Have you ever taken a moment to listen to your breath? In yoga, we try to settle our minds to the sound of our breath, which can be very relaxing. I like to use the analogy of the breath sounding like the waves of the ocean: the inhalations and exhalations creating a rhythm by which you gently ride through your practice.

The word yoga by definition means "union" and by using our breath, we bring mind and body together. It is through this union, we become more intimate with ourselves. We listen to our breath moving away from the mental chatter of our minds. The mind loves distractions. We are all guilty of it. It likes to wander far and often. It is through practice and dedication of focusing on our breath, we can become better listeners.

In our yoga practice, when we are listening to our breath, we are living in the now as opposed to when we are thinking and swept up in the past or the future. Therefore, thinking means we are not listening. When our minds are being distracted, we are not present. How often in a day, do you find yourself in a thought? For one day, do a test and see how long you can focus on your breath - while you are at the grocery store, at the office, driving home, taking the dog for a walk.

Listening to our breath also allows us to bring awareness to our breath and to our bodies. We take notice of the quality of our breath; is our breath jagged or shallow, smooth or even? We observe if certain areas of our bodies hold tension as we hold a particular pose? Listening brings awareness to each and every moment of our yoga practice and helps improve our breath and release unwanted tension in our bodies.

This awareness can also be applied to our daily life, allowing us to observe when and where we might be holding unwanted tension. Feeling certain sensations in our bodies may also bring up certain emotions. When we breathe, we can observe how we are feeling, and we can try to become more honest with ourselves about how we are truly feeling.

As we become better listeners, we begin to embrace and trust our inner voice. Instead of using our heads, we trust our feelings and follow the wisdom of our hearts. Listening brings clarity and compassion to our lives. We learn to not only have compassion for ourselves, but for others too. We accept our imperfections as part of who we are, and we walk along our path with more openness and understanding.

Michelle Uy is a Certified Yoga Teacher and Owner of LoveActionYoga. She is Co-Creator of the Eat Well Feel Well Program, a yoga and nutrition program, and she is also certified to teach Yoga Thrive, a therapeutic yoga program for cancer survivors.