Yogi Talk: Balance and Breathing

Lately, I have been too tied up with work that my body was all tied up last week. From having a flexible spine, an ability to do all kind of splits, I was just stuck in the middle! Of course, I know how it feels to be a beginner again but then all these years of practicing yoga I never understood the trick about breathing or why the master keeps talking about breathing. Every time I hold a pose I am just like, “Okay that hurts, is it over yet? Can you like finish counting already?!”

When I was in Bali on my last day I got a chance to practice Yoga by the ocean and I have never done that before in my entire life! The fact that I didn’t hear anything but the sound of the waves hitting the shore was just so peaceful my mind zoned out. I was thinking about nothing. As I was doing my Sun Salutation to the balancing posture and Yoga split. So I hope my little tips below would help those you are already flexible but needs a little push to be successful in the postures.

Practice Makes Perfect

Ignore what the person beside you is doing, even she’s putting her legs on the neck and twisting her back all together. You know your body best and only through practicing and time you’ll be able to do the posture.

Breathe, Breathe, Breathe

Don’t rush to a full posture, it’s really important to just go with your own flow and always breathe while you’re doing it. When I do a split I would close my eyes, breathe, and not even think that I am doing a split because when I think too much about it my whole body hurts!

Hold It

It doesn’t matter where your point is at, some can do a full posture, some can do half  but when you reach the point it’s really important to just hold it there. When you are holding it don’t focus on the count instead focus on your breathing, in and out. Think about nothing, not grocery shopping, work, boyfriend, nothing.

I know that in time you can do it as long as you don’t give up and realize that it’s true, people do get flexible and it doesn’t even matter if you’re starting at 40! What matters is you give it time while your mind is calm.

Breathing is the key and breath is life just as Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Breathe for your joy .. to be steady and calm. Breathe to renew every cell in your blood…”