Welcome to the Grow Inward Podcast, I am your host Adrian Petrillo.
So far, we have covered two very important methods which I consider to be extremely supportive when pursuing inner work, and life in general quite honestly. It's important to understand that our physical health has a significant impact on our mental health, and vice versa. The practices of Yoga and Meditation are very practical ways to support and improve both of these aspects of yourself, as well as the emotional and spiritual sides, touching every part of you. I would also like to emphasize that you should never let your ability level keep you from trying, just begin wherever you are.
With these first few episodes, I am hoping to help establish a bit of a foundation for you. A foundation that is relatively simple to execute and maintain, regardless of your current age or ability. Today I want to extend this foundation to include an additional and important aspect, one which also happens to be quite complimentary to both your practice and your life. This particular practice involves breath work, and I will provide a few examples of how this benefits you in both regards.
Many people hear the phrase breath work and think, what are you talking about? I have been breathing my whole life, what's the big deal? While this is absolutely true, chances are good that there is probably some room for improvement.
Breath work is so much more important and beneficial than most people realize. As I have already mentioned, this can be applied to both your practice and your life. Before we go too far though, let's talk about your practice and what that means from my perspective. In this context, "your practice" is referring to the rituals or actions that you consistently engage in to care for and connect with your mind, body, and soul. Breath work may not always be applicable of course, but it will become fairly obvious where this could be very beneficial to use within your own practice.
In Yoga and Meditation, breath work is referred to as Pranayama. In Sanskrit, prana means "vital life force" and yama means to "gain control". Pranayama in the context of our discussion, is essentially improving the quality and flow of vital energy throughout the entire body using the breath, and directing this energy through conscious effort and control. Pranayama is only one fundamental aspect of Yoga in a traditional sense, and has wide ranging positive and lasting effects on the body and mind when practiced correctly and consistently.
I was hesitant to try to speak of Pranayama as an independent practice, separating it out from where it truly belongs. This is because it is only one part of the 8-fold path of Yoga. This path is a comprehensive system designed to guide dedicated practitioners along a very well defined, and spiritually oriented path. While I understand the the general concepts and constituent parts of this path, it is with great humility that I present this very small and very simplified one aspect to you. It is only intended to help you understand how valuable that even a basic understanding of this single aspect of Yoga can be in practice and application. I still have so much to learn myself, and as I share this, I am continuing my own education as well.
I would like to do separate episodes on each of the 8-fold path aspects of Yoga in the future. There would be no other way to do them each the justice that they deserve otherwise. They are each truly amazing and profound, and when you look at them holistically it becomes very apparent how they all work together. For those who have no knowledge of the 8-fold path of Yoga, it truly is remarkable to think that such a complete system for life even exists at all? I fully acknowledge how overwhelming this sounds at face value. It requires an incredible amount of dedication and determination to follow a system such as Yoga in its entirety.
Fortunately, dedication in the extreme will not be necessary to vastly improve your life and sense of well-being. You will not need to renounce everything you know and love, or spend inordinate amounts of time. I promise that you won't be required to trek out to some ancient monastery high in the Himalayas to learn how to do this correctly (laughs). I understand that most of you listening to this would like something much more realistic and manageable, something that fits into your already busy life and schedule. I completely understand you have a life to tend to, and I am certain that you still can make this work even with that consideration in mind. So let's continue on shall we!
Since we are trying to keep this simple, I want to introduce just one simple Pranayama technique that can be used for a variety of different purposes, including Yoga, Meditation, and also general stretching, and it can also be used as a tool to help reduce anxiety and stress. It's a very simple and effective technique, which has multiple physical and mental benefits as well. This technique is called yogic breath, also known as diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing. I have a link below to a free pdf reference sheet with some basic instructions, and it also includes another simple Pranayama technique to try as well, if you are just starting out.
Try practicing yogic breath a few times when you are just starting out, and only try to sit for 5 minutes at a time or so at first. Try to just get a feel for the rhythm and sensations involved, before applying this technique in your Yoga and Meditation. To perform yogic breathing, follow these steps:
1) Find a comfortable position to sit in. This can be in a chair or on the floor, and be sure to sit up straight. If you are on the floor, try sitting on a blanket or a pillow to elevate your your hips above your knees.
2) Begin relaxing your mind and body and start to focus in on your breath. Feel free to close your eyes, or leave them softly open if you prefer, and take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. If you are able to breath in and out through your nose comfortably, you are welcome to follow this pattern as well. See which method works for you, eventually try to only breath in and out through your nose, keeping your mouth closed.
3) To get a feel for the correct breathing pattern, put one hand on your stomach and one on your chest. Take a slow breath in through your nose, letting your stomach gently rise into your hand. Breathe out slowly, allowing your stomach to move away from your hand and in toward your spine, while the chest stays still. Your breath should be originating from the belly rather than the upper chest, activating the diaphragm.
As always, be mindful if this feels difficult or you feel dizzy and adjust your time accordingly. Just take it slowly, and practice this for short periods that feel comfortable to you, until you get the hang of it. If you have any medical concerns or issues that may be a factor, discuss these with your doctor beforehand. For most people, this will only take a little practice to perfect, and then you will have a very handy tool to use in your practice and in your life. I do recommend trying this in other areas of your life as well, such as when you are exercising. It can really help to increase your lung capacity and improve the oxygen intake into your body.
Yogic breathing will strengthen your diaphragm and your lungs, actually improving the efficiency and capacity of your lungs, and your overall respiratory function. By increasing the oxygen levels in your blood, you benefit both mentally and physically. Your brain functions better with increased oxygen levels, helping to improve focus and concentration, while also relaxing the body and muscles. Yogic breathing can also help to decrease cortisol levels, and improve blood circulation in the body. Increased circulation and blood flow also helps with improved digestion, and there are several more benefits that have been observed and studied as well.
Once you learn some of these breathing patterns and exercises, you can slowly begin to apply them in your practice. Traditionally, it is taught to master your postures or "asanas", before integrating the breath. For our more simplified approach, as a healthy way to improve and deepen your practice, I believe these can be learned together, but it does take some practice and patience. Deep breathing really does help to calm the mind, allowing you to concentrate and focus on the quality of your practice. You will notice that as your breathing improves over time, so follows your state of mind and your ability to concentrate when you are actively turning your attention inward.
Something else that isn't mentioned as often, but that I have found particularly helpful, is the use of breath to help improve your flexibility. By breathing deeply, it can help to further relax your muscles, allowing you to go slightly deeper in your stretches and postures. So whether you are simply stretching or when doing Yoga, focus on breathing deeply and directing that breath into the parts of the body you are working on. This simply means that as you are breathing in, intentionally direct your breath into these areas, as if your inhale is entering directly through or into that area of your body. Try to keep your breath slow, deep, and steady. Trying to also include a slight pause at the top and bottom of each breath, which can also be very helpful and calming.
There are entire books written on the subject of breath work, and for very good reason. I will include links to a couple of books on this subject in the show notes, if you would like to dive in a little deeper and learn more. I highly recommend that you pick one up, or get an audiobook, to learn about all the amazing things you never even realized about something you have been doing for every single moment of your life. It can be surprising to find out just how little we know about ourselves, but hey, thatā€™s a great reason to be a little curious, isnā€™t it?
Please follow this podcast, and leave a comment. It is very helpful for the show, and always appreciated. I have a few helpful links down below if you would like to learn more, have any questions or would like to connect, and also check out the link below for a free pdf guide with a couple of different breathing techniques you can use to get started!
I hope you enjoyed this episode, until next time, never underestimate the power you have within you, and keep growing inward.
