January Focus of the Month
Happy New Year! As we try to find our way into the new year, let’s start by finding our breath together! Just like our journey, our breath is unique to us. The saying “the journey is the destination” holds a similar truth to the journey of ones’ yoga practice and its relationship with the breath. The breath is the way in. Breathing practices strengthen the connection between the body and the mind. Notice the next time you practice, as you try to get started and settled into your yoga practice… Is your body is restless? Your mind is scattered? You will most likely- at least at our yoga studio- hear the teacher asking you to come to your breath within moments. We start with the breath cause that’s the way in. It helps us to calm our ‘monkey mind’, to calm the turbulent waters of the mind. That is yoga. In the second sutra of the Yoga Sutras, it reads “Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah”. This means ‘yoga is stilling the fluctuations of the mind’, or can literally translated as:
Chitta: mind, consciousness
Vritti: waves, fluctuations
Nirodhah: to control, to quiet
What is the monkey mind? “According to Buddhist principles, the “monkey mind” is a term that refers to being unsettled, restless, or confused. ... It is also the part of your brain that becomes easily distracted, so if you want to get anything done in life, your challenge will be to shut down the monkey mind,” says Diana Raab Ph.D. from Psychology Today. It is our inner critic, the part of our brain that is most connected to our ego. It can be very difficult and take a lot of self control to shut the monkey mind down since it’s easily distracted. However, if we want to get anything done, tap into our creativity and live out our true passions.
Dr. Raab. says that the first step in taking control of our monkey mind is to get grounded. We practice mindfulness- being present in the here and now. Some specific activities that we can try to help us quiet our mind and live more mindfully are:
Sitting still/meditating on what calms you.
Take a walk- A Walking Meditation
Mindful Breathing
Sama Vṛtti Prānāyāma
Sama Vṛtti prānāyāma means an equal parts breath or balanced breath. Sama means ‘equal’ and vrtti are ‘mental fluctuations’. This prānāyāma has a calming and balancing effect on the nervous system and the mind. Thus, it is ideal to practice at the beginning of yoga practice to help you get settled in and grounded- to calm your nervous system and start directing your attention to your breath. It may also be helpful to practice it at the end of your asana practice as you’re getting settled into stillness in savasana, again to calm your nervous system and prepare your body/mind down for rest and recovery.
In life off our yoga mats sama vrtti can also benefit us significantly. When you are feeling overwhelmed in an important decision-making process, when running late and stuck in traffic… anything that makes you feel stressed, unsettled, restless, and/or confused… you can come back to this balanced breath.
How To Practice
Sit in a comfortable, cross-legged position (Easy Pose) or lay down in Savasana or Constructive Rest. You can place a blanket for padding under your seat if that feels more comfortable.
Close your eyes and begin to notice your natural breath. Try your best not to change anything at first and give yourself a good 5-8 breaths.
Begin to slowly count to 4 as you inhale. Then slowly count to 4 as you exhale.
Take a moment to feel empty, then inhale again to another count of 4. Continue this pattern. The goal is to match the lengths of your inhales and exhales.
You may experiment with changing the number you count to, extending the breath to a 5 or 6-count, but just make sure your inhalation and exhalation are the same lengths so they remain equal.
Continue breathing this way for several minutes.
*It has been shown that around 6 breaths per minute is the ideal rate to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce anxiety.
*Try using a diaphragmatic breath so that the belly rises and falls with little or no movement in the chest.
*As you slow and deepen your breath come to a pace that feels good and comfortable for you. Make sure that you don’t feel strained to breath.
Take a moment of gratitude for your breath this month!