The Little Book of Yoga Breathing: Pranayama Made Easy — Book Review
Just imagine if you are not able to breathe? You would be declared dead isn’t?
A few months back when my Yoga teacher taught me how to breathe while walking I was amazed by the idea and experience I witnessed. I mean, I have just experienced walking, but how can one be mindful and yet walk, its an experience in itself.
And this book is all about that, giving breathing a front seat and let it drive us. It’s really beautiful how by just breathing correctly one can boost their metabolism, get away with anxiety and experience calmness. No other medicine needed!
The author of the book is Scott Shaw who has been teaching Yoga for around 25 years.
One of the most important aspects covered in this book is “physical exercise”. Many of us [ including me] used to believe that if I have done some physical exercise, I would be healthy, but this book clear that myth stating —
it is not possible for you to revitalize yourself through exercise — particularly when you find yourself time-crunched and dragging at the end of a workday spent primarily behind the desk. Fortunately there is another way for you to tap into the energy level experienced by the consummate athlete. That method is known by the ancient Sanskrit word pranayama.
The book also talks about “Breathing Essentials” with a question like –
1. Are you inhaling through your nose or your mouth?
2. Do your chest and stomach expand or contract when you breathe in
3. Does your in-breath travel deeply into your abdomen or does it finalize in your chest?
4. what do you feel as life-giving oxygen enters and exits your body? [ This one made me think, as I never thought about ”life-giving”]
The Book has also categorized each type of breathing exercise so that you can pick according to your conditions like calming breaths, energy-enhancing breaths, or breathing while standing and walking etc.
I also got to know that deep breathing makes you awake, another type of breathing could induce sleep and is used to treat insomnia.
Overall, a highly recommended book to expand your knowledge and let you experience “unexplored side of yourself”.
What else one would need to reconnect back to your core? — Just some breathing!
