Yoga Breathing Exercises – Correct 3 Common Breathing Faults with Yoga Breathing
1. Shallow Chest Breathing
Is your breathing shallow? To check, place one hand on the chest, and the other just above the navel. If the hand on the chest moves more, then shallow breathing is your normal breathing pattern.
Shallow breathing, also called paradoxical breathing, creates tension in the shoulders, neck and thoracic spine and increases heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and metabolism.
Yoga Breathing Exercise: To correct chest breathing, practice the following exercise 10 – 20 minutes daily for several weeks until breathing from the diaphragm becomes natural and easy.
• Lie on your back with you knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place a hard cover book or 10-15 lb sandbag on your abdomen around the area of the navel.
• As you inhale through the nose, lift the book. As you exhale through the nose, the book lowers.
2. Rough Breathing
Your breath is jerky. Sit comfortably with the spine lengthened. Notice your incoming and outgoing breath. Is it smooth?
Yoga Breathing Exercise: Place one hand about 4 inches away from your body. Move one finger from navel to chin as you inhale, then back down as you exhale. Practice with awareness of the breath.
3. Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing exacerbates high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease, dry cough and many other medical problems.
Yoga Breathing Exercise: Sit comfortably for 3-5 minutes and practice breathing through the nose. You can also press one nostril closed with a finger or thumb and breathe slowly through the other nostril. Then change sides.
Yoga breathing exercises must be practiced without force.
Tags: breathing exercises, heather greaves, Stress, yoga breathing
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June 2, 2009
You are so right about the shallow breath. Most people only half fill their lungs.
I’m reminded of an old saying – “Full Breath equals a full life”
Best Regards
Jay
July 3, 2009
It is definitely not possible to just breath correctly all of the sudden. You need to practice proper breathing for years before it becomes second nature. I act like im good at it, but im really not good at it.
August 7, 2009
Great exercise with the sand bags for the shallow chest breathing.
Thanks Heather for this useful practice!
September 1, 2009
You’re welcome, Chawana. Keep it up.
September 1, 2009
A great big step is simply being aware of our breathing. Here’s to the many steps you have taken. Hope you had a good summer.