that a countless number of life-changing events can happen at virtually any moment of our day or night.

If we cannot gain full control of lives then how do we find our breath? Interestingly enough we consider breathing an automatic process within our body. However we allow it to become overwhelmed by the ins and outs of our day. This in essence is why we lose our breath. We give it up to the circumstances of the day – the very thing that we have little control over.

So, back to the original question? How do we find our breath … and can yoga help? Yes! Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning “to yoke” or union. Yoga is about reconnecting mind, body and spirit. In its physical practice yoga is about connecting movement of the body with the flow of breath. It is through this practice that we find the ability to reconnect with the flow of our own breath and to carry this practice into our daily lives.

Yoga should be accessible to virtually anyone who is interested in a healthier lifestyle and for those who would like to be more actively involved in managing their own health. Physical limitations are generally not an obstacle to those would are interested in incorporating yoga into their lives. We welcome the opportunity to share the health benefits of yoga with you and help you find your breath.

Peace & blessings,

Lamont Gilliland, RYT
Source: As originally published on the Simple Abundance Yoga web site, June 2009.
Article: Also as appearing in Marie Browning’s Healthier Solutions by Marie July 2009 Newsletter.