Right at the center of human existence lies breathing. We wouldn't exist if we didn't breathe. One of the most common and basic processes of the human body, the act of breathing, remains wrapped under ignorance. This International Yoga Day let's get to the core of yogic practice - the significance of breathing and various techniques.
Breathing influences the activities of each and every cell in the body and is linked to the performance of the brain. It is said that humans breathe about 15 times per minute, close to 21,600 times per day. Each breath is intimately linked to all aspects of human experience. "I feel most people breathe incorrectly. They use only the small part of their lung capacity. As the breathing is shallow, it deprives the body of oxygen and prana, which are essential to one's good health," feels yoga expert Anju Kalhan.
Breathing exercises form the core of yogic practices. They aim to create a harmony and balance within the body, and at times detoxify the system as well. While breathing correctly and practicing breathing techniques have benefits manifold, irregular or incorrect breathing can harm the body in many ways. "Rhythmic, deep and slow respiration stimulates the mind and makes it stress free. However, irregular breathing disrupts the rhythms of the brain and leads to physical, emotional and mental blocks. This may often lead to inner conflicts, unbalanced personality, disordered lifestyle and many diseases," shared Ms. Kalhan.Yoga and Breathing PatternsUnder this section not only shall we learn about the 'correct' way of breathing in various yogic postures, but also simplify the varied forms of breathing techniques, their significance, as well as their benefits to the human body. Yogi Anoop from the Chaitanya Foundation, Mediyoga, explains the typical yogic breathing as the one where "when you inhale, your stomach swells out, followed by your chest and while you exhale your stomach goes in, followed by your chest". This is a deep breathing exercise wherein you soak in maximum oxygen filling in your stomach first followed by the chest and vice versa during exhalation.
yogic posture
There are many benefits of practicing the yogic breathing. It is a way to slowly oxygenate your body putting your mind to peace and relaxation.Ms. Kalhan divides the traditional yogic breathing patterns into four categories:-1. Abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing: When you breathe long and deep in the abdomen; focusing on expansion of the stomach while inhalation and squeezing the stomach in while exhalation.2. Thoracic breathing: When you breathe into the lungs upwards and outwards. While doing this, you become more aware of the expansion of the lungs, drawing in air and dropping the lungs as you exhale.3. Clavicular breathing: When you breathe into your lungs until the expansion is felt in the upper portion of the lungs around the base of the neck. The shoulder and the collar bone also move up. Exhalation is slow releasing from the base of the chest and then the neck.4. Yogic breathing: She explains this type of breathing as an amalgamation of all of the above in single inhalation. You breathe slow and long, filling up the abdominal area, the chest area as well as the shoulder and the neck areas. You finally begin to release from the stomach first and then the chest followed by the shoulder and the neck.
