Pranayama is breathing practices in yoga. Literally, pranayama is translated as “breath control” or “breathing cessation.” More precisely, “control of prana,” vital energy. Practice conscious control of breathing through special exercises.

Pranayama has a variety of effects, both physiological and mental. Here are the main mechanisms of its influence:

1. Breathing muscle training. A number of exercises are aimed at training the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, chest and neck. These techniques make the breathing process more efficient.
2. Increased ventilation and blood flow in the lungs, prevention of respiratory diseases.
3. Massage and increased blood circulation of internal organs. Active abdominal breathing massages internal organs and activates the outflow of venous blood and lymph, improving nutrition, immune processes and the removal of toxins.
4. . Rapid breathing exercises activate the sympathetic system nervous system and have a tonic and stimulating effect. Techniques with slower breathing, on the contrary, stimulate the parasympathetic system, that is, they calm and relax.
5. Effect on the cardiovascular system. Slowing breathing dilates blood vessels, reduces arterial pressure and trains the heart. Increasing breathing, on the contrary, constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure.
6. Changes in blood gas composition. Slowing breathing causes a decrease in the amount of oxygen and an increase in carbon dioxide in the blood. This increases the body’s adaptive resource and stress resistance (for more details, see “Exercises with a decrease in breathing intensity”).

Breathing techniques can be classified in different ways. Here is one of the classifications:

1. Exercises with a decrease in breathing intensity (hypoventilation).
2. Exercises with increasing breathing intensity (hyperventilation).
3. Exercises without changing the breathing intensity.

Breathing exercises with decreasing breathing intensity

Patanjali defines pranayama in the Yoga Sutras as “the cessation of the movement of inhaled and exhaled [air]” 1, that is, as a cessation of breathing. Therefore, pranayama primarily refers to techniques involving slowing down and holding the breath.

A decrease in breathing intensity is called hypoventilation, and the effect caused is hypoxia, that is, a decrease in the amount of oxygen.

Physical and mental effects of hypoventilation

In fact, short-term hypoxia is eustress, that is, “positive” stress that trains the body. Hypoxic training has a wide range of effects on both the body and mind. Many sanatoriums and sports centers are located in the mountains. The rarefied mountain air helps with a number of diseases, especially the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. It also increases endurance and performance, which is important not only for athletes. Physiological effects of hypoxia:

• increasing stress resistance, stimulating the body’s hidden reserves;
• increased performance, decreased fatigue;
• increasing the body's resistance to unfavorable climate, radiation and exposure;
• reduction and stabilization of intracranial and systemic blood pressure;
• increased hormone synthesis;
• production of antioxidants, increased immune and antitumor protection;
• improving cerebral circulation and reducing venous stagnation;
• relief of heart function;
• activation of peripheral circulation;
• stimulation of the formation of hemoglobin and red blood cells;
• an increase in the number of capillaries in the heart, brain, lungs and liver;
• increasing the working area of ​​the lungs;
• an increase in the number of mitochondria (“energy stations” of cells) 2;
• acceleration of physical recovery;
• reducing body fat;
• rejuvenation of the body 3.

The mental effects make pranayama a preparatory step for meditative practices, positively affecting attention and mental performance and calming the mind. The same effects are relevant for people with mental work:

• increased mental performance, decreased fatigue;
• increasing stability and concentration;
• alignment of the activities of the right and left hemispheres of the brain;
• relaxation and calming of the psyche;
• release of repressed emotions;
• increasing mental stability;
• reducing sleep duration and accelerating recovery.

Most breathing techniques in yoga belong to this group. Some exercises involve forced slowing of breathing (voluntary breathing for 10, 16 or more counts, holding your breath). Others slow down their breathing due to its external restriction (blocking one nostril at nadi shoddhane or surya bhedane, pinching the throat ujjayi). The second option is softer and suitable for beginners, since the body itself adapts to the conditions, and the risk side effects minimal.

Side effects of pranayama

I mentioned some of the side effects in the previous article. I will repeat and add:

1. Autonomic disorders. The depth and frequency of breathing is a powerful regulatory mechanism that affects chemical composition blood, hormone levels, the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, the activity of the psyche and the autonomic nervous system. By interfering with it arbitrarily, you can disrupt homeostasis, causing surges in pressure and temperature, sleep disorders, vegetative-vascular dystonia, hormonal disorders, etc.

2.Disorders of the heart. Slowing and holding your breath - especially when inhaling - increases the load on the heart. Improper practice can cause tachycardia, arrhythmia, angina pectoris and other disorders.

3.Disturbance of the respiratory center. The breathing process occurs automatically due to the work of the respiratory center. When you breathe spontaneously, its function is suppressed. This can cause disruption of the respiratory center, up to a complete stop of breathing automaticity. In this case, the person stops breathing involuntarily. This is a serious pathology that is not always recoverable. I know 2 deaths because of such a stop there are a number of less severe examples. In some cases, breathing was restored spontaneously, in others - with the help of running training, and in one case, resuscitation and mechanical ventilation were required.

4.Oxygen starvation. If the strength or duration of hypoxia exceeds the capabilities of the body, organ or tissue, irreversible changes develop in them. The most sensitive to oxygen starvation are the brain, heart, kidneys and liver, as well as any weakened and diseased organs. For a weakened body, hypoxia is too much stress, which causes destruction rather than adaptation.

Safety precautions for pranayama

To avoid the above side effects when practicing pranayama, it is important to follow the rules:

1. Beginners should not practice holding their breath for long periods of time, especially while inhaling. Inhalation holds should be practiced with an “open throat”, i.e. without compressing the glottis. The air should be held by the muscles of the abdomen and chest, and not by squeezing the throat. Otherwise, excess pressure is created in the chest and increased stress on the heart.

2. Beginners should not practice pranayama in combination with strength training, because this increases hypoxia. Master breathing exercises only at rest, in a comfortable position with a straight back.

3. Avoid artificial breathing ratios(for example, 1:4:2, etc.) At first, use techniques where breathing remains natural. And look for your own respiratory proportion. For effective pranayama, what is important is the total duration of the breathing cycle, and not how much of this time you inhale, how much you exhale or hold your breath.

4. Increased and increased heart rate, muscle contractions, uncontrolled spasms of the respiratory muscles, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, shortening the duration of the respiratory cycle – all this indicates overload in practice. Reduce the duration of the respiratory cycle and retention. At good practice During pranayama, a person feels comfortable and relaxed, the heart beats calmer, and the breathing spontaneously stretches towards the end of the session.

5. You need to practice pranayama especially carefully if you have diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys and central nervous system. But any other chronic diseases, as well as general weakness, require careful work.

6. Heart pain, tachycardia, arrhythmia (interruptions in heart function), apnea (spontaneous cessation of respiratory movements) are dangerous symptoms. You need to stop practicing immediately and consult a doctor, delay is deadly!

7. From the mental point of view, such symptoms are panic attacks, hallucinations, uncontrollable emotional outbursts of high intensity, persistent sleep disturbance, constant anxiety. Stop practicing and consult a doctor!

Breathing exercises with increasing breathing intensity

Such exercises are called hyperventilating, and the effect they cause is hypocapnia, that is, a decrease in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood. During these practices, oxygen does not increase (after all, its concentration is determined by the capacity of red blood cells), and carbon dioxide is washed out of the blood with active ventilation of the lungs. Hypocapnia manifests itself in the form of dizziness, in the worst case ending in loss of consciousness.

There are practically no hyperventilation techniques in yoga. Only widely known kapalabhati And bhastrika. But in kapalabhati breathing, although frequent, is very shallow, so hypocapnia does not occur. In bhastrika the breathing is really deep and frequent, but not for long. After each bhastrika cycle, one usually practices holding one's breath to equalize the blood gas composition.

Why is hyperventilation not commonly practiced in yoga, and what are its effects?

The concentration of carbon dioxide affects the tone of small arteries: when it is high, the vessels dilate, and vice versa, when it is low, they narrow. Therefore, during hypocapnia, the arterioles narrow and blood pressure increases.

At extremely low concentrations, the vessels are compressed so much that this can cause cerebral circulation disorders, as well as heart attacks. The brain is an organ that is extremely fragile and sensitive. Poor circulation leads to loss of consciousness and death of nerve cells.

With hypocapnia, the pH of the blood also changes, developing alkalosis(acidification). With alkalosis, the blood supply to the brain and heart decreases, nervous excitability, muscle spasms and cramps develop, and the activity of the respiratory center decreases.

However, on the border with fainting, altered states of consciousness arise, which formed the basis of holotropic breathing.

Holotropic Breathwork- a method of psychotherapy that involves hyperventilation of the lungs. As a result, inhibition of the cerebral cortex begins, the subcortex is activated, which causes a feeling of euphoria, hallucinations, an altered state of consciousness and the release of repressed emotions. This method was developed by American psychologist Stanislav Grof as a replacement for the illicit LSD he had previously experimented with.

Grof believed that holotropic breathing has a psychotherapeutic effect, releasing difficult emotions and allowing a person to process traumatic experiences, including the process of birth. However, the technique is very controversial due to the danger to brain cells, as well as uncontrolled emotional emissions. In addition, the connection with the actual birth experience seems very controversial.

Therefore, hyperventilation should be avoided, especially with the following pathologies:

• severe chronic diseases, primarily cardiovascular;
• psychotic states;
• epilepsy;
• glaucoma;
• pregnancy;
• osteoporosis;
• recent surgeries and fractures;
• spicy infectious diseases 4 .

In yoga, with some exercises ( kapalabhati, bhastrika, thoracic, abdominal And full yogic breathing) a state of hyperventilation may occur. It feels like dizziness. In this case, you should stop doing the exercise and breathe calmly until the sensation goes away. In the future, you need to perform the exercise less diligently, not as deeply and/or for a long time.

Exercises without changing breathing intensity

This group includes a whole range of different exercises where there is no voluntary increase or decrease in breathing, but its pattern changes in some way. These exercises can have various effects:

1. Training the respiratory muscles and deepening breathing(b ruffle, chest, clavicular, full yogic breathing).
2. Improving pulmonary gas exchange, yoga therapy and relaxation (ujjayi, shitali, shitakri, bhramari and etc.).
3. Effect on the autonomic and central nervous systems (nadi shoddhana, surya bhedana, chandra bhedana and etc.)

Most of these exercises cause mild hypoxia. If they are practiced in a simple form (that is, without holding or consciously slowing down the breath), they are quite simple and safe and are suitable for beginners. Although all the rules and safety precautions described in the section “Breathing exercises with a decrease in breathing intensity” are also relevant for them.

The exercises from point 1 (abdominal, thoracic and clavicular) were described by me in. Today I will give you the technique of full yogic breathing. And the most famous and effective exercises from paragraphs. I will explain 2 and 3 in the next article.

Full yogic breathing

This is a basic breathing technique in yoga that is used when practicing other exercises. As the name implies, complete breathing includes all parts of the lungs. It combines lower, middle and upper breathing.

If you have trained these three types of breathing as described, full breathing should not cause you any difficulty. If not, do these exercises for at least a few days until you feel confident. The literature describes the technique of full breathing in yoga in different ways. As for inhalation, all authors are unanimous: it is performed from the bottom up, i.e. First the stomach moves out, then the chest expands, and finally the collarbones rise. Exhalation is described in different ways. Most - from top to bottom (clavicles drop - chest shrinks - stomach tightens), but some - from bottom to top (stomach - chest - collarbones), and some do not distinguish separate phases in exhalation at all. I recommend performing several breathing cycles in each of the described modes and choosing the most convenient one.

I will describe the most famous and, from my point of view, natural way. Avoid hyperventilation, as written above, breathe calmly and not too deeply. Try to keep your breathing rhythm natural and spontaneous. If discomfort occurs, complete the exercise and relax.

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. If you sit cross-legged, place a pillow under your pelvis. You can sit on a chair or lie on your back if sitting is uncomfortable. Exhale completely.

2. Place your palms on your stomach and inhale, pushing your abdominal wall forward. Place your palms on your ribs and continue to inhale, expanding your chest. Place your palms on your collarbones and continue inhaling, lifting your collarbones.

3. Start exhaling by lowering your collarbones. Then move your palms to your ribs and continue exhaling, compressing your chest. Place your palms on your stomach and finish exhaling by drawing in the abdominal wall.

4. Perform 5 inhalations and exhalations, as described in paragraphs 3 and 4. Try to keep the breathing rhythm natural, do not breathe very deeply and often. Do not pause between phases; you should have a feeling of a smooth wave that moves from bottom to top as you inhale, and from top to bottom as you exhale.

5. Place your palms on your thighs or on the floor. Continue breathing fully for another 3-5 minutes. Try to feel the process from the inside. It’s okay if some of the phases aren’t working out well yet. Try to keep your breathing light, smooth and natural, even if not entirely technically ideal. An indicator of a correctly performed exercise is a feeling of calm and relaxation of the psyche, as well as slowing of breathing at the end of the practice.

6. Complete the exercise and relax in shavasana for 5-10 minutes.

1 Classical yoga. Per. and comm. Ostrovskaya E., Rudoy V.

2 Gainetdinov A. et al. The use of dosed normobaric hypoxic therapy in medical rehabilitation of neurological and somatic patients.

3 Kulinenkov S. Pharmacology of sports.

4 Emelianenko V. Theoretical provisions of holotropic breathing.

In the Vedas, the mind is called the king of the senses, and B.K.S. Iyengar added that the breath is the king of the mind. Breathing is the first thing we do when we enter this world and the last thing we do when we leave it. According to yoga philosophy, deep breathing is key to our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Breath is a thin, delicate thread that connects us to life. This is the path along which prana - the universal life force - flows through our body, constantly renewing it, refreshing it and enlivening it. We must breathe to live, and by improving our breathing, we can improve our lives. Deep belly breathing is the key to health. How to learn proper abdominal breathing?

Unfortunately, most people do not use their breathing capacity even halfway. It is too often limited by stress, emotional trauma, poor posture and even... the desire to have a thin and slim stomach. Dr. Andrew Weil, based on his experience working with clients, once admitted: “If I had to give advice on healthy image life, limiting myself to one piece of advice, I would advise learning to breathe correctly…. Proper breathing is the main key to good health."

Most styles of yoga emphasize deepening the breath in the practice of asana and pranayama. However, excessive enthusiasm and too much focus on deep breathing often lead to hyperventilation, dizziness, and even mental problems such as increased anxiety. Such effects often discourage yoga practitioners and cause some disappointment, and rightly so, since hyperventilation is the opposite extreme, another form of unhealthy breathing that does not benefit the body, but rather the opposite. In this article we will look at the art of healthy breathing from several perspectives.

“Breathe with your belly!”

Extremely helpful. It is not surprising that the command “Breathe with your belly!” we hear in almost every yoga class. You may think that this is just a convenient metaphor, an artistic image for deep breathing through the lower parts of the lungs, because everyone knows that the respiratory muscles are not located in the stomach. However, lower or abdominal breathing in the most literal sense affects the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. Moreover, diaphragmatic breathing is therapeutic for this part of our body.

First, let's review the anatomy of the pelvic floor. It is made up of three layers of muscles (a total of 16 individual muscles) that attach to the left and right ischial bones, the pubic bone at the front, and the tailbone at the back. These four attachment points create a diamond-shaped pelvic floor frame that supports the pelvic organs.

Proper breathing is incredibly important for the full functioning of the pelvic floor muscles. By the way, what muscles do we breathe with? The main breathing muscle is the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle that resembles a parachute. It is attached to the lower part of the chest. The small intercostal muscles also play a key role in breathing.

In addition, there are minor respiratory muscles: the scalenes in the front of the neck (attached to the cervical spine and the first or second ribs), the pectoralis, the sternocleidomastoid (starting behind the ear and running to the sternum), and the upper trapezius.

When we inhale air through our mouth or nose, the lungs expand and the diaphragm moves down. That is, when you inhale, the diaphragm presses on the organs that are located in a kind of sac called the peritoneum. And where are the abdominal organs directed under the influence of this pressure? That's right, to the pelvic floor. It turns out that when you inhale, the pelvic floor stretches slightly, and when you exhale it contracts, when the diaphragm rises and the abdominal organs return to their original position. This is why lower, diaphragmatic breathing is so important for the health of the pelvic floor muscles and pelvic organs. It tones them, prevents congestion, not to mention the fact that lower breathing supplies them with oxygen much more efficiently.

We've noted the relationship between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor, but there is another key player in the noble cause of maintaining a healthy pelvic floor: the abdominal muscles. The transverse abdominal muscles are especially important - the deepest abdominal muscles, which, like a corset, encircle the lower part of the body along the entire perimeter, attaching to the lower ribs.

The fibers of the transverse abdominal muscles are horizontal. This means that when they contract, they tighten the entire diameter of the abdomen, like a belt. In addition, these muscles are involved in exhalation. If our posture is spoiled by a sedentary lifestyle, the transverse abdominal muscles weaken. This, in turn, leads to pelvic floor problems. For example, if we constantly slouch while sitting at an office desk, the spine quickly acquires a C-shape. It is difficult to breathe deeply in this position, breathing becomes shallow, and one of the many consequences is the deprivation of the pelvic floor muscles of natural, soft, but constant “gymnastics” in the process of lower diaphragmatic breathing - stretching with each inhalation and contraction with each exhalation.

In short, poor posture makes deep breathing much more difficult. It becomes difficult to “breathe with your stomach.” And by limiting our breathing, we undermine the health of the pelvic floor. All processes in the body are closely interconnected, and deep belly breathing is the most effective way improvement of the pelvic organs. In addition, deep abdominal breathing is used in as it helps reduce fat deposits in the abdominal area.

Of course, changing your breathing patterns is not easy. About as difficult as getting rid of any bad habit. But probably. Here is a simple exercise that will help you make your breathing deeper and your health stronger.

Deepening breathing Lie on your back, knees bent, feet shoulder-width apart. To begin, take a few minutes to tune into your own body. Pay attention to how you feel, in which areas of the body there are pockets of tension or stiffness. Observe your breathing, without making judgments about its correctness, without trying to change anything about it, just watch. Place one hand on your stomach below, below your navel, and the other hand on your chest. For a couple of minutes, simply feel how your chest and stomach move under the influence of your breath. Then, as you exhale, gently draw in the muscles of your lower abdomen, directing your navel toward your spine. Repeat several times, each time emptying your lungs deeper and deeper. During inhalations, the stomach relaxes and softens. Air fills the lungs, naturally inflating the stomach. Repeat 3 to 5 breathing cycles, then relax and return to your normal breathing. Rest. By doing this simple breathing exercise a couple of times a day, and also at the beginning of your yoga practice, you will begin a long but sure path to deepening your breathing, improving health, including the pelvic floor, and engaging the diaphragm in this process. If you are faced with the task of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles (during prolapse of the abdominal organs, etc.), then it is worth adding activation of the pelvic floor to this breathing exercise. To do this, when exhaling and contracting the transverse abdominal muscles, consciously contract the pelvic floor muscles - tighten all the muscles of the perineum, from the tailbone to the pubis. This will strengthen both areas and teach them to work together throughout the breathing cycle.

Breathing balance. The importance of exhalation in the practice of yoga and pranayama

During a yoga practice, we often focus on taking deep breaths. Although in fact, exhalations are no less, if not more important for mastering full, deep breathing. The emphasis on exhalation is important because it is a reliable way to increase the completeness and efficiency of inhalation, especially when breathing is limited for some reason.

When we breathe deep, full yogic breaths, it can cause us to hyperventilate, especially if we breathe too quickly or simply at a pace that doesn't suit our body's needs.

Hyperventilation

Hyperventilation is a fairly common health problem, affecting 6-10% of the adult population. Symptoms that occur with hyperventilation include the obvious things like anxiety, muscle pain and fatigue, along with allergies, brain fog, dizziness and digestive problems.

Hyperventilation means that more air is forced through the respiratory system than the body can absorb. This may be caused by breathing too quickly, exceeding normal frequency- 15 breaths per minute, or breathing through the mouth, frequent sighs, or excessive yawning.

The lungs maintain a balance between inhaled air, which is rich in oxygen, and exhaled air, which is rich in carbon dioxide. If a person suffers from hyperventilation, it means that the respiratory system is expelling too much carbon dioxide from the body. At the same time, normal body chemistry changes and the body’s pH—acid-base balance—is disrupted. All this leads to further unpleasant physiological changes.

Even minor drops or fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels in the blood negatively affect nerve cells, disrupting blood flow to the heart and brain, giving rise to a wide range of symptoms in all organs and systems of the body.

If, while practicing pranayama, you get carried away by active breaths and feel slightly dizzy, this is a clear sign of hyperventilation and a signal for you: stop and breathe softly, evenly, using the technique of deep belly breathing.

Balance of inhalation and exhalation

So, many people are constantly in a state of hyperventilation. What does this mean? The fact that their body is in a state constant stress. And here the antidote is conscious, relaxed breathing, in which inhalation and exhalation are balanced, but exhalation plays the first violin.

There is a simple technique to counteract hyperventilation: shift your attention from inhalation to exhalation. Instead of trying to take as deep a breath as possible, focus on exhaling as completely as possible. You will not lose the quality of your inhalation, because the body's natural reaction to a full exhalation is to take a deep breath.Try also to perform pranayama while lying on your back, helping you exhale with your abdominal muscles, as described above, and at the end of the exhalation, pulling your tailbone up and “towards you,” that is, towards the head. At the same time, the lower back presses into the floor, the lumbar lordosis is smoothed out. Once you have mastered this part of the exercise, add arm movements, synchronizing them with your breathing. In the starting position, lying on your back, stretch your arms along the body with your palms down and, as you inhale, lift them up and put them behind your head: when you finish inhaling, your hands lie on the floor behind your head. Simultaneously with the exhalation, the hands are lowered to their original position: the exhalation is over - the hands are lowered along the body, palms down.

In the same way, when performing any asana or sequence of asanas, for example, practicing a complex (), shift the focus of attention from inhalation to exhalation.

These simple rules Not only will they help you avoid hyperventilation, but they will also improve your overall health.

Yoga for beginners at home is the right start to the path of yoga.

After yoga has arisen in the heart, we slowly, calmly begin to master the asanas and carefully study the needs of our body.

Perhaps in your first yoga practice you will have to perform only one asana 20 or 30 times to understand it.

A quiet, cozy room will become your secluded place in which you will explore your feelings and discover how yoga works.

I proudly say, hello my students!

It's time for the second lesson "Yoga Breathing" This is a continuation of a brief instruction in yoga practice, created based on the valuable knowledge of Geshe Michael Roach's book “How Yoga Works”.

Let us continue to receive instructions from a teacher who is more than four thousand years old, the wisdom of yoga.

If you took the first lesson with me, then you have received important preparation for the practice of yoga. Then you performed responsibly homework, and you know how to arrange inhalations and exhalations of equal length. This will come in handy today.

Yoga for beginners at home. Breath

Breathing is an important lesson yoga for beginners at home.

Each asana has its own inner world:

• Breath
• Thoughts
• Energy

Yoga practice is asanas strung on the thread of breath.

Therefore, before we begin the practice of asanas, we will look at the basics breathing yoga:

• The importance of breathing in yoga asanas (postures)
• How to breathe correctly in asanas
• What kind of breathing can harm your health?

No matter how much we read about breathing, it will not change unless we put the knowledge into practice. Therefore everything important features We will master breathing in asanas.

Yoga Breathing Basics for Beginners

Make the breath move correctly, on its own

a whole science.

Let's start the lesson.

Straighten your back, straighten your shoulders, relax your face.

The first rule of yoga breathing.

“So the first and most obvious thing to say about breathing is that when you do the poses, always breathe through your nose, not your mouth.”

Breathing softly through the nose rather than the mouth helps calm the nervous system and slows down an agitated heart. This, in turn, helps to relax congested areas of the body and the most important centers along the back.

Try taking a few calm, deep breaths through your nose now.

Feel:

• How to relax the skin and muscles of the face
• Shoulders will slump
• Your mind will become clearer
• Your thoughts will calm down.

The exercise teaches you to be attentive to your breathing and helps you manage sensations in your body, emotions and your actions.

The second rule of yoga breathing

“It’s not so important how fast or slow you breathe, but rather how deeply and rhythmically you breathe—whether you don’t cut off your inhalation and exhalation, whether you push yourself, or swallow the air in one gulp.”

Regular breathing practice in asanas and in life will make your inhalations and exhalations deep and even, slow and calm.

Learn another mindfulness breathing exercise:

• Pay close attention to your inhalation and exhalation
• Notice the natural pause after inhalation
• Notice the natural pause after exhalation
• Watch how a new breath is born
• Make sure that you inhale and exhale at equal intervals of time.

Start doing this exercise twice a day, morning and evening, and this will be the beginning of your practice. yoga for beginners at home.

You will find a detailed description of the Adha Mudha Svanasana technique in the article.

Let's strengthen the skill of controlling our breathing in the warrior pose Virabadrasana I. Smooth, relaxed breathing in this asana is the height of perfection.

The power of a smile is simply irreplaceable in the Warrior pose. Geshe Michael Roach calls a slight smile one of the most important yoga poses. She teaches you to find moments of relaxation in the most difficult asanas.

The article describes important technical aspects of the asana:

• Working muscles
• Breath
• Thoughts in asana

Enter Virabadrasana I asana:

• Watch the length of your inhalations and exhalations
• Don't hold your breath
• Relax your face and forehead

At the moment when the front surface of the thigh begins to tan, trembling appears in your legs, take a deep breath and smile.

When the folds on the forehead disappear and the corners of the lips rise, you will feel a charge of energy and the power of yoga breathing.

Train your breathing:

Every day, take time for a minute of silence and listen to your even, deep breathing.

Twice a week, do Warrior I pose for 30 seconds on each leg and smile.

You will notice:

• Your back will become stronger
• Reduce muscle tension
• There will be a surge of strength and energy
• The mind will become calmer and more positive.

I leave you, my students, with valuable and very important homework.

Do a good deed every day. Even if it is a small, completely unnoticeable action. Cheer up a colleague, give way to another car in a traffic jam, compliment a loved one, help a stranger.

The task will be mandatory preparation for the third lesson of yoga knowledge. The lesson will be a clue to the unique mechanism of “How Yoga Works.”

Don't forget yours main goal yoga - to heal yourself so that you can help others heal.

This concludes our lesson. Let's consolidate what we've learned. Let's do the practice together .

Good luck! See you soon!

Anastasia Bogatenkova was with you.

As always, on the waves of positivity!

P.S.: Don't forget about your homework. Follow it and then in a week you will be ready for the third lesson. Together we will reveal the unique mechanism of “How Yoga Works.” Subscribe to blog updates to find out about the release of the next lesson.

Ancient yogis developed a technique based on infant breathing. This is a completely natural way. It is a synthesis of three breaths and is often called the full yogic breath.

It plays a key role in the practice of yoga. The huge number of exercises and teaching methods speaks about how important it is to breathe correctly in yoga. The whole philosophy of yoga begins with it, which allows the practitioner to achieve a state of unity of body and mind.

Full breathing of yogis ensures the performance of the whole organism, it enhances lymph flow in the body, practicing it allows you to get rid of partial breathing.

Breathing is the basis of our entire life. It connects with a delicate thread everything that happens to us, from the first inhalation to the last exhalation. All methods of working with the body and mind are less or more consciously connected and regulated by its rhythm.

In Eastern philosophies, it is given paramount importance - the quality of our life depends on how we breathe. According to the teachings of yogis, when the full breath of yogis is released, the mind gets rid of polluting “poisons”.

These “poisons” irritate us most in the form of what we call stress and everything associated with it:

• fatigue;
• weakness;
• depression;
• decreased concentration;
• lethargy;
• problems with sleep and relaxation.

Simple exercises do wonders

Each of us breathes, but few people know how to breathe correctly. And this is very important, because by consciously working with your breath, you can change your mood, state of mind and emotions. Kabat Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medicine, says that breath is a treasure that we have under our noses.

Yogic breathing is an exercise for beginners and advanced. Mastering it is the basis of yoga. By controlling it, a person can control the body and mind.

Calm breathing means a calm soul.

It relieves tension and stress, calms the heart and calms the mind. Why is it useful? breathing exercises yogis? Yoga skill is the basis for:

• health and vitality;
• openness and creativity;
• domination over mood;
• development of concentration.

Awareness of breathing begins at the same time as diagnosing it as gross physical as well as subtle vitality body and mind (prana).

Both gross and subtle, it is automatic and conscious. Using and regulating physical breathing leads to control over words and emotions.

Its quantity, quality and circulation are the basis of life and creative activity. Most people have shallow breathing, with only the upper part of their lungs working. Yogis' full breathing induces a state of relaxation in the mind and body.

Learning how to breathe deeply and fully is the most effective way to:

• development of consciousness;
• improved health;
• vitality (life force);
• consistency in life.

Full yogic breathing will become familiar and natural if you regularly practice such simple exercises that can be performed lying, standing, or sitting.

1. Sit on a chair. The pelvic area should be in the middle position, not deviate back and forth.
2. Your lower back will provide additional support.
3. Inhale and watch for the abdomen to expand in all directions, otherwise, over time, the muscle tissue will lose its elasticity.
4. Exhale and draw in your stomach, keeping the area from the navel to the perineum slightly tense (mula bandha).
5. Perform diaphragmatic breathing 5 times, then switch to chest breathing.

Chest breathing - inhale, the ribs rise; exhale - lowered. You can combine these two breaths, then:

• inhale - the stomach expands, the ribs move apart.
• exhale - first the stomach is drawn in, and then the ribs are lowered;

To better control it, keep your hands in different places on your body. As you inhale, apply gentle pressure to your body. (The first 2-3 breathing cycles are in the navel area. Then, when you feel that your sides have begun to expand, move your palms to the area of ​​the lower ribs, then to the upper ones.

The last step is to lightly press your collarbones with your fingers and feel them rise when you inhale, and how they fall when you exhale.

The Power of Full Breathing

• By taking a full breath, the body receives 10 times more air;
• long, deep and smooth, it enhances the functioning of the lymphatic system;
• during breathing, 2/3 of unnecessary and harmful substances and toxins are removed from the body;
• the brain consumes 80% of the oxygen inhaled with air;
• cell regeneration occurs and the aging process slows down;
• a person can live 21 days without food; three days without drinking; three minutes without breathing.

By the way a person breathes, yoga teachers can tell a lot about him and immediately determine his state of mind and emotions. Fast, intermittent, indicates that the person is under stress, takes medications and lives under tension, has quite low self-esteem, and can easily be thrown off balance.

Long, calm and even indicates that a person is relaxed, balanced, satisfied with life and self-confident. This is not a secret, but a completely natural physiological reaction of the body.

When you are nervous, you breathe shallowly and quickly, and when everything is fine and you are calm, your breathing naturally lengthens.

1. Sit on the edge of a chair, or cross-legged on the floor.
2. Straighten your spine, relax your shoulders.
3. Close your eyes and place your hands on your knees, clasp your index finger and thumb together to form a ring.
4. Start breathing with your diaphragm: as you inhale, fill your stomach with air, like a balloon.
5. Exhale and release the air.
6. Be aware of every inhalation and exhalation.
7. Take 10 breaths. Practice 1-2 times a day.

Breathing in yoga: what is correct

There are several ways of breathing, although not all of them are good for us and healthy. In daily activities there are three types:

• clavicular (superficial);
• chest;
• abdominal breathing (belly).

Often we breathe top part chest, including neck muscles. Diaphragmatic breathing is acceptable and healthiest for us. In yoga, all three breathing techniques are combined together and alternately. This type of training is the most effective. The philosophy of yoga is the selection of the breathing method to the type of exercise.

Yogic breathing

Full yogic breathing is always done through the nose, and there is no pause between inhalation and exhalation. It can be a stand-alone exercise, but it is also used as a relaxation method. It allows you to feel the fullness of life, and whoever breathes only in the middle is half alive, said yoga instructor Joanna Jablonski. It takes a little practice for yogic breathing to become a daily norm. It consists of three elements:

• Abdominal, due to compression and expansion of the diaphragm (raising and lowering of the abdomen). The diaphragm is the muscle that separates the lungs from the abdominal cavity. During inhalation, it lowers to make room for the lungs to fill with air, and when exhaling, it rises, pressing on the lungs, helping them get rid of air. This type of breathing is common among people who spend a lot of time outdoors and nature.
• Average (internal). The air that filled the belly spreads and fills the middle part of the lungs with air, increasing the distance between the ribs and raising the arms slightly. This type of breathing is typical for people sitting indoors without access to fresh air. Nature protects its “child” and therefore in such cases we instinctively use the intracostal one.
• Upper, nasolabial (clavicular). The air exhausted in the stomach and chest fills the throat and nose, including the nasal passages. Only the upper and smallest part of the lungs breathes. Shoulders, ribs and collarbones are raised, spent a large number of energy, but the result is small.

There is a saying: whoever controls his breathing controls himself. Learn to breathe correctly in difficult moments in order to be able to quickly and effectively transform the state of your mind and emotions, react calmly, with dignity, without unnecessary emotions and anger to different life situations.

Principles of full yogic breathing

• Modeled on the principle of children's breathing.
• There is no pause between inhalation and exhalation.
• It is carried out through the nose.
• It is the sum of three types: abdominal, chest, nasal-throat breathing.
• You can only learn by practicing.

Benefits of Full Breathing

• The lungs and respiratory system are cleansed and strengthened.
• Since the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation, along with the air used, all toxins are expelled from the lungs.
• While holding your breath, the pressure in the lungs increases, causing more oxygen to enter the blood, and carbon dioxide and other airborne residues are removed from the lungs and body.
• Anuloma Viloma helps maintain balance between the hemispheres of the brain, as well as between the two energy channels (Sun and Moon) running along the spine.
• Energy (prana) and consciously controlled.
• Anuloma Viloma brings peace of mind, makes body light, and the eyes are shiny.

Basic Science of Yogic Breathing

Kariba Ikken, a seventeenth century mystic said: “If you want to achieve peace of mind, pay attention to your breathing. When it is under control, the heart is calm. And when breathing is convulsive, peace in the heart disappears. So before you start anything, pay attention to your breathing. This will ease your situation and calm your mind.”

Breathing is the most important function of the body and everything else depends on it. Correctness is an integral part of yoga practice. Our way of life and low level physical activity contributes to negative changes in our breathing habits.

Full requires breathing through the nose, maintaining an upright torso position, avoiding contaminated areas and daily practice, even a few minutes of deep, full, calm breaths without undue strain or effort. Mindfulness is an integral and important part of any yoga position. In every asana and in every exercise during warm-up, the energy during inhalation is distributed evenly throughout the body, and strengthens the immune system.

While doing the exercises, try to breathe effortlessly, calmly, quietly, without sound, when exhaling, release the air slowly, and not in a fast and violent way, so that it is enough to complete the count.

A good preparation for full yoga breathing would be a 1-2 minute massage of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles with your fingers. After this, they function more efficiently and fully.

Full breathing helps a person cope with emotions, they calm down, thoughts are balanced, the nervous system is strengthened and healed, a person in any life situations operates effectively and adequately.

First stage for beginners

Preparation: Inhale, close right nostril, exhale until the end through left nostril.

1. Inhale through the left nostril: count: 1, 2, 3, 4 (the right one is closed).
2. Exhale with the right: count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (the left is closed).
3. Inhale with the right: 1, 2, 3, 4 (left closed).
4. Left inhalation: 1,2, 3, 4 (right closed)
5. And so on. Perform five cycles (one cycle begins with inhalation through the left nostril and ends with exhalation through the left nostril).
6. If you are completely new to yoga, you can inhale and exhale shorter, inhale count to three, exhale count to six.

Second stage with breath holding

Preparation: inhale, close the right hole, exhale through the left nostril to the end.

1. Inhale with the left, count: 1, 2, 3, 4 (right is closed)
2. Without breathing (hold your breath - two nostrils are closed), count to 16o (for beginners, count to 8).
3. Exhale with the right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (left closed).
4. Inhale with the right: 1,2, 3, 4 (left closed).
5. Without breathing: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (both closed).
6. Exhale with the left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (the right one is closed).
7. Second cycle: inhale with the left: 1, 2, 3, 4 (right is closed), etc.

Repeat 5 cycles.

Breathing exercise 1

Practice sitting cross-legged on the floor or on a chair with your back straight. Lying on the floor.

1. Place your right hand on your stomach and left rib, with the back of your palm facing down.
2. Close your eyes and breathe in air through your nose. First, try to fill the lower part of your lungs with air so that your right hand feels your stomach rise.
3. As you inhale further, fill the upper chest. Then inhale the air to fill your nose and throat.
4. When exhaling, first exhale air from the nose, then the middle part of the lungs and the lower part.

For positive results, perform the exercise for 5 minutes without pauses.

Breathing exercise 2

1. Sit cross-legged on a flat surface or in a straight-backed chair.
2. Lower your arms and shoulders, head facing up.
3. Direct your blind gaze in front of you, in the direction of the floor (about 1.5 meters), if you are sitting on a chair, about 3 meters. Relax your body.
4. Thumb right hand straight, and the second and third fingers are bent inside the palm, the rest are straight (Vishna Mudra).
5. Place your left palm on your knee or fold it into Giyan Mudra (the index finger lightly touches the tip of the thumb, the rest of the fingers are straight, but not tense).
6. Inhale, close your right nostril and exhale through your left nostril only.
7. On your next inhalation, count to four with your right nostril closed, and then count to eight as you release air from your right nostril.
8. Inhale air through the right nostril (count to four), and exhale through the left (count to eight).

Mudra of Vishnu - 1, Mudra of strength - 2

Complete the series five times.

Important

If full yogic breathing causes discomfort at the initial stage, or there is not enough air, the head begins to feel dizzy, you need to stop doing the exercises and return to your normal routine. Breathe freely through your nose or lie on your back and relax in Shavasana (Dead Man's Pose), a classic relaxed position for resting after you've finished a session.

Lie on your back on the mat, legs apart, arms away from your body, and the back of your neck lengthened. Close your eyes and take several long, slow diaphragmatic breaths.

Practice every day. Exercise can help relieve stress, calm your mind, and help you concentrate.

Our lungs face a serious challenge day after day. We inhale not only oxygen, but also various harmful substances (carbon dioxide, dust). The kapalabhati exercise cleanses the pulmonary system, stimulates cardiovascular functions, tones the body and clears the mind. It works according to unique technique yoga Here there is rapid breathing - inhalation and exhalation - and intense contraction of the abdominal muscles.

What is kapalabhati?

The technique is a cleansing breath. Distinctive feature This practice involves an active sharp exhalation and a passive inhalation, whereas in normal breathing, on the contrary, the inhalation is always more dynamic. Hatha yoga includes many pranayama techniques with prolonged exhalation. In contrast, in kapalabhati, all air emissions are sharp and intense, and inhalations are calm and balanced.

The powerful breaths used here increase the volume of air inhaled. As a result, all tissues and organs of the body receive more oxygen than during normal breathing.

Long-term practice of kapalbhati cleanses not only the lungs, but also all tissues in the body from unnecessary mucus, toxins and harmful gases.

Hatha yoga identifies six main cleansing practices. Kapalbhati belongs to the latter. According to ancient sources, it is called bhalabhati.

According to the Gheranda Samhita, kapalabhati includes three techniques: vatkrama, vyutkrama and shitkrama. The first is the most common, the second and third are rarely used due to the peculiarities of their implementation.

About the techniques of viewkram and shitkram in kapalbhati

The technique of performing vyutkram and shitkram implies a vertical position of the body. Viewkrama translates as “removal system.” In its implementation it is similar to jala neti. Before practice, you need to prepare a container with warm water, to which salt has been added.

You need to lean forward and scoop up some salt water from the prepared container with your palm. Pull it in through the nasal passages. In this case, the water should drain through the mouth, from where it is spat out. In this way, several approaches are made.

When performing this technique, you need to relax and free your head from negative thoughts. If pain occurs during practice, it means that too little or too much salt has been added.

Shitkrama in Kapalbhati belongs to the third practice and is opposite in technique to Vyutkrama.

The exercise is performed while standing, and in order to do it, you need a bowl of salty warm water. Water and salt are taken into the mouth and pushed upward into the nasal cavity. Where does it flow from?

Here, as in the previous practice, absolute relaxation is required. After completing the session, remove the remaining water from the nose or do the first kapalbhati technique - vatkrama.

Pranayama in yoga relieves the sinuses of unnecessary mucus, helps prevent the aging process, rejuvenates, relaxes the facial muscles and nervous system, makes the gaze radiant and clear, clears thoughts, and helps activate the ajna chakra.

Whatkrama technique

In kapalabhati, the technique for performing vatkrama is as follows. Before practice, you should take a comfortable position with a straight back. The chest should be straightened and the stomach should be relaxed. The fingers of both hands can be folded into the “Chin” or “Gyana” mudra.

After taking the desired position, intense and noisy exhalations are made through the nostrils. Inhalation occurs spontaneously, and the stomach relaxes at this time. Beginners perform the exercise at a speed of one exhalation-inhalation per second. More experienced practitioners take two inhalations and exhalations per second.

Classic practice includes three approaches of 20-50 cycles, which takes about five minutes with breaks.

If the technique is sufficiently mastered, you can increase the number of breaths in the approach or use breath-holding.

At the first stage, all attention should be directed to the correct execution of the exercise, especially to the force of exhalation, evenness of inhalation and breathing frequency.

It is necessary to monitor the position of the body. The chest should be straightened, the back straight, and the face relaxed.

After mastering the practice, attention should be transferred to the navel area. It is in this part that intense muscle contraction occurs during exhalation. During the break between approaches, you need to carefully listen to your sensations in the body.

Proper breathing in yoga is not an easy thing, so during regular classes a lot of questions arise. Practical advice described below will help you master the technique more thoroughly. So:

• Kapalbhati should be practiced in a position where the spine and head are straight. At this time, there is no need to be distracted by asanas, but all attention should be directed to breathing.
• During exercises, take a vertical position. The shoulders are straightened and the chest is opened. Inhalations, unlike exhalations, are incomplete. When the diaphragm actively contracts, more air is drawn into the lungs during inhalation.
• The technique is performed on an empty stomach and in complete silence. You should not practice the exercises while walking or while doing anything. Otherwise, the abdominal muscles will not receive the necessary relaxation.
• During practice, only the anterior abdominal muscles work; all other parts of the body should be in a relaxed position. You should not make unnecessary movements, as they reduce the effectiveness of kapalbhati.
• Inhalation is made only with a relaxed diaphragm and abdominal muscles, while when exhaling, the peritoneal area tenses.
• While performing pranayama, the nasal cavities should be expanded as much as possible to allow more air to penetrate in and out.
• During the exercise, the tongue is pressed to the palate, and the lips and teeth are closed without tension.
• Uddiyana bandha should be used to increase the mobility of the diaphragm. In the practice of kapalbhati, the diaphragm should be relaxed. The stomach should be relaxed quickly after each exhalation. The practice of uddiyana bandha will help you master this moment.
• Mula bandha should be performed spontaneously; if this does not happen, then there is no need to do the asana forcibly.
• While performing kapalabhati, you should have a handkerchief at hand, as intense breathing removes mucus from the nostrils.
• The number of inhalations and exhalations in one approach can be increased to two hundred within a month.
• Kapalabhati is recommended to be done before doing neti, meditation and before concentration. This practice is useful before and after asanas.
• The occurrence of dizziness during exercise indicates excessive intensity of exercise. In this situation, you need to interrupt the exercise and rest quietly for a few minutes.
• Inhalation should be spontaneous, and exhalation should be such that there is no feeling of lack of oxygen, and there is a desire to make breathing more intense.
• During exhalation in kapalabhati, the compression of the diaphragm decreases and decompression occurs. The brain is massaged and respiratory process increases by 3-7 times. This allows you to remove more carbon and other no less harmful gases from the lungs than with regular, habitual breathing.
• Performing the kapalabhati technique is not so easy. At first, you may feel discomfort in the form of dizziness, which indicates an oversaturation of the body with oxygen. If these symptoms appear, you should stop, calm down and take a breath. The exercise should be resumed at a calmer and slower rhythm.
• If at first it is difficult to exhale sharply through your nose, then you can try exhaling through your mouth. At this moment, you can imagine that you need to put out a candle that is located a meter away. Then you need to try exhaling through your nose again. You should feel the compression of the peritoneum as much as possible at this moment.
• Beginners need to do everything slowly and carefully at first, control their every action and try to hone their technique as much as possible. Then you can bring the practice to 40-60 breathing cycles.

Hatha yoga requires careful attention when performing pranayama practice, but all the effort paid off over time. The result of the purification process in kapalbhati has a positive effect on health, improves well-being, appearance and overall quality of life.