Just Breathe-- part 1

JUST BREATHE---

Ahhh, the beautiful breath!  The very first and most precious gift that we
receive when we arrive in this world. The most dependable and trusted companion we have for the rest of our lives. The very last thing that we let go of.

When was the last thing you gave serious attention or any attention to your breath? Have you ever tried to control its flow? Have you ever observed its 
rhythm as it flows in  and out of your body ever so constantly? What does it bring with it and what does it take away with each inhale and exhale? How does it affect your physical and mental body?

So many questions---I am sure or I do hope that you are now looking for answers.  I will try my best! Breath brings the flow of oxygen or prana in our bodies.  Prana is a Sanskrit word which means force of life. When someone dies in India, they say their prana has left them.  It is the life force that keeps us
alive.  It is the force that we can extend in our bodies with Pranayama or breathing exercises used in yoga.  Every cell in our body needs this prana or
energy to survive.  It can be in the form of oxygen that we breathe in or in the form of food or nourishment that we eat. This live energy is carefully
balanced with apana or the waste that every cell creates.  This waste can be in the form of gases or CO2 that we breathe out or in form of liquid or solids that we excrete.  It is very important to keep the balance  between the two systems.   If we have more apana in our bodies, we won’t be able to breathe in new prana.  Our body then won’t be able to absorb the nutrients in the food.  This is somewhat like a cluttered room full of stuff.  We cannot decorate this room
with new and beautiful things unless we get rid of old and useless stuff.

So, lets try to imagine our bodies as this beautiful house where you bring in something fresh and beautiful with each inhale and you get rid of something unnecessary with each exhale.  Try doing this for 5-10 min each day and see where that takes you.

I would like to share some basic techniques of breathing in my next blog.  Until then, just breathe---