Hello, friends! We are covering a lot of yoga ground in just a few days and I’ m so happy you are hanging in with me. Yesterday, we discussed some of the physical benefits of starting a yoga practice.
Today we are discussing my FAVORITE PART of the physical practice of HOLY YOGA. This technique can be done anytime I need it, anywhere I need it. And so can you! I want to say something magical happens when you practice this, but I don’t believe in magic. I do believe in God’s supernatural power though, so let’s call it that!
This secret sauce is………..
The Breath
I would like to hand you this lesson in a beautifully wrapped box with a beautiful bow. The breath really is a gift from the Father. It’s our first gift from Him and our last, this side of eternity, at least.
The breath can create energy and heat. It can cool us down. It can control anxiety, help us focus, enable us to get deeper into a yoga pose, and provide pain control.
God has created us so that we don’t have to focus on this bodily function, but if we do learn to breathe with intention, it becomes more than just the thing that keeps our body alive.
Ok. That sounds weird, I know. I can’t explain it very well!
I believe our breath itself is Holy and I love the creation account surrounding it. Here’s a little review:
God created the heavens and the earth, light, day and night, plants, animals.
Then MAN.
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
When God breathes, things happen.
Adam was just dust until God breathed life unto him. The breath of God has power.
Tips for Intentional Breathing
* Inhale deeply, Exhale long, Inhale completely, Exhale strong.
* Let your belly expand on the inhale. Fill your lungs clear to the top.
* Nice slow exhale through the nose, drawing navel toward the spine at the end.
* We all breathe naturally by habit, but begin to breathe with intention…..oceanic breath in, oceanic wave out
* I love to visualize the breath going up the front side of the body on the inhale and down the backside on the exhale- breath on a continuous life-giving loop.
* Sometimes I use an acronym for the breath: LESS. It stands for Light, Easy, Soft and Slow. When it comes to the breath, LESS is more.
* Try to inhale to a count of six. Exhale to a count of six.
Practice One: Put on your favorite worship music, sit in a comfortable spot, or lie on your mat. Close your eyes. Begin breathing intentionally using some of the tips above. Try it for 5 minutes. Listen for the Lord in your spirit. Notice: How do I feel?
Practice Two: Here are some of my favorite scriptures about God’s breath. Meditate on them as you sit or lie on your mat, breathing in God’s grace and exhaling praise!
Psalm 34 The Message (MSG)
A David Psalm, When He Outwitted Abimelech and Got Away
34 I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. 2 I live and breathe God; if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy: 3 Join me in spreading the news; together let’s get the word out. 4 God met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears.
Psalm 33:6-9
The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses.
Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence.
I LOVE this beautiful breath prayer written by one of my very talented friends.
BREATHE IN…BREATHE OUT Written by Donna (Ensign) Woods, a dear friend Prayer.
The breath of my soul, Mending wounds to make me whole Breathe in. Breathe out. Removing fear and doubt. Clearing the fog so I may see the straight and narrow ahead of me. Breathe deep and be refreshed to strengthen for trail or test. The sweet aroma soothes my soul when life takes its toll. Fill my lungs, cleanse my mind His peace I come to find. So natural and easy to do the breath of life to renew. Breathe in. Breathe out that’s what prayer is all about Exhale…confessing my sin. Inhale… being blessed again on bended knee….I breathe And Satan hastens to leave. I’m resuscitated …by God’s breath so all of Him…and none of me is left. Breathe in. Breathe out from the mountain tops, I shout. Prayer…life’s breath to my soul keeping my focus on the goal. Communing with the Father above Breathe in His awesome love. Praising God with every breath every moment of life I have left.
Coming soon! A breathing mediation for you! In the meantime, let your lungs expand with praise.