Exhale & Release

"You have to drop a sandbag to get your balloon off the ground." - Love, Peace and Misunderstanding

To move forward, you have to drop the things that are holding you back.  Excess baggage can come in the form of many things such as a job that doesn't suit you or memories that won't allow you to live in the present.  Yoga teaches us that the best way to let go of the past and live in the present is to focus on the exhalation.

Exhalation helps your body relax and release tension. Each exhalation will help you discover ease in your practice and help you to go deeper and deeper into any pose. Mentally, exhalation can help unclog the clutter in your brain.  In his book, Light on Life, B.K.S Iyengar explains:

"With an exhalation and retention, you let go of resentment, anger, envy and rancor.  Exhalation is a sacred act of surrender, of self-abandonment.  At the same time, we abandon all those stored up impurities that cling to the self-our resentments, angers, regrets, desires, envies, frustrations, and feelings of superiority and inadequacy and also the negativity that causes the obstacles to adhere to consciousness...  We get so used to carrying this sack of rubbish around that we even conclude it is just part and parcel of our character."

These toxic memories that Iyengar writes about can also affect the physical body. Impurities can build up in our muscles, joints and fascia, too.  During your practice, I'm sure you have noticed that every day is different.  Yesterday you could touch your toes - but for whatever reason - today you are as stiff as a board.  For example, during your first round of sun salutations, when you swan dive into standing forward bend - you may notice that your hamstrings feel extremely tight and you need a block to assist you with the pose.  Today, instead of using the block, try a little experiment:

  

Part 1:

• Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
• Inhale your arms up over head
• Exhale, Swan dive down into Utanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
• Try to place each hand flat on the floor beside each foot
• If you can't do it - don't force it
• Notice the tension you feel in your back body
• Inhale, slowly come back up to standing position

Part 2:

• Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
• Inhale your arms up over head
• Exhale, Swan dive down into Utanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
• Instead of reaching for the floor, grasp each of your elbows with your hands
• Take a deep breath in
• As you exhale, feel your body relax - notice how in that moment of relaxation, your upper body surrenders with a little more ease and allows you to fold deeper (imagine that you are sending your exhalation to your hamstrings)
• After about five rounds of breath, slowly roll up to a standing position.
• Let your head be the last thing to come up.

Compare both versions.  Were you able to fold deeper when you focused on your exhalation?  

Don't assume you are the same person today as you were yesterday. Approach every practice with an accurate assessment of your current state.

Apply this experiment to everyday life.  Next time you're in a tight spot, ride the entire wave of your breath.  You're mind will gain instant clarity.

When in doubt - breathe it out!

Namaste!