Breath & Gaze: Pranayama & Drishti
Running to the 6 train, you are panting, the people on the streets become only a blur, your eyes can focus on nothing but wildly flit around your forehead catching small glimpses of everything you pass as you rush to get to…YOGA CLASS!!!! By the time you make it to class, your tight hamstrings aren’t the only things that need a little Yoga. Phew!

How often does the average person think about inhaling and exhaling? Suprisingly, we are rarely mindful of the one physical act that keeps us alive. Without inhaling and exhaling, there would be nothing; there would be no life. On the most basic level, it is important to ‘know’ how to breathe correctly anatomically. You want to let the diaphragm move freely and the rib cage expand fully on each inhale and allow the stomach and rib cage to fall back down on the exhale. The idea of showing the slightest bit of an expanded belly usually horrifies us so much that we rarely let our breath free. Run Free Breath, Run Free.

After you have mastered the right way to breathe, you reach the most difficult part of breathing… Awareness. Voluntary breathing is not a trivial subject, but on the contrary, one that even doctors have taken notice of. When you voluntarily control your breath, as in Yoga, you essentially force your nervous system to ‘switch’ over to a lower stress system, which provides moments of relaxation for the body and immune system. It is hard to believe that as you are sweating and sun-saluting, you are actually giving your immune system a rest. Your body is happy to have you finally take control of your own breathing for a while.

As you learn to pay attention to your breath, you will notice how many different qualities it possesses. When you are feeling tires and worn out, your breath reflects your lack of energy, and conversely you will have loud strong breathing while your energy is greatest. By bringing attention to your breath, you are bringing attention to your won energy levels. Those who practice Yoga regularly can immediately notice that their best practices are accompanied with breathing so loud that they can fill an entire room with just the roar of their exhale. As a teacher, I am always listening to students’ breath in order to assess their readiness for assistance and comfort level with their practice. Ashtanga may be known for it’s vigorous asana practice, but just as I say to all beginner students…. “The breathing will eventually become the hardest part of this practice.”

Less difficult, but just as important as your breath, is your eye focus, your drishti. All day long your eyes move from object to object and your mind is racing to keep up with the new images being presented. If you just allow your eyes to only look at one object, your mind will be forced to ‘just be.’ We now live in such a world where even closing credits to movies move too fast to read them. So you need not feel guilty if your get bored just looking at your thumb for five breaths. It takes time, but leaving you eyes focused can actually become enjoyable. You will know you have mastered the drishtis when it no longer makes any difference how many people are in the room doing practice with you, but rather you don’t even notice any of them.

So, next time you are running for the 6 train, listen to your breath, keep you eyes focused on a bright, happy color, and you will be starting your Yoga practice before you even get to class!