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There is a common Yoga anecdote that says that breathing is the first thing that people do in life and will also be the last thing we do. It is one of the elements of life that we do not think about. But maybe we should. No one forgets to breath. It is the fundamental natural order of life. And our breathing so accurately reflects our state of mind.
If we are afraid, we breathe shallow with small, sharp breaths. When we are relived, we often take a deep breath. When we are tired, we yawn to take in more oxygen. There is a certain pattern of breath that you take when you feel anxiety and excitement. There is also a pattern of breath that you take when you are standing in front of the ocean on the beach pondering all of life's possibilities.
Breathing is an unconscious process, and making it conscious is a fundamental aspect of Yoga. The sages of old times learned that through awareness of breath; a handle is obtained on the consciousness of the mind.
As you incorporate a Yoga technique, remember to always be conscious of your breath. Do not force your breath and always breathe through your nose. It helped me to think of my breath as fragile.
We often take the fact that we breathe for granted, until we see someone who needs to utilize a machine to breathe. Without breath, there is no life. Think of your breath as that fragile egg that must be nurtured and consciously cared for. The result will be the recognition of breath as the beautiful root of life.
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