Pranayama Breathing into Gratitude

Pranayama Breathing into Gratitude

Breathing is one of the most important activities we do. You might even say, we’d be lost without it.

Our life begins and ends with breath. I have written a few articles on breath as an anchor for the awareness, however, breath is so much more intricate and powerful than we can imagine. A large part (if not the most integral element) of Yoga practice is taking the unconscious act of breathing and making it a conscious act. By doing this, we open the gateway to much more than a physiological process.

Cellular respiration in the body is dependent on a constant flow of oxygen inward and carbon dioxide outward. Each cell goes through it’s own respiratory process. Every emotion that we feel has a breathing pattern associated to it. Breath is a window to the emotional body.

The word Pranayama is Sanskrit; it means ‘mastery of the force of life’. Prana meaning energy and yama (or ayama) meaning control. Mastery or control over the energy in the body. There are many different techniques and variations of Pranayama breathing. In this meditation, we will explore equal part breathing. This type of breathing helps you to relax, release stress and bring your awareness into a concentrated state, such as gratitude.