Learning to breathe well is one of the most powerful ways to revitalize your body, mind and emotions. The benefits of breathing exercises are far-reaching. By maximizing your intake of oxygen and ridding your body of waste products, they boost every body system, helping you to feel and look both more vibrant and more relaxed, and to maintain a calm mind at times of tension. But the breathing exercises in this book offer more than this – they give you the tools and insight you need to access your life-force. Yoga philosophy teaches that your breath is the physical manifestation of the vital energy that gives you the ability to live and breathe, move about and function in the world. It is this life-force that allows you to think, digest food, hear sounds, laugh, sneeze and carry out the numerous activities you engage in at any moment, both consciously and unconsciously. This vital energy, which animates every being, is described in many Eastern philosophies, and in India is known as prana. Though not material in nature, prana flows through every part of your body, interpenetrating each cell like water filling a sponge.
The exercises in this book help you to make more efficient use of your prana, which has five functions, each one described as a different type of energy (see right). Each main chapter is dedicated to one of these five forms of prana, and offers exercises to enhance, expand and express this. When all five energies are vibrant and balanced, health and vitality follow.
The exercises in this book will enhance your vigour and wellbeing, but for maximum benefit, try to back them up with a healthy lifestyle. This includes eating more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, exercising most days and giving up negative indulgences, such as smoking. In this book, you will find boxes offering breathing tips to make your work and home life more healthy. One of the best is simply to watch your breath through the day and take a few deep breaths, especially when you feel tense. Notice the effects on your mind, mood and body.
PRANA (chapter 2, see pages 38–61) is the first of the five forms of prana (sharing its name), governing inhalations. This is your vitalizing breath – the dynamic force that enables you to take in all forms of energy.
SAMANA (chapter 3, see pages 62–81) is the second form of vital energy and processes the oxygen entering your lungs. This nourishing breath equips you to digest food and to understand thoughts and feelings.
VYANA (chapter 4, see pages 82–103) is the third form of vital energy and governs your circulation and the distribution of oxygen in your body. This is your expansive breath that distributes vital nourishment and equips you to expand into the world.
APANA (chapter 5, see pages 104–27) is the fourth form of vital energy and oversees exhalation and the release of carbon dioxide. As well as being a cleansing breath, it is the expelling force by which a child is born.
UDANA (chapter 6, see pages 128–47) is the fifth and final form of vital energy. It accompanies apana when you exhale, enabling your energy to “rise up” and find expression. This expressive breath gives you the energy you need to find a voice and turn your thoughts into action.
Whether you are new to breathing techniques or an experienced practitioner, it is best to begin by reading chapter 1, which outlines the benefits of breathwork, explains its theory and sets out techniques for cleansing your respiratory system and the basics of sitting to practise.
I hope this book will inspire you to try breath-enhancement techniques – they are a perfect addition to a detox, healthy eating campaign or exercise regime, and help you to counter problems associated with busy lifestyles. But I also hope that as the exercises put you in touch with your energetic core, you experience a more profound understanding – that your everpresent breath connects you to a power far greater than yourself.