How Breath Can Transform Your Yoga Practice
In every North Ray Yoga class, before a single shape is made, before the hips warm or the spine lengthens, we begin with something deceptively simple: silence. It’s easy to overlook this moment, to think it’s just a pause before the “real” practice begins. But the quiet at the start and end of class is intentional. It is the doorway into one of the most powerful tools we have—our breath.
Breath as the Anchor of Practice
Yoga Asana, or Yoga posture, actually means “Seat.” The postures were designed in order to allow for a free flow of energy in the body and mind that enable us to, metaphorically, or literally, sit in peace. There are endless asanas and variations, but beneath them all is one constant thread: the breath. And the breath is the entry point for becoming present and form calming mind and body to truly sit and be, observe, and deeply feel, in each and every posture.
The Sanskrit word prāṇa does mean “breath” but it also means “life force” or “vital energy.” Breath doesn’t just power movement; it shapes our consciousness.
When you breathe with awareness, the entire practice shifts. Movements become steadier. Focus sharpens. The mind becomes less reactive, both on and off the mat. And, instead of simply doing yoga, you begin experiencing yoga.
If You Think You Can't Meditate, You Already Can
Many students come to us saying, “My mind is too busy, I can’t meditate.” We can all relate to the feeling of being unable to stop the busy mind. Many yoga texts link the mind to a monkey, jumping from tree to tree, thought to thought.
The good news? Meditation and breathwork is not about stopping thoughts. It’s about noticing them and coming back to the one thing that is always occuring the present moment, in the right-here-right-now - the breath.
Every time you lengthen your exhale, sit with your inhale, or simply observe the rise and fall of your ribcage, you are practicing meditation. You are engaging in the same method used by countless practitioners across centuries, from yogis to monks to healers.
In fact, the Buddha himself was said to have become enlightened under the Bodhi tree while practicing ānāpāna sati—the observation of the breath. Not visualization. Not mantra. Just breath. The simplest and most universal meditation that is accessible to all.
Why We Begin and End With Silence
When we first began in LA it was definitely a challenge to start and especially end in silence. The culture of LA studios was very different. People were sending one last email before class, and class ended with what we lovingly called the ‘rip and run.’ Mats were ripped off the floor and everyone all at once B-lined for the door.
Silence is not the absence of sound. It’s the rich presence of awareness.
At the start of class, silence helps you transition from the momentum of your day into the steadiness of your body. It’s a moment to arrive. And this is a perfect place to begin, just like the Buddha, to observe your breath. How does the breath move your body as you lay on your back, how does the arm feel as it moves out of your nostril onto your upper lip.
We revere the silence at the end of class so much that we began our now beloved tradition of the Savasana Challenge. 10 minutes of savasana at the end of every practice. But you can try this challenge any time, and if you get fidgeting (very normal) allow the fidgets, all the busy mind to be busy, and return to your breath. The breath in silence allows everything you’ve cultivated to settle. The nervous system resets. The mind softens. What was scattered comes together again. Breath awareness in savasana allows for integration of the whole practice to vibrate within your cells long after you’ve left your mat.
How Breath Enhances Every Pose
Everyone loves a good list. Here are our top 4 reasons to integrate breath awareness into your practice.
1. Breath turns effort into ease. When you coordinate movement with a steady inhale and exhale, muscles receive more oxygen and tension releases more quickly. Poses become less about pushing and more about allowing.
2. Breath builds stability from the inside out. Deep diaphragmatic breathing engages the core and stabilizes the spine—crucial for safe backbends, folds, and twists.
3. Breath awakens the parasympathetic nervous system. Slow, conscious breathing signals safety to the body. That’s why your mind feels clearer and your emotional world more grounded after class.
4. Breath opens the door to presence. No breath is in the past or future. It roots you in the moment—where yoga truly happens. (As the first phrase of the Yoga Sutra says - Ata yoga anushasanam - yoga is now).
If you can breathe, you can meditate. If you can breathe, you can practice yoga with depth and insight. At North Ray Yoga we’ve been honoured to observe and learn together in community how every class can bring us all back back to that simple truth.
See you in the hot room soon -
Team North Ray
