Breathing Techniques with Mackenzie
This course is about the science and ancient yogic wisdom behind breathing and the mind body connection. You will learn about pranayama or mindful breathing techniques as well as their benefits with Mackenzie. Included are 6 practices, each about 10 minutes long where she will guide you through:
1. Three Part Breath
2. Breath of Victory
3. Box Breath
4. Calming Breath
5. 2x Breath
6. Relaxation Meditation
In each practice, she will give you a detailed explanation about why, when and how to use each of these yogic breathing techniques, as well as teach you the Sanskrit names for each. Also included is a Relaxation Meditation where you can put your new skills into practice.
Once you've complete this course, you'll have a better understanding of how to apply pranayama in practice and feel more confident about it next time it comes up in a yoga class.
Important things to remember:
-Always follow your own pace, you should never feel rushed.
-Allow for your natural capacity of breath, every body is different, different bodies allow for different volumes of air capacity, trust your own.
-Never allow your breathing to feel forced, stressed or too intense. Remember the point of these exercises is to cultivate calmness, not induce a stress response.
-Although breathing techniques often involve breathing through the nose, it is okay if this is not available to you. You are welcome to breathe in a way that is comfortable and supportive to you.
When are Pranayama exercises not a great idea?
The only time you might want to avoid some of these breathing techniques would be if you have a throat or sinus irritation, inflammation or lung infection.
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Three Part Breath
This breathing technique might also be referred to as 3 dimensional breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. It has been studied extensively and proven to calm the nervous system connecting the mind and body. Once you get used to this way of breathing the Dirgha breath can be used during physical pr...
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Breath of Victory
This breathing technique is both energizing and calming. It helps to anchor the mind and internalize awareness by focusing on the sound the breath creates. It is commonly used during Asana to deepen practice. This breath creates a sound that some describe as a “Darth Vader” noise, or a hissing so...
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Box Breath with Mackenzie
In Sanskrit, Sama means same or equal and Vritti can mean waves or breath, so this pranayama is about equalizing breaths. This technique is great for reducing stress. It has a nice visualization and is also great for kids. The ultimate goal of this practice is to have equal amounts of inhaling, h...
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Calming Breath with Mackenzie
This exercise can be done seated or lying down. It consists of 2 sips of air in through the nose and 1 long exhale through the mouth. It is great because it connects to a natural function of the body that we often do after crying to calm us down or catch our breath. The double inhale maximally in...
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2x Breath with Mackenzie
This technique is simple and effective. The whole purpose is that the exhale becomes twice as long as the inhale. As you focus on counting and lengthening each exhale you start to feel all the benefits of this breathing exercise. You can do this anytime, anywhere and no one will even notice. It’s...
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Relaxation Meditation with Mackenzie
Sit with Mackenzie for this 10 minute meditation to relax your mind and body.
