I have never enjoyed the breathing exercises conducted in yoga classes.
That’s because I was always short of breath. I usually went out of breath at the count of 4 when the count should be 6. I don’t like the idea that I can’t breathe properly!
On the first or second day of YTT, Jessica touched on the topic Pranayama. She said Pranayama is the expansion of life force. There are many breathing techniques which can help with that expansion. She had us sat through 15 minutes of Ujjayi breathing. That was quite a torture for me, not so much of the sitting still, but the out-of-breath feeling. The breathing in of air could not reach deep in to my stomach, and the speed of breathing out was too fast. So when this cycle repeated for so many times, I got slightly giddy, and, no control of my life force.
That was my first experience of pranayama.
Now we have practised for so many times, and we have learned many other breathing techniques, I have come to enjoy the breathing exercises! No more giddiness and I can breathe in for 6 or 7 counts! I’m quietly thrilled on this small achievement of me breathing better, slower and steadier.
So, I’m now more in control of expanding my life force! Yeah!
