#7 Why is focus on the breath important?
As you have noticed, one of the first exercises in some of the daily playlists is focused only on breathing and the breath is a focus of instruction during each exercise. The breath is an important part of each exercise and, obviously, our daily life.
It is ironic that each of us has been breathing continuously since the moment of our birth, yet in many ways, we know so little about it. Wonderfully, our bodies can breathe by habit, without us intentionally controlling it; we breathe even when we are unconscious. However, because we can breathe by habit, we often do, moving through life without ever paying attention to our breath. Yet, when we pay attention to our breath, it provides an opportunity to notice subtleties that are easily overlooked when we breathe only by habit. There can be great benefit – physically, energetically, and emotionally, from noticing the subtleties of the body as we breathe.
When we focus our attention on the breath and notice the physical body as we inhale and exhale, we are better able to notice, and then release, some of the muscular holding, or engagement, that also occurs by habit. Releasing muscle engagement allows the muscles to stretch as we inhale and release tension as we exhale. It can feel as though the warm breath softens the muscles upon inhale, allowing the muscles to stretch like warm taffy; upon exhale, it can feel as though we release that tension from the body.
When we focus our attention on noticing the subtleties of the breath and the body as we breathe, we tend to direct our attention away from the chatter and constant “movie” in our mind that is dominated by the “to do” lists, the judgments, the worries, and the fantasies. As we focus on our breath, we are fully present in the current moment. Even a few minutes of this type of focused breathing can begin to reduce physical and emotional tension, cultivating a sense of calm in the body and mind. Physically, the body begins to feel more comfortable and less tension. Energetically the body feels more vibrant and relaxed. Emotionally, the body-mind feels more at peace.
