BREATHING
Complete Yoga Breathing:
Before practising yoga asanas it is good to relax and do some yoga breathing. Practise sarvasana at the end of yoga also. You can practise while standing but I think it's best practised lying on your mat.
If you like you could place a folded blanket or a bolster under the spine, from sacrum up and a block or a thin pillow under the head.
Relax down into your mat. Let your feet be floppy.
Bring your hands to your lower belly touching the tips of the thumbs together and touching the index fingers together around the belly button.
Breathing into the lower belly, feel the fingers seperating with the breath X 3 breaths.
Next, bring opposite hands to opposite sides of your lower rib cage, direct your breath to your hands, feel the lower ribs rising and expanding with the breath X 3 breaths.
Next, move the hands up to the upper ribs and tuck your hands into you arm pits, direct your breath to your hands, feel the upper ribs rising and expanding with the breath X 3 breaths.
Lastly, bring your hands up to your collar bones. You can keep your hands crossed, just check to make sure you are not rounding your shoulders, stay open and broad across the chest. Direct your breath to your hands and feel the collar bones gently rising as the breath fills the top part of the lungs and relaxing on the exhale.
Now, combine all of these areas into one full smooth inhale and exhale.
As you inhale think about filling a jug up with water, let the breath fill from the bottom of the lungs upwards. As you exhale visualise emptying the jug from the top all the way to the bottom. At the end of the breath gently squeeze the abdominal muscles to assist the full emptying of the lungs.
Three part yoga breathing is very relaxing, brings awareness to the breath and helps us to develop the great habit of deep breathing.
Try it, even 5 minutes each day will do you the world of good.
