Yoga principles – breathing
Yoga, especially Hatha yoga, is an exercise form that depends, above all, on correct breathing. The fast, frenzied breathing of the average American or European is, according to many yoga practitioners, the reason for many of our ills – not just the breathing related ones like asthma, but also our stress levels, our ill temper and our stomach ulcers!
Pranayama is the art of breath control. The practice of Pranayama can unlock the dormant energies inside our body, to help us heal ourselves and enjoy life.
When we breathe, we tend to focus on breathing in. Big deep, chest-expanding breaths are what we think of when we think of ‘deep breathing’ but yoga, on the other hand, maintains that all good respiration begins with a slow and complete exhalation, because until something is emptied, it cannot be filled. In other words, unless we first breathe out fully, it is impossible to breathe in correctly.
This beginning out breath must be without a sound and because it is silent, it will also be slow and controlled, giving the lungs a chance to relax. At the end of the expiration, the abdominal muscles (those TVAs that we all want to turn into six packs!) help the lungs to empty to their most complete extent, by means of a contraction which expels the last traces of tainted air. The spongy make-up of the lungs does not actually allow them to be emptied completely. We must attempt to minimize the stale air that remains because the greater the quantity of fresh air to enter the lungs, the purer the air in our bodies.
Yogic teaching says that breath is life – and this means that learning to breathe slowly, completely and with control extends our life and improves our enjoyment of each moment.
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