Yoga is more than just poses, postures, and sitting quietly for long spans of time. Yoga and meditation are growing in popularity for the stress filled and health conscious all over the world. If you are thinking of beginning a Yoga routine then you know already that Yoga includes poses, meditation, and breathing.

The word for the breathing aspect of Yoga is Pranayama. Just practicing good breathing can make an immediate improvement in your health and life. It’s an exercise without using energy and total relaxation without pressure.

Breathing is the nourishment of our body and it’s a link between the universe and deeper resources within us. Tapping those resources increases the alertness of our mind and allows it to looking at situations in a fresh new way.

As busy as our lives are just taking time to sit and breathing is a way to restore the balance of our body, nourish our minds and link us our inner source. Sometimes the only thing we might have time to do for ourselves is to take the time to do some deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing is used to help control panic, anxiety attacks, and mental stress. Scientists have known for years there is a relationship between breathing and mental health.

We are usually breathing in short bursts, fast and shallow. We are in a hurry most of the time, we have the stress of just living in today’s world, and we get emotional, anxious, and angry too easily. Those in turn causes us to breath shallow and with our lack of physical activity there is no need for our body to take deep breaths it really needs. We spend more and more time indoors which increases our exposure to pollution and our body automatically breathes shallower to protect itself from pollution.

The effects of shallow breathing are many. Oxygen is an essential nutrient to our body and the production of energy in our body. Lack of oxygen decreases our ability to resist disease since oxygen is so important to the health of our cells. We will develop more ailments, catch more colds, and is a big factor in cancer, heart disease, and strokes.

So if you feel you don’t have time for a full Yoga routine, you may consider doing just a few breathing exercises to make you mind more alert and help you focus on what’s going on in the here and now.

Deep breathing allows for the total relaxation of the mind and body. It reduces the heart rate and your muscles relax and normalize brain function. That in turn, reduces anxiety and stress.

Pranayama is an important part of the meditation process of Yoga. In order to meditate well, you should practice breathing to help focus on the life force of your body. After practicing breathing techniques, you will find your mind ready to enjoy peace and the presence of God. Breathe your way to a more peaceful and healthy lifestyle.