Staggered breathing in yoga effect. The technique of performing a full breath in yoga. Breathing technique to cleanse the nerves

Breathing is an important part of yoga practice, and it would not be an understatement to say that without proper breathing, yoga practice almost doubles its effectiveness (if not more). Although traditionally pranayama or breathing exercises yogis follow after asanas (yogic postures), however, it is important to learn how to breathe correctly at the very beginning of the practice. We are not talking about complex ones yet. breathing techniques, no, the point is to be able to use your lungs to the maximum in the process.

Due to the prevalence sedentary life, we often breathe in the upper part of the lungs, sometimes in the middle. However, it is very important to involve the lower, largest in volume, part of the lungs (also called the abdominal). Therefore, breathing in yoga for beginners focuses on "training and liberation" of the lower, abdominal region chest.

Breathing in yoga has three main parts:

- Inhale (puraka)

- Exhale (rechaka)

- Holding the breath (kumbhaka).

Kumbhaka is of two types: abhyantara-kumbhaka (retention after inhalation) and bahir-kumbhaka (retention after exhalation). Alternatively, delays may be called antar- and bahya-kumbhaka, respectively. Okay, enough terms for now, now more practice.

Although I will tell you how to learn how to fill your lungs to the end on the steps, you need to understand that such a "stepwise" training is essentially just a training, and when you get used to breathing deeply (more likely, a full belly :)), then you will need to gradually leave from grading, and just breathe with full lungs.

There are different yoga poses for beginners in which you can practice breathing exercises, for example, the Turkish pose (sukhasana), the heel pose (virasana), etc. It doesn't matter here, the main thing is to start breathing correctly.

Sit in a comfortable position, relax. Start inhaling slowly with your stomach; inflate your belly to feel the air fill your lower lungs. In the future, there will be no special need to protrude the stomach, but now it is necessary to learn how to feel your lungs. So, count to 4, inflating your stomach as you inhale. Then exhale, again counting to 4. Repeat 3 times.

Now the middle section of the lungs. Try to inhale for 2-3 counts only with your chest, i.e. the middle part of the lungs. Exhale also for 2-3 counts.

And finally, the upper section. Inhale in one or two counts while lifting your collarbones. As you exhale, lower your collarbones by 1-2 counts.

These split exercises will help you learn to feel the different parts of your chest and lungs by “training” them. The next task is to combine them into a single inhalation and exhalation.

Begin to inhale in 4 counts, filling the lower lungs, then continue to count 5-6 ..., filling the middle section, then 7-8 ... - the upper section (lifting the collarbone). When you have fully inhaled, hold for 3-5 seconds and begin to exhale. This can be done in the same order (bottom-middle-top), or in reverse, keeping the total score to 8. This is called complete yogic breathing. You can practice it daily for 5-10 minutes, usually after a beginner yoga class. Sometimes breathing can be practiced before or after the warm-up, however, it should not be done immediately before the asanas, because yoga poses can be more difficult to do.

These breathing exercises are only preliminary, but if you master them, your pranayama practice will go up much better; and the full breath itself will bring a lot of benefits to your body and mind.

Complete yogic breathing is the foundation needed to perform virtually any pranayama. This is essentially the one that trains all of the major breathing muscles. With regular exercise, you will train yourself to breathe correctly at an unconscious level. Moreover, this exercise takes very little time. The article will help you step by step to master the correct technique for performing the three-stage breathing of yogis.

Benefits and contraindications

Breathing is easy, this vital process requires no effort on our part. We will never forget to breathe, but we don't always do it right. Someone breathes only with their chest, someone with their belly, someone with the mouth instead of their nose. Practicing complete yoga breathing will eliminate all of your breathing problems.

In addition to "accustoming" to correct breathing, during the performance of this pranayama, the volume of inhaled air increases by 4-5 times. During normal daily breathing, we breathe shallowly and consume about half a liter of oxygen. With full breathing of yogis, this volume increases to 2.5-4 liters (depending on fitness and characteristics of the body).

Practice benefits:

• congestion in the lungs is eliminated;
• toxins are removed;
• metabolism accelerates;
• strengthens the heart and normalizes blood pressure;
• internal organs are massaged with the help of the diaphragm;
• the mind calms down.

But there are very few contraindications - these are serious pathologies of the respiratory organs or the heart. And you should also refrain from practice if there is a hernia of the abdominal cavity.

Execution technique

Pranayama of complete yoga breathing is quite easy to learn. But if you are a beginner in yoga, then you should break the process of mastering into stages and concentrate on correctness doing the exercise.

Body position, asanas

According to the "standards" of yoga, three-frequency breathing should be done in the lotus position (padmasana). But for beginners, this position is often not available. Therefore, for initial development, sukhasana (in Turkish) or shavasana (lying on your back in a relaxed state) is quite allowed. The main condition is that the spine must be straight.

It is better to choose sitting postures (asanas). Shavasana for full yoga breathing can be chosen if you are a complete beginner and cannot sit comfortably with your legs crossed. By the way, you can put pillows or a folded blanket under the buttocks. This greatly improves comfort and helps keep your back straight for longer.

Preparation and training

Correct breathing of yogis consists of three parts or stages:

• abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing;
• chest breathing;
• clavicular breathing.

Preparation consists in practicing each of the stages separately. This will allow you to feel well your sensations in the body at every stage and perform the practice as correctly as possible. Let's start in order.

Abdominal breathing

Sit or lie down in the asana of your choice for the exercise. Start breathing in your belly, concentrate only on it. Feel the belly rounded as you inhale, and as you exhale, it approaches the spine. Do this in a calm mode, without any super-efforts on yourself.

Relax your face and whole body and just breathe calmly through your belly. Feel your diaphragm expanding and putting light pressure on your internal organs. Dedicate 5 minutes to this workout and move on to the next step.

Chest breathing

Now bring all your attention to the chest area. For completeness, you can put your hands on the side of the ribs and close your eyes. Forget about your stomach and breathe only with your chest. Feel all the muscles involved in chest breathing.

Try to take deep breaths to expand your chest as much as possible. Five minutes will also be sufficient for this step.

Clavicular breathing

This type of breathing is the most difficult to feel and comprehend. In everyday shallow breathing, the clavicle is practically not used. Therefore, stagnation of "old air" occurs in the upper parts of the lungs.

To use clavicular breathing, you need to inhale as deeply as possible. Try to breathe in even deeper, even if you think you have nowhere to go. The clavicle bones and shoulders will serve as an indicator. They will rise slightly when you inhale, and lower when you exhale.

Take the clavicular breathing step for 10 minutes to get a good feel for the upper part their lungs.

Complete order of execution

You are now ready to complete the three-frequency breathing of the yogis completely. We combine the previous three stages into one cycle:

• sit / lie down in an asana suitable for you;
• close your eyes and take a few quiet breaths in and out;
• exhale completely;
• start inhaling from the abdomen, as in the first stage of the workout;
• continue inhaling smoothly expanding the chest;
• reach the clavicular breathing and start exhaling in the reverse order;
• the collarbones descend immediately, exhale with the chest and draw in the stomach;
• we repeat the cycle again.

When and how much to do

For the first few days, practice 10 complete yogi breaths 2 times a day. Over the course of two weeks, increase the duration of one workout to 5 minutes. When a five-minute session will not cause any difficulties (fatigue, dizziness), also gradually reach 10 minutes per set.

In time, it is better to practice full yoga breathing in the morning before meals and in the evening before bedtime. There is no point in practicing for more than 10 minutes at a time. Regularity is much more important than duration. Make yourself a habit - practice every day. And the result is in the form better health and you will feel well in a month.

1. Remember that yogis breathing is exercise. Don't constantly force yourself to breathe this way. Take this practice of conscious 20 minutes a day (10 + 10), the rest of your body will do itself.
2. The entire cycle of inhalation and exhalation should occur smoothly, without jerks and delays. The deepest continuous breathing cycle possible.
3. The muscles of the body, face and neck should be relaxed. There shouldn't be any discomfort.
4. Maintain your focus of attention within, concentrating on the breathing process.

The better you control your breathing, the better you will be able to control your mind. Full yoga breathing is essential for the effective performance of many pranayamas. But this does not detract from its merits as a separate independent practice. A simple exercise that ventilates your lungs, raises oxygen levels in your blood, teaches you to control your breathing, and removes bad breathing habits.

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Yoga is not an ordinary sport. This is a real philosophy and a separate world, where its own system of rules reigns. Breathing in yoga is the part without which it is unthinkable to expect results. Breathing is half the success of yoga classes and a whole science that is passed on to students by word of mouth, and mastering the right techniques considered the art of aerobatics and recognized mastery.

Why is correct breathing in yoga necessary?

The breathing exercises are called pranayamas by the masters. The ancient yogis established a close relationship between breathing techniques and health, as well as the vitality of a person.

It is believed: the more breathing techniques a person knows, the stronger his energy flows, the clearer and more powerful his inner energy. Breathing techniques help make everyone work internal organs, gradually improving all physical indicators: through pranayama, blood supply improves, the lungs are straightened, the vital forces of a person are replenished. That is why it is so important to learn how to breathe correctly in yoga class.

From the point of view of traditional medicine, the benefits of breathing exercises are enormous. They provide invaluable assistance in the fight against many diseases.

1. Normalize blood pressure.
2. Improves the functioning of the heart and brain.
3. Have a beneficial effect on nervous system.
4. Improves blood circulation and metabolism.
5. Set up for the positive.

Rules for performing breathing exercises in yoga

1. When starting to study, remember: it is very important to exercise in a clean, ventilated area , and even better - on fresh air: in the forest, on the shore of a lake, river or sea.
2. Postpone classes until later if you are overheated or cold or physically tired. It is not recommended to exercise for children under 14 years of age, pregnant women, and women who have heavy and painful menstruation.
3. Inhalation is an active process, while exhalation is very passive. That's why it is important to learn how to completely relax on the exhale, gradually increasing its duration. Those who master this rule in the classroom will greatly benefit their body for the overall health of both body and mind.
4. Do not start exercising on a full or empty stomach. : You can have a snack 2 hours before your workout by choosing light protein such as fish or cottage cheese, rice and vegetables, or a glass of bran fruit smoothie as a reinforcement.
5. If you are a beginner yogi, do not be zealous. : start small, focusing on correct execution exercise. Monitor your feelings. Feeling dizzy or otherwise uncomfortable? Pause. Regular practice and persistence will help you achieve success in a few months.

Attention!

There are a number of diagnoses that are an obstacle to doing yoga, because they can even worsen a person's health.

• Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Blood poisoning, meningitis, stroke or heart attack.
• Diabetes.
• Severe lung disease: pneumonia or bronchial asthma.
• Tuberculosis and venereal diseases.

Basic breathing exercises in yoga

Video on how to properly do breathing exercises in yoga

Enjoy yoga, come to class with good mood and then the effect of the lessons will be the most wonderful, and there will be a lot of vitality!

Respiratory yoga is akin to the art of meditation. Large ones are not required here. physical exercise, and at the same time the effect of doing breathing exercises is great. It is no less important for the human body and psyche than practicing asanas. Therefore, in the article we will consider what breathing yoga is and what it consists of.

Types of breathing yoga

What are we used to understand by the types of breathing yoga? Pranayama: This is the practice of consciously controlling and controlling the breath. Full yogic breathing could be attributed to a separate type of breathing yoga, if it were not otherwise called "pranayamic", because here, as in all types of pranayamas, the yogi controls the breath. It ceases to be unconscious, as it happens with ordinary people. It is completely controlled by the yogi. When a practitioner reaches this level of skill, even kumbhaka becomes as familiar as performing 32 fouettés for a ballerina. This is done so naturally that conscious control weakens (or rather, what we tend to understand by control - composure, maximum concentration on the implementation of all phases of practice).

Instead, a deep knowledge of technology comes, which becomes a way of life. The way you breathe now is your involuntary breathing, while for a yogi his involuntary breathing after years practice becomes yogic breathing, much deeper and more comprehensive than the daily breathing of an ordinary person.

Three kinds of breathing

Let's take a look at the breathing process of an ordinary person. What does it consist of? We have already said that the main characteristic of such breathing is its unconsciousness. This is a psychological fact. What about physiology? And here the average resident did not succeed. Unlike a yoga practitioner, the average person breathes, filling one part of the lungs with air - the upper, middle or lower. Sometimes it happens that there is a combination of the upper and middle sections, but almost never all three sections are included in the work during one breathing cycle. In yogic breathing this deficiency is eliminated, and the yogi uses and fills the lungs completely; hence the name "full yoga breathing".

Three types of breathing of modern man - clavicular, chest and abdominal. What happens when you breathe in one of these ways?

Clavicular breathing is the most superficial. During such breathing, air fills only the upper part of the lungs, while the shoulders rise, and the collarbones and ribs are included in the work. It is easy to guess that the intake of air during clavicular breathing is minimal, it does not reach the alveoli, and, therefore, most of the air received is not used by the body for its intended purpose. It does not even participate in gas exchange, oxygen is not assimilated and on exhalation will be removed from the body.

Chest breathing is somewhat better than clavicular. Air passes a little further, filling the middle section of the lungs, but still it is not full. Included in work thoracic region, the chest expands and the shoulders rise. This type of breathing is typical for stressful situations when there is no way to breathe in deeply, the person is constrained, but you need to breathe. This is how the once fixed habit continues to accompany us even when there is no need for inadequate, "forced" breathing.

Abdominal breathing is the most correct and natural of the three types, because only in this type of breathing the “second heart” of a person, the diaphragm, starts to work. The diaphragm changes position, it moves, therefore the volume of the chest cavity changes: it increases and decreases. It relieves tension from the heart muscle, which makes it easier for the heart. This type of breathing liberates the human psyche, since the shoulders automatically lower, relax pectoral muscles, which promotes a state of relaxation. It is also true that if you drop your shoulders, sit down and start breathing, you will turn on the process of abdominal breathing.

Respiratory system of yogis

The respiratory system of yogis has existed since the time of Patanjali. The emergence of yoga as a separate independent teaching is associated with his name. In the sutras, Patanjali outlined 8 steps of yoga practice: the lower four - basic - and the upper four, associated with the practice of mental states, the achievement of samadhi.

As a breathing system, it stands on the fourth stage, being the watershed between the lower and higher stages. And this is no coincidence. Its function goes beyond the purely physiological, associated with strengthening the body. Breathing is primarily responsible for mental and mental processes in the body, therefore, so much attention is paid to it in the practice of meditation, that is, at the stages of the practice of the highest yoga - dhyana. The yogic respiratory system consists of pranayama practice and complete yogic breathing.

The practice of pranayama. Four stages:

• rechaka - exhalation;
• kumbhaka - holding the breath;
• puraka - inhale;
• kumbhaka - holding the breath.

Among them, kumbhaka is the defining component that characterizes pranayama. - This is a breath holding, which is performed on inhalation and exhalation. Breath holding can vary in time from 3 seconds to 90. Yogis also perform longer breath holdings, but at the first stages of mastering a new breathing technique, it is better to adhere to the given parameters.

Respiratory yoga for beginners

Basic pranayama:

• Anuloma Viloma - alternate inhalation and exhalation through the right and left nostril.
• Samavritti pranayama is the practice of the so-called "square breathing", when each stage of breathing is performed rhythmically, in compliance with the temporal relationship. You can use equal intervals of time for all four stages - inhalation, exhalation and retention - or practice a more complex yoga version, where holding the breath is longer in time than other stages of the respiratory process.
• Kapalabhati and Bhastrika pranayama are an excellent method of ventilation of the lungs, release from carbon dioxide, followed by saturation of the body with oxygen. Complete yoga breathing is an important point in the teaching. The practice of breathing yoga is usually started with it. The point is that air passes into all parts of the lungs, therefore, it can effectively participate in gas exchange, and oxygen is well absorbed by the body.

As mentioned above, in full yogic breathing, all three types of breathing are used - abdominal, chest and clavicular. Inhalation begins in the abdominal region, then the air fills the chest and, last of all, the clavicular region. On exhalation, the process is reversed. The clavicular region is exhaled first, and the abdominal region last.

Respiratory gymnastics of yogis

The described practices consist of breathing exercises yogis. Pranayama involves the practice of breathing from a sitting position. It is advisable that you are in Padmasana, Siddhasana or Vajrasana. These are the most comfortable postures for practicing pranayama. Your body is stable, your spine is erect, energy is directed upward from the base of your spine to the crown; it does not get lost, going down into the legs, as it could happen if you were sitting on a chair or standing.

Therefore, no matter how uncomfortable the asana may seem while sitting, try to immediately get used to doing the practice while sitting on the floor in one of these poses. After a few weeks, you will become comfortable and realize that while sitting on the floor, doing pranayama is most effective.

Benefits of yoga breathing exercises

• breathing exercises of yogis are useful for physical health and the development of intelligence;
• enriches the body with oxygen;
• provides complete assimilation of O2;
• balances gas exchange, being responsible for the ratio of O2 and CO2 in the blood;
• gives nutrition to the cells of the body: cellular respiration is included in the work, not only breathing by the lungs;
• facilitates the work of the heart, since the diaphragm is used with full yogic breathing;
• there is a massage of internal organs, also due to the inclusion of the diaphragm in the work, which has a beneficial effect on the digestion process;
• the work of the brain is intensified, its blood circulation improves: the brain is directly connected with breathing, follows the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, increasing and contracting

This list outlines some of the most important physiological aspects of the effect of pranayama and full breathing on the human body. There are also spiritual aspects of the practice. They are just as important as physical ones.

Concentration practice while performing breathing exercises of yogis

During the performance of pranayama, the thought process is stabilized, a person learns to concentrate. During the practice of pranayama, this is much easier to do by focusing on the process of inhaling and exhaling, observing the breath. Thoughts are brought to one denominator, you are getting ready to perform more complex meditations.

Concentration on anything, be it an object or the process of breathing, is the first step in the practice of meditation. You have not yet merged with the object of meditation, and your consciousness is fully present, but you are learning to become more aware of yourself, your body, physical and mental processes taking place in it.

One must learn to collect the mind at one point. Usually he is busy with many things. "Multitask" is a favorite pastime of our mind. However, this habit is far from the most effective for those who want to learn a lot and, above all, themselves. So it's best to start practicing the focused attention technique. This will allow you to better focus on the tasks at hand, including practice. The focus of attention will become sharper. You will be able to immerse yourself in a certain type of activity for such a time period that you ask yourself, and practically nothing can distract you.

If this were the only advantage of the practice of pranayama - conscious breathing - then it should already be recommended to be performed daily, not to mention how many other positive aspects the breathing exercises of yogis bring. Set aside a specific time of day for practice and get started. After the first sessions, you will notice positive changes taking place in your life.

Yoga breathing exercises

Yoga breathing exercises are very important. For untrained people choice correct exercise allows you to quickly adapt to the whole complex of yoga.

Yoga breathing exercises for beginners

Below are a few of these exercises that are basic in yoga. It is also worth watching a video of yoga breathing exercises.

1. Cleansing breath Is a special breathing exercise that allows you to quickly clear the airways. It is always performed when it is necessary to restore breathing or when breathing is out of order. Basic Breathing Exercises

To perform this yoga breathing exercise, you need to take the starting position: standing, feet shoulder-width apart, arms lowered along the body. Then you need to take a full breath, and without holding your breath, begin an intense exhalation in small portions through tightly compressed lips stretched like a smile. You don't need to puff out your cheeks. The body on the exhale should be as tense as possible: the hands are clenched into fists, the arms are stretched down along the body, the legs are straight, the buttocks are tucked up and tightly clenched. Exhale the air to the maximum. Then a full breath again. You need to repeat this exercise until breathing is completely restored. Yoga for hemorrhoids - very helpful in prevention.

2. Morning exercise helps to move from sleep to active state. You need to stand straight, raise your head, draw in your stomach, take your shoulders back, and stretch your arms with clenched fists along the body. Then slowly rise on your toes, and very slowly take a full breath. In this position, you need to hold your breath for a few seconds.

Then slowly return to the original position, slowly exhaling air through the nostrils. At the end, perform a cleansing breath.

Yoga and breathing

3. Holding your breath. This exercise contributes to the development of the respiratory muscles, and, in addition, leads to the expansion of the chest. It is believed that holding the breath temporarily also brings significant benefits to the digestive system, circulatory system, and nervous system.

To perform this exercise, you need to stand upright, take a full breath and

hold the air in the chest as much as possible. Then you need to exhale the air forcefully through the open mouth and perform a cleansing breath.

4. Activation of the lungs designed to activate the work of oxygen-absorbing cells. In addition, it increases the overall tone of the body. This is enough difficult exercise, which must be performed with great care. If there are signs of even mild dizziness, it is necessary to interrupt the exercise and rest.

To perform this yoga breathing exercise, you need to stand upright, stretch your arms along the body and take a very deep, slow breath. After the lungs are full of air, you need to hold your breath and hit your chest with the palms of your hands. Then exhale slowly, and as you exhale, slowly hit your chest with your fingertips. At the end, you need to perform a cleansing breath. Performing all yoga breathing exercises video instructions for proper execution will become good helper for beginners. Yoga breathing exercises for beginners

5. Stretching the edges necessary in order to make them more elastic. This is very important for proper breathing.

You need to stand up straight and press your arms to the sides of the chest higher under the armpits so that thumbs were facing the back, the palms were on the sides, and the rest of the fingers were facing the front of the chest. Next, you need to take a full breath, hold the air in the lungs for a short time and immediately begin to squeeze the ribs with your hands, while slowly exhaling air. At the end of the exercise, you need to perform a cleansing breath.

6. Expansion of the chest necessary to restore normal chest volume. When performing this exercise, you need to stand upright, take a full breath and hold the air. Then extend both arms forward and keep fists clenched at shoulder level. After that, with one movement, take your hands back. After that, move your hands to the fourth position, then to the fifth, repeat quickly several times, while you need to clench your fists all the time and strain your arm muscles. At the end, exhale sharply through the open mouth and perform a cleansing breath.

Please note that these yoga breathing exercises are not recommended for people with organic heart damage, blood diseases, the consequences of severe traumatic brain injury, increased intracranial and ocular pressure; diaphragm defects, retinal detachment, pneumonia, acute conditions of the peritoneal organs, at high temperatures. It is advisable to consult a doctor beforehand.