Breathing and Learning

What separates yoga from other forms of exercise is the constant and continual awareness of breath. The breath is the link between the mind and the body. Every moment of our life, our breath affects how we feel – and how we feel affects our breath. Most of us tend toward rapid, shallow breathing. This pattern is associated with feeling calm and relaxed. Deep slow breaths are also much more effective at getting oxygen into our blood streams, whichs helps us feel more alert and focused. This state of being both relaxed and alert is the optimal state of learning. When we bring more oxygen to the brain, we function at our best!