The Importance of Breath in Yoga

Yoga is an ancient practice that we experience deep within our being. It focuses on building strength and flexibility whilst improving posture and stretching the spine. It helps to mobilise the joints, and it relaxes both the mind and the body. It allows us to move with our breath, boosting our physical and mental wellbeing.

Yoga is the union of the body, mind, and breath. It’s not just about getting into challenging āsanas, which is a good thing to aspire to if it’s what you want, but not at the expense of overlooking the many other benefits of yoga.

We are more than our bodies (flesh, bones, and organs, etc.). We are mainly driven by our minds; whatever goes on in the mind affects the body, and whatever goes on in the body affects the mind. Therefore, it’s vital that we work on our minds as well.

‘Yuj’ – Union of Body Mind and Breath

In a good yoga practice, there is a third element: the breath, which completes the union of body, mind, and breath. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word Yuj, meaning union, and it is the union of all three. The focus on correct breathing is what makes yoga so unique, as it acts as an anchor that keeps us in the present moment, in the ‘now’.

It is probably the hardest thing to do in yoga, but it is also what helps us go deeper into the āsana’s and calm our nervous system. It is this focus on the breath that transforms a yoga practice into a moving meditation.

To have a settled mind, we need a strong body, and for a healthy, strong body to support a stable mind, we need the breath to make our practice whole.

Yoga is unique in that it works equally on both our physical and mental bodies.