By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
Well, the
title of this article may have caught your eye, and you may be wondering,
“Really? Encouraging Breathing? If my Yoga students don’t keep breathing, they
will expire before the end of class!” A bit macabre, perhaps, but funny
none-the-less. All levity aside, encouraging your students to breath deeply and
fully throughout the course of a class is one of the most fundamental aspectsof teaching a Yoga class well. Many accomplished teachers advise practitioners
to prioritize deep, diaphragmatic breathing as literally the most essential
aspect of an authentic Yoga practice.
If you
find that any of your students are breathing in a shallow manner, or they are
literally holding their breath while they practice a Yoga posture, backing off
the posture a bit so that the breathing becomes more fluid is recommended.
Maintaining a fluid-breathing pattern helps to enhance the circulation of life
force energy throughout the body. When we hold our breaths, prana, or life
force energy, becomes stuck in various areas of the body, which increases
muscular tension and negative, circular thinking patterns. On the other hand,
when you breathe deeply and completely throughout the course of your Yoga
practice, this life force energy can flow more freely throughout the entire
body-mind matrix.
The same
is true of your Yoga students, of course! One way to encourage deep,
diaphragmatic breathing during the course of your classes is to introduce
Ujjayi Pranayama to your students. This resonant Ocean Sounding Breath will
help to expel toxins, balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous
systems, as well as increase their energy level. This pranayama exercise is
quite simple, just instruct your students to partially close the back of their
throat, as they continue to breathe in deeply and exhale fully. If they are
performing Ujjayi Pranayama properly, they will make the whooshing sound of the
ocean in a conch shell, as the breath flows in and out over the glottis at the
back of the throat.
By
continually reminding your students to breath deeply and fully during their
practice of the Yoga postures, they will also be less likely to “space out” or
become numb when uncomfortable sensations or emotions begin to arise. Many
difficult or painful emotions are held in various areas of the body and are
manifest as muscular tension and stiffness. When this tension begins to
dissolve with each ensuing Yoga posture, the buried emotions, thoughts or
experiences will often rise to the surface of a student’s conscious
awareness.
A very
natural reaction to painful emotions or feelings is to hold the breath and
stuff the feelings back down. However, a mindful Yoga practice allows all of
us, students and teachers alike, to explore and air out painful emotions and
experiences, so that the uncomfortable feelings and memories can be resolved in
the light of conscious awareness. By encouraging your students to continue to
breath fully throughout the course of their Yoga practice, you will be
encouraging them to feel, see and embrace the truth of their perception of their
life experiences.
As your
Yoga students learn to tolerate uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and memories,
they will be able to consciously work with those feelings and hopefully
transform them into pearls of wisdom. Of course, there may be times when a
student needs professional psychological support if any of the emotions that
arise are too painful or overwhelming for him or her to integrate on the mat.
If this is the case, it is advisable to find an appropriate, private time to
gently approach your student and recommend that he or she might benefit from
some individualized counseling support.
By
encouraging your students to continue to breath fully and deeply during a
class, you will be fanning the flames of the alchemical process of Yoga.
According to biblical scholars, truth can be defined as the self-expression of
God. In essence, the very definition of truth flows straight from God. In the
context of a Yoga class, the ability of your students to experience their own
personal truths, both on and off the mat, will support them in making healthy
choices for themselves at every level of their lives. Although being able to
hold a challenging asana for several minutes is gratifying; truly speaking,
creating and sustaining vibrant good health and well being is one of the most
edifying benefits of a regular Yoga practice.
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related writing orders and may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.
© Copyright 2016 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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1 comment:
Encouraging the students to breath deeply and fully throughout the course of a class is one of the most fundamental aspects of teaching a Yoga class well. Thanks for posting this type of valuable article.
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