Not a super flexy slender Yoga chick talks "the Power of the Eight Limbs: Pranayama"

Breathe. That’s all you need to do. If you can breathe, you can do anything.

Breathing is meant to be the most natural thing we do, and yet... most of us are doing it wrong.

Women especially (and let’s be honest, some men too) have been told for years to "pull the belly in," to hold everything tight. But in doing so, we’ve forgotten how to breathe properly. The belly is meant to expand on the inhale and gently draw in on the exhale. That’s how the body was designed.

Here’s what’s actually happening when you breathe correctly: When you inhale, the lungs expand and the diaphragm (a dome-shaped muscle beneath your lungs) contracts and moves downward. This presses against your internal organs and makes space, which is why your belly expands. On the exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and rises back into place, and the belly naturally flattens.

But most people do the opposite. Instead of letting the belly rise, they keep it tense and breathe into the chest. This kind of shallow, chest-based breathing signals the nervous system that something’s wrong. It creates more tension, more stress, and more unease in the body... and we don’t even realize it.

In Yogic philosophy, the practice of conscious breathing is called Pranayama. Loosely translated, it means "breath control," but that doesn’t quite capture its essence. Because breath is life. So in truth, Pranayama is the practice of guiding Prana, our life force energy, throughout the body.

There are many different types of Pranayama techniques, but they all share one goal: to calm the body, settle the mind, and move energy. Ideally, that energy flows up the spine, from the Root Chakra to the Crown Chakra, our energetic pathway toward clarity, peace, and awakening.

And it doesn’t take much. Even just a few rounds of conscious breathing can shift your entire inner state.

Try it right now. Sit still. Bring your attention to your breath. Feel the cool air entering your nostrils, and the warmer air as it leaves. Let your belly rise softly on the inhale. Let it fall gently on the exhale.

Notice how, in that moment, your mind slows down. It stops chasing future scenarios or replaying old memories. You land in the now, and in the now, peace lives.

The best part? You don’t need a mat. You don’t need incense.You don’t need a guide. You can do this sitting anywhere. One moment you’re ready to throw the laptop (or partner or kids or friends) out the window, the next you’re grounded and calm. That’s the power of breath. You just have to be willing.

If you truly want change in your life, you have to start by changing your habits. Start small.

Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, don’t scroll your phone right away. Instead, sit on the side of your bed. Close your eyes. Inhale deeply. Exhale slowly. Do this for 5 rounds. And when you're done, simply say: thank you.

Thank you for waking up. Thank you for this body. Thank you for one more day.

That’s it. 3 minutes. Try it for 21 days. What have you got to lose?

 Better question: what might you gain?