Gratifying Benefits of Breathing Deep

The Labyrinth is one of the many places to catch a breath
at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA

One of the things that was constantly reinforced during my stay at the fabulous Canyon Ranch was the importance of deep breathing. Not just in meditation sessions, but in lecture after lecture and in every exercise class, we were asked to focus on our breath. I even took a breathing lesson, which sounds kind of ridiculous, but actually isn't. Apparently very few of us know how to breathe properly. We run around panting like little hamsters, feeling all frantic and worked up, instead of taking the deep belly breaths we need to maintain our health, vitality and peace of mind.

It's not difficult to breathe deeply but you do have to pay attention to achieve it. Here's the basic technique I learned at Canyon Ranch.

"Assume a comfortable position. Mindfully relax your body, releasing any areas of tension or constriction. Observe your breath. As you inhale (through nose), the lower edge of the rib cage and the abdomen should expand. As you exhale, the opposite should occur. Do not force the movement of the abdomen. Allow the breath to naturally move through the body."

Breathing deeply from the diaphragm has many benefits. Not only does it lower stress and blood pressure, it balances our immune system, reduces cravings, improves circulation, and even lessens hot flashes!

But there's more. Different breathing techniques can be used to relax, to energize, to fall back asleep, and even  to achieve orgasm. Yep, that's right. Just check out the video below to see how easily it can be done, as sex educator Sheri Winston demonstrates. (Don't worry, it's not pornographic, just a bit noisy.)

Now, this particular technique was not taught at Canyon Ranch and I myself have not mastered it. But as for the benefits of deep breathing, I'm sold.

Aaahhh.

Yog-ahhhhh

Today I went to a yoga class. I've tried yoga a couple times in the past and could never get into it. It's sooooo slow. For the last seven years, my exercise of choice has been tennis. Run, hit, smash, spin, win!! My obsession with tennis and competitive sports has been one of my happiest discoveries since turning 40. But I'm taking a break from tennis right now because, as I keep saying, I need time to have my midlife crisis.

Archer Pose

Today I didn't go to yoga for the exercise. I went because everyone (especially you, Laura T.) is telling me it's THE way to find peace of mind, focus and tranquillity - which is my theme for the month of March. So, I found an hour-long Intro to Yoga Basics class just a mile from my home at a studio where many of my friends go.

"This class is for beginners, right?" I asked the lovely and limber instructor, who's name I didn't catch.

She said something like this was my practice and I should honor wherever I was and do as much or as little as felt right. Sounded good to me.

There were four other women in the dim studio. We started with an exercise to clear the mind, then moved to some poses and series of movements that seemed incredibly basic to start with but turned into pure torture after about  20 seconds. As I breathed deeply through my nose trying to maintain my archer pose, I decided that yoga had one thing in common with yesterday's run. The pain makes any wandering of attention impossible.

The intense poses and breathing exercises were perhaps a little different than I'd experienced before, but I'm such a novice I wasn't sure. Just as the hour was winding up, the class took a different turn. We relaxed on our backs on our mats, pulling up blankets to warm our cooling bodies. The instructor, let's call her Bree, came around and put little pillows over our eyes. Then we just lay there, in silence, breathing.

It was so relaxing I felt like I was floating. You guys, I was meditating! The only thing that ruined my bliss was the tiny worry that we were running late and my parking meter would expire. But there was still much more to come.

Bree explained that we were going to do a very beautiful healing meditation, in honor of the people of Japan and the devastation that occurred there. She pressed a button and a ethereal song began - Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung. My classmates, with their enviable breath control, sang along in one tuneful exhale. I did my best, after an internal giggle over the "so hung" part. The room resonated with our voices. It was moving and powerful. By the time we were finished, several of us were in tears. I may have shed one or two myself.

By now, with the meditating and singing and praying and emoting,  I was pretty sure I was not in a Intro to Yoga class at all.  When I came home, feeling as clean and clear as a whistle, I rechecked the studio schedule online. Sure enough, I had joined a Kundalini yoga class, which ran at the same time as Yoga Basics. Kundalini is described as one of the more spiritual types of yoga that appeals to those who are up for both mental and physical challenges.

Given my purpose for the month of March, I can't help but think I ended up exactly where I was meant to be this morning. And if my chanting in any tiny way helped the people of Japan cope with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, I am grateful. Namaste.

 (The mantra we sung was very similar to the one in the video, below.)