Yoga Breathing

Yoga breathing called the “full yoga breath” contributes to both vitality and relaxation.  There are many documented benefits.  It calms your mind and integrates mental and physical balance.  It relaxes the muscles, reduces anxiety, improves detoxification and boosts the immune system.  Most importantly, to people with asthma or emphysema , it can help overcome the fear of increased lung capacity.

Technique:

1. Pick a comfortable, quiet place and lie down on your back, or in a reclining chair, relaxed, with hands and legs extended.  Gently close your eyes.  The whole process should be relaxed and done without strain.

2.  Abdominal breathing (much like diaphragmtic breathing): Observe your natural breath.  As you inhale your abdomen rises and then falls with exhalation.  Watch this for a few breaths.  Now begin to deepen and lengthen  that movement.  While inhaling, let the abdomen rise to its limit and at exhalation let it fall completely. Keep the chest still during this entire process.  Exhalation will usually be longer than inhalation. Continue this for 20 breaths and then rest.

3. Thoracic (chest) breathing: Again, observe your normal breath, this time focusing your attention on the chest. You will notice the chest moving slightly up at inhalation and down with exhalation. Again watch this pattern for a few breaths.  Again, begin to deepen and lengthen that movement. Now, on inhalation expand and lift the rib cage, filling the lungs completely. Then on exhalation, let the lungs empty fully.   This time, keep the abdomen still, moving only the chest. Do this for 20 breaths cycles and then rest.

4.  Full Yogic breathing: This combines both abdominal and chest breathing. 
First inhale by filling the abdomen and then CONTINUE inhaling as you expand and fill the chest. Then exhale first from the chest as it empties and falls and then CONTINUE exhaling from the abdomen as it draws inwards completely. This is one round of the full yogic breath. Repeat this for 20 rounds.  Inhaling - abdomen then chest; Exhaling – chest then abdomen.

Important:  Do all this breathing WITHOUT strain. Make it smooth and effortless. Go slow and easy.  At first it may seem like 4 steps but with time it will feel like a continuous wave.  Picture this breath as if it moves up from your navel to your throat with inhalation and then, down from throat to navel on exhalation. It will take some practice to perfect a “SMOOTH flowing pattern with MINIMUM effort and with MAXIMUM capacity.”