Yoga

Breathing Techniques

Breathing Techniques

How long can you live without food - for some days? How long can you live without the breath- a few minutes perhaps? Breath is Life, without breathing, we would cease to exist! This is how important Breath is to our Life.

How long can you live without food - for some days? Yet, you tend to think about food so often!

Breath is life!

The first act in life is - breathing in!

The last act in life is - breathing out!

Breath is one of the major sources of energy yet most of us don't even know it's there until we run or have a blocked nose! We tend to use only 30% of our lung capacity. Breathing to one's full capacity is energising and recharging.

The quality of your breath reflects the state of your mind

Your EmotionType of breath
AngerBreath is short, fast, and irregular
CalmnessBreath is longer and smoother

By paying attention to your breath, you can easily bring the mind from an unpleasant to a pleasant state.

Pranayamas are breathing techniques, which increases, enhances and regulates the life force (Prana) in the system.

All the breathing exercises are done by inhaling and exhaling through the nose, unless instructed otherwise. If you have difficulty in breathing through the nose, it is alright to breathe through the mouth. However, practice gradually to breathe through the nose.

Abdominal Breathing

Abdominal breathing can be practiced lying down on your back, sitting down or while standing. It is easier to learn while lying down:

  • Lie on your back. Separate your legs slightly and let the feet fall to the sides
  • Interlock the fingers and place the hands on your abdomen, palms facing down
  • Make a conscious effort to inhale deeply, so that your abdomen starts to expand your fingers separate. Allow your abdomen to expand as much as possible
  • As you begin to exhale, apply gentle pressure on your abdomen with your hands, pushing it downwards. Exhale fully. The secret to a good breath is in proper exhalation. With better exhalation, your inhalation will also be better
  • Repeat this process several times. When you feel comfortable, take full abdominal breaths without the aid of your hands. Make your breath long and smooth, on both inhalation and exhalation

Full Yogic Breath

This type of breathing makes full use of lung capacity, and involves all muscles of respiration

  • Lie on your back
  • Take 2-3 abdominal breaths
  • On the next inhalation, first expand the abdomen by using half of your breath, this fills the lower lobes of your lungs
  • Then breathe further to expand your chest, this fill the middle lobes
  • At the tail end of your breath, fill up the lungs fully. You will notice expansion in your upper chest and your collarbones will lift up slightly
  • On exhalation, first deflate the upper and middle lobes of the lungs, allowing the collarbones and chest to relax
  • Then, as you deflate the lower lobes, the abdomen will relax
  • Make your breath long, smooth and rhythmic, like a wave rising and falling
  • Repeat this 10-15 times

Pranayama is one of the eight limbs of Yoga. It has significant mention in the 'Yoga Sutras' , attributed to sage Patanjali.

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