Lift your vibration series: Breath.

"As long as you have breath, you have options"- Imani Cohen.

     I was first introduced to the practice of breath control, also known as pranayama, in 2018. One of my mother's dearest friends, C. Marie Long, was hosting a workshop. She has just returned from traveling the world and is a well-practiced yogi. During her class, she showed us how to retrain our breathing and told us we needed to be more informed about breathing correctly. She showed us three different meditative breathing techniques to assist in healing traumas and illnesses and clear your energetic channels. I had always remembered her lesson in retraining and controlling your breath. From then on, I realized I had been inhibiting myself from being in a better state. Even though I wasn't consistent at 18 with much of anything, especially spiritually, I began to implement it into my life in moments where I truly needed it, and it has never ceased to fail me. I even showed my closest friends when they were having bad times and felt nothing to do but revel in their deepest emotions. 

     There are many theories surrounding the importance of breath. I remember my 9th-grade English teacher telling our class that you are born with a certain amount of breaths. For instance, if you are a runner, your life span is much shorter than that of people who aren't. He was a habitual runner and the coach of the cross-country team, so the irony of his saying it led me to believe there had to be some truth to it. Breath control can be found in so many different forms: acting, yoga, martial arts, running, dancing, singing, rapping, and the list goes on. I have experienced breathing power in martial arts, yoga, working out, and meditation. 

     In martial arts, my sensei told me that with every punch I throw and every kick I land, he must hear the force of my breath. The breath sounds like a quick hiss, and you naturally contract your core to implement natural force. He was a seventh-degree black belt. He told us he had never met anyone who could move fast in a ring and breathe slowly. Your breath must match your movements, so you have more than strength backing you in the ring; you have raw energy. 

     If you can't control your breath, you can lose strength in vital organs in your body. When we are panting and gasping for breath, it puts even more strain on our bodies to push the oxygen throughout our bodies. In yoga, you are told to "inhale deeply through your nose and exhale slowly" to get a deeper stretch. The more oxygen you intake, the more it goes to your blood cells, allowing you to contract and expand them. The art of slow and in control plays a vital misrepresented part in this act. 

     You can train yourself to practice deep breathing while physically training. You sink into a meditative state and forget about the pain. I remember one night I came home from working a 10-hour shift. I had promised myself I would make the time to get in shape after work for at least 20 minutes. So I decided to go on a night run with my boyfriend. I noticed he was running so effortlessly, even though he had not been working out before that night. His pace remained the same, and his face remained neutral. At first, I thought it was because he had always had a natural athletic build and essence. But the closer I paid attention, his breath was deep and rhythmic. I began to mimic his breath, and at first, it was hard to do, but I caught the rhythm. It was as if I felt nothing else. I was utterly focused on breathing and propelling my body forward. We ran throughout the whole neighborhood for 20 minutes nonstop at night. That was yet another confirming moment for me: I could control my breath and conquer anything. 

     Breath is life; our bodies filter oxygen into carbon dioxide, which is natural and effortless. Just like living our everyday lives in our environment, we observe, internalize, and release; it is always our choice to filter through it. We can make the best of it or hold onto our emotions until we suffocate. I decided to start here in this series because of this belief. Sharing my experiences and how I created my routine to assist in filtering through life can help many others do the same. I made a 20-minute breath sequence by pulling from books I've read, such as "Healing Fear and Trauma with Pranayama and Qigong" by C. Marie Long. And by implementing kemetic yoga into my spiritual hygiene routine.

     The routine consists of deep belly breathing, breathing in four-second increments. Depending on how I feel, I do this 4-10 times before transitioning into a more strenuous form of breath. This ancient technique is known as fire breathing. This can be not easy when first starting, but keep trying. This technique will help you master your body and your life force energy known as chi. This quick, rapid-fire breath relieves stress immediately by forcefully pushing oxygen rapidly throughout the body directly from your core. At the end of the sequence, I end it with a breath sequence for healing inner traumas. You alternate from your thumb and index finger, closing your nostrils to breathe through them. This breath technique alone is potent. You become very present in breathing due to the rhythmic hand movements. 

There is no room for worry or fear; breathe.  

Check out our Instagram page @beamorganix to watch the video on this simple and very effective breath sequence.