ASANA AND BREATHING

A simple guide on how to breathe during your asana or movement practice.

"I NEVER KNOW HOW TO BREATH DURING YOGA"

I’ve heard this so many times, and it was something I struggled with when I first started practising. Here are a few thoughts on breathing as you move through your yoga asana practice. As your practice becomes more familiar and you learn what your body needs when it's moving, the breathing will become easier and more instinctive.

First, just BREATHE

The worst thing you can do during your yoga practice is to hold your breath, if not specifically required to. Your body may feel discomfort or stress at being in a position it’s not familiar with. Our automatic instinct is to hold our breath when we’re tense. But this reinforces the physical discomfort. So, teach yourself to bring your awareness to your breathing as much as your body. Your breath helps your body relax in poses.

When you’re expanding your body, INHALE.

Many yoga postures create expansion in our upper body, giving the lungs more space. The diaphragm or 'breathing muscle' has more room to expand, and the body instinctively wants to inhale. Some common yoga shapes where you would do this are Tadasana (Mountain Pose), Vrikshasana (Tree Pose), Veerbhadrasana (Warrior Pose), Dhanurasana (Bow Pose), Bhujhangasana (Cobra Pose), etc.

Notice how the chest is lifted in these poses, creating more room to breathe in.

When you’re bending, twisting or compressing your body, EXHALE.

Some yoga postures require us to fold or twist the body. Postures such as Padahasthasana (Hands to Feet Pose/Standing Forward Bend), Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend), Naukasana (Boat Pose), Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Spinal Twist), etc.

Here, the chest cavity is compressed, and the diaphragm has less room to play.

The physical compression of space tends to guide the way to an exhalation.

Your exhale is important.

Often, we focus on just our inhalation. Unless doing a specific pranayama practice, try and bring your attention to the quality of exhalation. Our out-breath doesn't just help rid the lungs of stale air; it also helps quiet the nervous system. And the better we exhale, the better we inhale.

Finally, try not to get stuck on how you think you should be breathing. Trust your body. It knows how to breathe and will instinctively breathe how it needs to. Happy breathing!