Why the Group Breath?

“Breathe with the group.”

You hear us say this in class all the time! It may seem restrictive at first to not breathe whenever you like in class. It may even initially feel like a chore or make the practice feel more challenging. However, there are reasons for this instruction— spoiler: it has massive implications for your life!

There are so many preferences, opinions, fleeting emotional choices, and distractions in how we could choose to do yoga, just like how we choose to do life. Being swept up on every whim or simply looking out for #1 all the time can create a mental prison that will get smaller and smaller over time.

Having a discipline to hold you steady, keep you consistent and aware of the bigger picture will eventually give you way more freedom long term than you could possibly imagine. As sensations build, tension increases and sweat starts to drip, the group breath remains the focal point anchoring you to this moment with this group. This minimizes telling ourselves stories, altering our breath based on fleeting impulses or making the practice all about us. This skill, applied off the mat, will change your how you interact with the world.