Yoga Breathing

     Recently I forgot to do conscious breathing along with my yoga practice.  I was very stressed out about family issues.
     I went through the motions of my yoga practice, minus the deep breathing and meditation.
     I ended up in severe pain in the entire chest area from collar bone, to sternum, to my whole rib cage.  I was in pain for hours with a heating pad, intermittently, sometimes waking up from the pain.  I feared it was my heart, but I never called an ambulance.
     Instead, the day we voted when my older son came home from Colorado, I finally went to the doctor where I went through extensive tests, including ECG, xrays, and blood tests. The doctor said I was very sore in the chest bones from not breathing deeply, due to stress.
     Now I am doing deep breathing during yoga, as well as whenever I remember.  I am also doing alternate nostril breathing, starting on the left for energy, right for relaxation.  You use the thumb and second finger of right hand, close off one nostril, breath in for four, hold both nostrils for six and breath out the other nostril for eight.  You start and end with the same nostril.  This gives clarity and groundedness and should be done in lotus, or Indian style position on the floor, yoga mat, bed or wherever you are most comfortable without noise or distraction, unless it is soft new age music.
     Penny, my yoga and Reiki Master teacher may correct me on anything pertaining to the yoga alternate nostril breathing, but that is how I remember being taught by her and others.  Namaste.  Remember to breath.  Shanti, shanti, shanti.