If you told me seven years ago that I'd be writing a blog post called, "The Miracle of Conscious Breathing", I'd have let out a deep, sarcastic belly laugh. Why?

Because I still struggle with it. Hell, if you read my last post, even Ana Forrest called me out on it - nicely. Yes, I still hold my breath in poses - robbing myself (and you, probably) of the deep healing breaths we both deserve.

I started a regular yoga practice over ten years ago, mostly chasing the "exercise" - the asana. My teacher, Cruz, was fantastic. Killer playlist with songs we all knew (including a Prince tribute the class after he died) Hands-on assists that actually helped. The group got tight. We even grabbed dinner afterwards sometimes. No heavy dharma talks, no intense intents. Just fun. I loved how I felt after.

When Cruz moved away, I flailed. Every excuse in the book: "No one will be like Cruz" Hello co-dependency! "I don't like the woo-woo stuff." Sound familiar? I avoided classes struggled with jumping forward, and couldn't sync my breath. Three breaths for the teacher felt like twelve ones for me.

Add in my high stress executive sales career. Stress devoured me for lunch and spit me out for dinner. No amount of road bike miles or martinis could stop being drowned the anxiety and stress shadowing me. One of my regrets is not discovering yoga and pranayama sooner. It would have made me better for my clients. More present.

Then, I quit the martinis. Yoga became an important part of this life pivot. Yoga was my reward. I found teachers I clicked with, the first real breath connection hit in a downward dog during an Ashtanga class. Elora, the owner at Evolve Yoga: Wellness + Nutrition cues breath pose holds in a way that finally let me pace myself. The repetition of the same sequence freed my brain. I could relax into the pranayama instead of the stressing about the next pose.

Teacher training sealed it: Exhale to close/fold (forward bend). Inhale to expand/open (mountain pose). Finally, a damn roadmap for this breathwork chaos.

Every yoga teacher training has a pranayama module. ujjayi, alternate nostril, box breathing, bhramari (bee breath), kapalabhati (breath of fire), and my favourite, dirga (three part breath)

But why the obsession in yoga with inhaling and exhaling? What do you actually get?

Pranayama stands alone as the fourth limb in Patanjali's eight limbed path. It is the crucial bridge between the physical (asana) and the internal (meditation, concentration). It controls prana, your life force, calms the nervous system, expands energy, and prepares the mind for deeper awareness.

Breath is your first cry at birth and your last sigh at death. It is the bookends of your life. Ignore it, and you are simply going through the motions. Master it (hello, fellow control lovers), and you stay present, linking the body to the mind and yes, your spirit, your energy force also called prana. It completes the holistic shift from asana to pratyahara (mastery over external influences).

Controlled breath lowers blood pressure, eases panic, quiets anxiety, boosts health (nose over mouth, every time) and opens the door to genuine happiness and better well being.

When you lock into pranayama, its damn near impossible to spiral over laundry, deadlines, grocery lists, or on going drama. Presence hits.

I came for the workout. Pranayama is the vessel to inner work, to a deeper, and spicier life. I'm still learning to breathe fully. Yeah, I catch myself holding it more than I would like. Let's get better together. That is why it's a yoga practice not a competition.

Close your eyes and try this simple dirga breath:

• Inhale through your nose - fill your belly like a balloon

• inhale into your ribcage - feel it expand sideways.

• Top off the breath at your collar bones

• Retain the breath for a count of 3 or more

• Release and exhale through the nose

• First the collar bones relax

• Then the diaphragm

• ... and the belly retreats to the spine

• repeat 3x

Think about how you feel. No really. Connect your mind to how you actually feel different. - A-HA or in Forrest Yoga, A-HO!

Hard facts: Nose breathing (as nature intended) filters germs better, boosts circulation and nitric oxide for energy, cuts stress, and beats month breathing for oxygen uptake and calm.

Prana is the real miracle - your built in life force. Appreciate it, control it, and it ferries you from the noisy world to inner peace. It is available to you when your mat isn't. In an meeting, doctors office, traffic, and arguments your breath goes with you.

Want to understand more ? I recommend reading: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor.

Breathe deep, my friends. We've got this.

A-HO.