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What would we do without our breath? Ignored by most of us, it is essential to our life, and paying attention to how we breathe can upgrade our quality of living. Have you noticed when you step outdoors on a brisk, winter day that your lungs are eager to draw in the oxygen of fresh, invigorating air? Your breaths are deep and long. You fill your lungs to capacity. You are replenished and re-vitalized. Assuredly, deep breathing calms the body and harmonizes the thoughts. Shallow breathing on the otherhand––an effect of a busy life, negative emotional states, spending more time indoors and exercising less––reduces our vitality because we are not taking in enough oxygen and not eliminating enough carbon dioxide.

Breathing, for most people, is an involuntary function of the body. For you, however, it can be a conscious act. You can become skillful at consciously controlling your inhalation and exhalation, coordinating them with the movements of a yoga posture. Learn to breathe more efficiently and you will feel more relaxed and have less pain. You can even reduce the workload on your heart, thus lowering blood pressure.

Philosophically, consider the rhythmic inhale and exhale as opportunities to let go of the “old and stale” in your life (that which no longer benefits or serves you) and to draw in the “new and fresh” (that which re-energizes and nurtures your spirit).

So what is the golden key to your health? Your breath. It has always been there, right under your nose.