Inhale/Exhale Pose-Yogic tool box series

    Tools to deal with default behavior!

Last week we talked about default behavior.  What do you do when life and events get a little heated.  There are specific tools which yoga brings to the table to handle these default behaviors.  When I feel myself getting stressed, or having a tight feeling in my belly which I have come to recognize as fear, I mindfully begin to breathe.

I learned from one of my yoga instructors, her method of staying calm and centered is to say to yourself as  you are breathing, I am breathing in, I am breathing out as you inhale and exhale out of your nose.   This self-talk brings mindfulness to the breath, which in turn calms the mind and the nervous system.  I teach this to my own kids and when I teach yoga to children.

Having  this simple, yet powerful tool, can turn a potentially crazy situation into a calm one by the use of the breath.