The benefits, art and practice of Conscious Breathing 

Experience greater ease and comfort in body, mind and soul today through conscious breathing.

Did you know that the benefits of conscious breathing are numerous? As a practice, it even offers support to one who is traveling to higher altitudes or diving to the bottom of the sea.

Dedicating time and awareness to your breathing on a regular basis can support you in waking up feeling rested and ready for each new day as well as reduce shortness of breath symptoms that often plague those spending time at altitude. And the benefits don't stop there.
Read on to learn more…

Practicing conscious breathing before a trip to the mountains - pausing to breathe fully, deeply and with awareness at some point each day – can help you adapt more easily to the high altitude. It is also a remedy to counteract the compression found when diving in the sea. Not only that, this practice also serves to strengthen the immune system, reduce high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, and it can help to reduce anxiety and depression. What’s not to like about that?

Curious? Here's are directions for exploring this simple practice. Remember, it’s never too late to begin a conscious breathing practice and anyone can do it. You can start now, right where you are.

• If sitting in a chair, place your feet on the ground. Allow them to rest evenly and confidently on the floor as you settle your sits bones (at the bottom of your pelvis – the part of the body known to leave sits marks when you fall while skiing on a groomed slope) into the chair beneath them. Take a few moments to visualize the sits bones as small anchors, drawing the energy of the body/mind down toward the earth.
• As you anchor down through the sits bones and allow your feet to rest comfortably on the floor, imagine your spine is growing gently up out of your pelvis (this is not something you make happen... rather, just allow it to be so).
• As the spine naturally elongates, the spaces between each vertebra widen, so there’s naturally more room for the vertebral discs to be nourished via this practice, too. Relax your shoulders down away from the ears and roll them back just a tiny bit. Allow the head to float lightly over your now lengthy and relaxed neck and shoulder complex. Relax effort. Take a big breath in through your nose, and let it out with a sigh through your mouth. Do that again. Relax some more without slouching.
• Now take a moment to scan through your body. Allow your awareness to move from the top of your head, down through the body into the sits bones, into the legs and feet. If you notice tension along the way, simply let it go. If the tension lingers, imagine you could guide your breath into it as you give it permission to dissolve.
• We all know that the breath we inhale fills the lungs. Yet there’s more – there’s an energy that comes in with each breath that can be circulated throughout the body. Yogis call this prana. Become aware of that. That is what you can guide into the tight places and it allows you to release tension anywhere in the body. Take a moment now and try it...
• When you’re ready to continue, let go of any effort and just watch your breath. Become the witness of the action of breathing. Take a smooth breath all the way in, and then let it go… Do it again. And again… Simply observe the process of breathing without manipulating it in any way, and invite the mind to become the witness of the act of breathing.

How long can you remain relaxed and aware as you simply observe breath move in and out through your nose? Why breathe through the nose? Because that is the most relaxing way to breathe - it stimulates relaxation in the body compared to breathing through the mouth which stimulates the flight or fight mechanism. 

Now... can you do this for two or three breaths, while maintaining an effort and action that is smooth and relaxed? If so, then try moving on to five breaths. You’re doing it! This is the practice of conscious breathing.

Start slowly, breathing with total attention while maintaining a relaxed attitude for just three – five breaths. Do that for a few days… Once that becomes comfortable and you find that you sort of like it, then it's time to slowly expand the practice. Start to do this every day. At the same time every day. A few times throughout every day... Then add another breath or two every week to what has become a regular practice. Add a few more if it’s easy and you feel good. Never push, strive or judge your effort.

Allow this to become a regular practice that is calming, nourishing and something to look forward to each day. Soon this practice may become a regular habit. Perhaps, because of its calming effect, you’ll  find yourself wanting to arrive at business meetings five minutes early just so you can take a few conscious breaths before the meeting begins. You may find yourself “doing” conscious breathing in traffic jams, or when the kids are yelling, or you’re running late to meet a friend… It's a great practice before an exam at school! I hope that you will find that this practice can be applied anywhere, any time.

Take it with you wherever you go! If you begin this practice before you head to the mountains on vacation, or take that scuba diving trip in the tropics, you might find that the feelings of being comfortable and rested wherever you go travel with you, even as the altitude rises or you dive down deep.

Questions? Seeking more information? Check back for posts by Yoga Therapist Sharon Harvey Alexander or contact her via email: mountainsmiles@msn.com.

Make this a regular practice and begin to notice results. Chances are you will feel better at home and on the road, too. Cultivating better health today is a just breath away. Enjoy!  

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