Deep, purposeful breathing is absolutely core to any yoga practice, and this is good for us for many reasons. Firstly, deep breathing is good for stress relief, as it helps to ease tension in the mind and the body. But it’s also been shown that most of us don’t get enough oxygen into our bodies, due to posture, and shallow breathing. Yoga helps address both of these issues at the same time as it encourages us to adopt good posture, and inhale deeply so our bodies finally get the oxygen we need. This, in turn, contributes to improved brain function, energy levels, and overall wellbeing. The best thing is, the more you practice yoga, the better your posture and breathing will become, so even when you’re not in the class, odds are you’ll find yourself breathing more effectively by default.