To Your Health
September 2007

Along the Mountain Path
by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

If you look at the breath in the form of the respiratory system, it is physical. But when the action of the breath on the mind is studied and understood, it becomes spiritual. Pranayama is the bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Hence, pranayama is the hub of yoga."
-- B.K.S. Iyengar, The Tree of Yoga

Becoming aware of the breath is an accessible way to calm the mind, and come into the experience of the present moment. For this reason, I usually start class with what I call the "3-part breath." It is also the first thing taught in an Introduction class! Many students have told me that they use this simple practice to get back to sleep if they wake up in the night. This technique also teaches dharana (concentration) and pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from the external to the internal).

Begin by lying on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor to release your low back. Extend the back of the skull away from the shoulders, so the back of the neck is lengthened, and the chin and forehead are level. Let your eyes relax down toward your heart, and close them. Start by simply noticing how you feel. What's going on in your body? What's going on in your mind? How do you feel emotionally? See if you are judging what you feel, and begin to let go of judgment, simply being aware of what is.

Watch your breath. Feel the breath coming in and out, and don't try to "fix" or change it. Just watch! As you watch, it will change. This is the nature of the body-mind connection! Observe the length and fullness of your inhalations and exhalations. Inhalation is stimulating, exciting the sympathetic nervous system, and exhalation is relaxing, exciting the parasympathetic nervous system. Now encourage your breath to come into balance by lengthening the exhalation. This helps you to relax, and at the same time, makes more room for a full breath to come in. Balancing the breath brings you into a state of alert relaxation.

As your breath deepens and balances, notice if it is moving freely into the low lobes of the lungs. This is where you have the most capillary surface for the absorption of oxygen. You will notice that the contents of the bowl of the pelvis gently rise as the breath comes in, and fall as the breath goes out. Now take your attention to the mid-lung, and look for a gentle expansion of the rib cage as the breath comes in and a release down and in as the breath goes out. Finally, take your attention to the upper lobes of the lungs, and look for expansion and release around the breastbone, all the way up by the collar bones. Now you are aware of the movement of your breath in the low lung, the mid-lung, and in the upper lobes of the lungs. Take a moment to notice how you feel, and see if something is already changing.

Watching your breath in this way brings body and mind into harmony, and will help to expand your breathing capacity. Remember not to judge yourself! It will be different on different days!

May you stay mindfully alert and relaxed, and supported by the gift of breath as you walk along the mountain path. Namaste'.

Sarah Kilpatrick, E. R.Y.T., practices (and teaches) yoga at Mountain Path Yoga Studio on the third floor of Barman's Country Store in downtown Colville. For information about classes, call (509) 684-0965.

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