Blowing Out Candles
Birthdays mark another year on this earth. We celebrate by blowing out candles on our birthday cake as we make a wish.
Exhaling with pursed lips, much like blowing out candles, provides a wonderful breathing practice which gives us stability in our core when dynamically moving in and out of postures and steadiness while holding them.
A Short Inquiry - ‘who’ breath
know your body, respect your limits, modify where needed - a key yoga practice
Posture set-up:
begin seated upright in a chair
feet parallel and hip width apart
if possible, free the feet from shoes or slippers👣
sit evenly on both sitz bones, wiggle a bit to feel them
root the tailbone into the chair-seat while at the same time, feel the spine lengthen with natural curves upwards
gently relax the shoulders allowing sides of neck to release
tuck chin slightly, back of neck lengthens, crown of head lifts up
eyes gaze softly forward and slightly down or softly close them
allow facial muscles to soften
sense an inner smile with gently closed lips
Abdominal Breath:
breath in and out through the nose
without forcing, allow your abdominal wall to be soft and giving
place hands on your belly, notice
inhale abdomen gently expands
exhale abdomen gently contracts
stay with this for a few breaths
‘Who’ (Diaphragmatic) Breath:
breath in through the nose
breath out through pursed lips like blowing out a candle gently
make a soft ‘who’ sound on the exhale
Explore the Movement
keep with the ‘who’ breath for 10 to 20 rounds
sense into a smooth, open and easy feeling with the breath
if you find yourself straining, take a few normal breaths and then resume
with each successive ‘who’ breath, notice with curiosity:
a slight containment of the abdominal wall on the inhale:
place one hand on the belly and one on the lower back
belly no longer comes forward like abdominal breath
instead internal organs move towards back of spine and out to the sides
how this breath increases intra-abdominal pressure:
stabilizing the lumbar (lower spine)
turning on core muscles like transverse abdominis (think of a corset being tightened)
ribs, collarbones and shoulders broaden on inhales
spine becomes more erect
whole torso stable
mind focused, emotions calming down
keeping with ‘who’ breath, get up and walk around
notice what you notice, what feels different for you?
use this breath when needing core strength in moving and lifting
Everyday Living
After learning this breath, I spontaneously use it a lot when bike riding or walking. Also when getting ready to lift something heavy.
Yoga Practice
The ‘who’ breath is a great alternative to the Ujjayi Breath (Ocean Breath). This breath helps one become more aware of when one is inhaling and when one is exhaling. An added benefit of the ‘who’ breath, is that your mouth muscles get more activated giving you some face yoga.
Experiment using this breath when lowering into Plank, pushing back in Down Dog or holding a Warrior I pose.
Discover Amazing
Make a wish! See and feel yourself living your best life. Life is worth it! Blow out birthday candles daily. Life is a miracle. You are worthy. Discover the amazing power and strength within you.