Day 20
Build a Consistent Home Practice
April 1 – 29, 2016
Day 20 – Pranayama (Breath Work)
HOT AND COLD! SUN & MOON! WELCOME TO DAY 20!
You are awesome!!! Way to go getting to Day 20!!! You are made of strong stuff for certain.
Today’s breath work practice is wonderfully soothing and calming. It’s great to do if you’re feeling worked up or if you need to get yourself working! The reason is because the right and left nostrils are associated with particular feelings. The right is associated with an action oriented, fiery, hot mood (think Sun). The left is connected to the cooler, more introspective, intuitive nature (think Moon).
If we balance the two energies we feel peaceful. It is one of the most popular breathing exercises in yoga, for this very reason.
On a side note,I have been super excited to get to Day 21 because I have a real treat for you. My favorite deep restorative practice – Yoga Nidra (Yogi’s sleep).
This will be my parting gift to you and big reward for making it through 21 days of yoga with me :). Tomorrow you will be able to download the audio and take it with you 🙂 So if you find yourself lacking energy, not sleeping well, or just feeling totally drained this will be the best practice you could give yourself. After a Yoga Nidra practice, you will feel deeply rested and your energy restored. It’s even better than a power nap!!!
Let’s get on with the practice.
Plan for about 8 minutes with today’s pranayama practice. Grab a seat!
PLEASE NOTE:
Once we complete our 21 day journey together I will leave up the pages and videos for an extra week. Then on May 8th they all will be coming down. If you’ve missed a practice, or 2, or 3 🙂 sneak them in on the weekends, or the extra week we’ll have. Because they’ll be going away May 8th. The next challenge will be in July. So mark your calendars! It will be great to take with you on vacation!
Quick Question
Which nostril was dominate for you?
Let me know your strong side in the form below or a comment on Facebook. 🙂
My right nostril was the dominate side. I am fiery hot with excitement over our 21 day challenge! I should cool down a little.
QUICK REMINDER:
The intention for this 21 Day Challenge series is to do something everyday Monday – Friday. We are focusing on doing the basics at home and getting into a rhythm. Pace and modify according to you needs. I will always give you options. Remember you know yourself best, listen to your instincts.
Download Your Journal Page
Click on here to download the Journal Page (then simply click the print icon or download arrow to save it to your computer). I have filled in a sample one for you to see at the bottom of the page. Get creative and find wonderful color pens!
Let’s play!
Here’s the video to guide you through the pranayama. Check it out! Remember to share comments on my Facebook page or share pictures of your 21 Day Challenge with me on Instagram.
Benefits of Pranayama
(Breath Work):
LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
- I was able to experiment with this benefit. I took my blood pressure before doing a breath work exercise and then again after I did the breath work. My blood pressure did lower!
DECREASE OVERWHELM, STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION
- We’ve all heard the “take 10 deep breaths” before we act on a strong emotion. The deep breath will trigger receptors in the bottom of our lungs that send messages to our parasympathetic nervous system that even though things may be stressful, there is no saber tooth tiger waiting to pounce on us. It’s not a situation of fight or flight. Just every day craziness. Which means there is no need to pump stressful cortisol hormones into our system that make us retain or gain weight! Ack no! Stress is not bad, it makes us stronger. It’s when stress becomes overwhelm, too much, that we move into di-stress or dis-ease. Breathe 🙂
CLARITY OF THOUGHT
- When we’re agitated our breath is usually shallow and short. Think about the angry red faced person. Sometimes we’re fearful that they’re actually not breathing! When we take those deep breaths the big emotions start to dissipate and we are left with a bigger vision. Solutions become more apparent and we are no longer swayed by distractions.
BOOST YOUR ENERGY
- Breath is life force, energy, prana. When we make space for a deeper breath, we are making room for more life. More energy. There is a Sanskrit proverb that says, “For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.”
Journal Example
with light and love,
Missed a Challenge?
No worries, click on the day below to catch up. 🙂
Week 1 – Get your body moving.
Day 1
Restorative Yoga – Reclined Bound Angle
Day 2
Vinyasa Monday – Flowing Yoga Sequence
Day 3
Day 4
Vinyasa – Fire Up the Core Yoga Sequence
Day 5
Day 6
Restorative – Legs Up the Couch
Week 2 – Where’s your spirit?
Day 7
Day 8
Meditation – You Are What You Think!
Day 9
Vinyasa – Let’s Dance in the Sunlight!
Day 10
Pranayama – Breathe In, Breathe Out.
Day 11
Restorative Yoga – That’s How We Roll!
Week 3 – Where’s your spark?
Day 12
Vinyasa – Let’s Get Our Hearts Pumping!
Day 13
Meditation – The Answers are Within (Flame Meditation)
Day 14
Vinyasa – When in Doubt, Dance it Out!
Day 15
Day 16
Restorative – Open Up Those Sides
Week 4 – Shoot for the moon!
Day 17
Vinyasa – Dancing in the Moonlight
Day 18
Meditation – All You Need is Love!
Day 19
Comments or Questions? Send them to me here and I will get back with you as soon as I can.