What do you control?

What do you have control over?

Three things:

1. Your first reactions? No. Your reaction to your reaction? Maybe.

2. Your mind. Maybe.

3. Your Breath! You can bring This Next Breath under voluntary control. Right now.

You have the power right now to bring your breath under voluntary control.…

Most of the time, our breath is on automatic pilot. We have thoughts, we think all the time, we spend our whole life lost in the whirl of voices in our heads.... and the breath, on automatic pilot, just follows the activity of the mind. If we are scared, we hold the breath. It gets short and choppy. The one thing every yoga or meditation student first notices about the breath, is that we unconsciously hold the breath, so many times a day. The moment difficulty arises, we hold the breath. We struggle; we force the breath. We gasp and sigh. We gulp the breath. When you really start to look at the breath all day long, you will notice the breath rhythm is broken and uneven most of the day. The more you observe the breath, the more you will notice how irregular and disordered it is.... pretty much all the time. The breath is usually secondary to the mind. The breath is on automatic pilot. It is reacting to the thoughts in your head.

Focus on This Next Breath!

Why does this matter?

The rhythm of the breath affects the rhythm of the heart. The lungs and the heart work together. When the breath is steady and smooth, it helps the heart find a steady smooth rhythm. When the breath is disordered and irregular, which is most of the time, it affects the heart rhythm. The heart and the lungs set up the internal rhythm of the body, which then affects the Liver, Kidneys, Stomach, Small Intestine, Large Intestine and on and on. All the physiological functions of the body get affected by the breath. The balance of your major organs, affects your mind. There is a connection.

Mind and breath go together. Instead of making mind predominant, make the awareness of breath predominant. Sounds easy, but it isn't at first. We are so addicted to the voices in our heads.

Make your primary focus the breath, all day long, as often as you can.

You have voluntary control over the breath. When you change your breath, you will harness the power of your mind. You will harness life itself.

Breath First!

The practice is to balance the breath, making the inhale and exhale smooth and even, and then ..... gradually extend the exhale. Sounds too simple.

(Yoga teachers: We don't impose ratios or counting on the breath. We don't use ujjaayee breath. If you use ujjaayee, the recommendation is to make it softer than a whisper, as light as the touch of a butterfly's wings. Most ujjaayee going around America is dysfunctional)

What are the benefits of  slightly extending the exhale?

Lowers blood pressure.

Slows down the heart.

Relaxes the body.

Relaxes the mind.

Increases  the focus the mind.

The list of benefits is very long and it goes on and on.

Okay, know that I know this truth. I will do just that. Why do I need this course?

"To Know, and to not yet do, is to not yet know."

Actually "knowing a universal truth" is not enough.

Changing your breath habits is like changing your diet or changing your religion. Not so easy, but it can be done. Our breath is deeply wired into our nervous system. With repeated awareness throughout the day, you will be successful in smoothing out your breath and extending the exhale. You must practice, practice, practice; there is no other way. Imagine being peaceful in the middle of a crisis! You live deep inside with your breath, regulating your breath and not letting it be on autopilot or in a reactionary state. The outside world happens and you stay with your breath. Developing even a little mastery over the breath is one of the greatest, if not The Greatest Life skill of all.

This course will patiently guide you, day after day after day, for the rest of your life. 

We use the "Ashram Method,"  comprised of four foundational principles: Commitment, Support, Structure and Daily Inspiration. (Commitment to practice, online support and community, daily structure and daily inspiration.) It changes lives.

Now is the time to begin your yoga practice for real. This is the yoga practice that you can use on your death bed. The one that will save you during childbirth. The one to get you through life's most difficult moments. Deep down inside, everyone knows the power of the breath.

Join us.