breathe in. breathe out.

"‘Prana’ refers to the universal life force and ‘ayama’ means to regulate or lengthen. Prana is the vital energy needed by our physical and subtle layers, without which the body would perish. It is what keeps us alive.

Pranayama is the control of prana through the breath. These techniques rely on breathing through the nostrils. The ancient sages of India realized these breathing techniques.

Practiced correctly, under the right supervision pranayama brings harmony between the body, mind and spirit, making one physically, mentally and spiritually strong."

Rain plagued my first day of summer, but I welcomed the water as I am a fan of its representation of renewal of life and replenishment. There is a scent in the air that comes with the falling of rain. Candles are made with the aspiration of achieving the scent. It's one of freshness, change, and hope.

I stopped counting the days of this 100 day challenge. I know the end date (sometime in August before I return back to school), but counting each and every day took the joy out of the project. I know I am day 30-something, so one-third of the way to the finish line. The change in me thus far is quite unique. Doing yoga every day has brought me a stability that I have never experienced. Each day there is time set aside for my body, mind, and soul to align.

Today I used a youtuber, Adriene, to complete an at-home routine. As a warm-up, she presented a specific breathing technique in which you alternate inhaling and exhaling through your nostrils. The design is to open your inner-breathing channels that allow your body and your mind to communicate directly. It was completely relaxing. We often sprint through our days. I am guilty. Checklists, appointments, traffic, commercials, deadlines, long-term goals, short-term goals, and constant stimuli.

The technique of Pranayama is an act we can control. So often the previous list of actions help us feel in control when in reality they are just organizational techniques we use to attempt control of outside factors. Yes, they are all helpful, but when we become motivated only by these factors we begin to input our energy into the wrong things. Pranayama centers one.

Our complete ignorance to the act of breath is a major underlying factor for the stress we feel in our daily lives. It is vital to our being, yet we pay no mind to it. We breathe shallow breaths. We become out of breath. We exhale long breaths. We inhale sharp breaths. We ignore the breath. And we suffer.

But you don't have to suffer. Instead of exhausting your energy in the illusion of control, you have the ability to gain inner control through the practice of connecting your breath to your body; consequently, opening up your ability to find inner balance and peace.

**https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/yoga/breathing-techniques/yoga-and-pranayama