21 Breaths To Fix Everything
/Dear Yogis!
I’m reading a book about the breath. Not an unusual thing for a yoga teacher… but this isn’t a humourless pranayama book. The author, Oliver James is a ‘breath expert and body-led psychotherapist’ who has studied all kinds of ‘schools of breath’: “Holotropic Breath; Transformational Breath; Quantum Light Breath; Shamanic Breath; Wim Hof Method”… an expanding list of breath expertise.
Before taking us through 21 Breaths he cautions us about using the breath safely. I was always curious about the dark and mysterious warnings in Iyengar classes that pranayama can be Very Dangerous and lead to madness. Hmm! To clarify this, Oliver James puts it really simply: “should you feel agitated or restless, engaging a technique that further stimulates you can trigger even deeper anxiety or emotional discomfort”. That’s not dark and mysterious!
A yogi came to class this week feeling tired. We have a mountain of Sun Salutations to get through. I suggest an energising breath to use in Downward Facing Dog - Kapalbhati. I turn to Oliver James’ book to find his suggestion for stimulation. He explains that there are four key mechanisms for that: body shaking to stimulate circulation and release tension, spinal extension targeting the nervous system, breath holding which has a multiplier effect on the other techniques. Finally, lung ventilation is improved which increases metabolic efficiency.
Do this, he says! Shake your body for three minutes. It’s a long time. I’ve mentioned David Sye workshops before. He makes us do this… tequila is involved! Anyway, after shaking, rest and notice how you’re feeling. Then shake for another minute. Wait again for the body to recover. After that, stretch. James tells us to stretch and hold and rest and repeat while holding onto something sturdy like a door frame. Have a go!
Zoom Classes
Well! The summer, as usual, sees class numbers fall dramatically. Quite right too. There’s such little demand for the Ashtanga classes on Wednesday and Thursday that I’ll take them off the ‘summer schedule’ and return them in September. Today’s class has moved from 4.30 to a start time of 5.00pm and has also shifted from Friday Ashtanga to an End-Of-The-Week Stretch.
You can book today’s class or all classes here. Don’t forget that it will be at 5.00.
Yoga in the news
The Metro has: How to breathe properly – plus three breathing exercises to try. Every system and living cell in our body relies on oxygen being delivered and excess carbon dioxide being taken away. ‘The physical act of breathing also helps transport huge quantities of lymph, the fluid responsible for maintaining our immune system and clearing pathogens and dead cells inside of us. ‘Breathing also helps to optimise blood pH…. Should we be even a little over or under this pH, both our physical and mental health begin to deteriorate and, left unresolved, could eventually kill us.’
ITV has: Yoga prodigy recognised for helping hundreds during lockdown. An 11-year-old yoga Ishwar Sharma, gives free online yoga classes which children from 14 countries enjoy.
The Bournemouth Echo has: Beach Yoga Fest 2021 returns to Bournemouth. Beach Yoga Fest, an event celebrating the practice of yoga in its many forms, is to be held on the beach from Friday June 18 and Sunday June 20, the weekend before the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
