Yoga Breathing Methods

In a world of corporate stress, traffic jams, bill collectors, and unending debt, it comes as no surprise that a large number of deaths are directly related to high blood pressure and stress. The world is a savage place in reference to the physical health of an individual. There does, however, seem to be a solution to stress related health issues that the modern world so adamantly offers. The source of this opportunity of hope does not come in the form of a pill, a shot, or a technology oriented miracle cure. It actually comes through a process that originated centuries ago. It is known simply as, Yoga.

Ninety Nine percent of the global population do not use their respiratory system to one hundred percent of its' capacity and/or potential. The daily trials that we experience cause drops and spikes in our breathing patterns, which in turn lowers or raises our blood pressure, etc. The process is long, drawn out, and can literally have diverse negative effects upon every organ and system within our body. These are some truly frightening facts. However, through the art and exercise of Yoga, we can actually retrain our bodies and minds to breath as they were originally intended, before the cruelties of everyday life sat in.


In the process of Yoga breathing, do not expect immediate results. It is a process of teaching our subconscious to act differently than it does at the moment. The subconscious can be a very stubborn aspect and you must be patient with it.

Moving on, the actual process of Yoga breathing is quite simple, once you get it memorized, and memorizing is the first part of reprogramming your subconscious. Consider a yawn for an example. Go ahead and yawn. Interesting that the mere mention of a yawn makes us want to do it. This is the old subconscious taking over again. Make it a deep yawn. Relaxing, is it not? Now, consider how you yawned, your inhalation, and exhalation. When you inhaled, the air went to your abdomen, your stomach being the first to rise. Then your chest rose. As you exhaled, your chest fell first and then your stomach. You see, for some reason, though your subconscious has allowed your regular breathing to become skewed, the yawn has remained, as it should be. Use this as a guideline to go by.

First, lie flat on your back, no pillow, with your entire body straight. Close your eyes. Breathe in forcing the air to make your abdomen rise. Then, breath out, releasing the air. Do this a couple of times. Next, inhale causing your chest to rise. Again, release the air. Practice this a few times also. This part of the process is simply warming up for the real run.

To actually practice the art of yoga breathing, remain flat on your back. Now, breath in, deeply, allowing your stomach to rise first, then your chest. Now, do the same series of events in reverse. Breath out the air, first allowing your chest to sink and then your stomach.

One way to make this process simpler to remember is to think of your body as a bottle and your breath as water. You are filling your body as you would the body. The lower part fills first, then the upper. In exhalation, if you siphoned the water from the body the upper part would empty before the lower. This is a perfect example of the order of events.

Continue this process for 21 breaths. Then, open your eyes and get up slowly. As you rise, you will notice what seems like intensity in your senses. Colors seem brighter, more intense. Sounds are clearer, more noticeable. The effect is the same on all your senses. There are medical reasons for this sudden intensifying of your senses, but they are too diverse to list here. The sensation will begin to ebb after a few minutes. Nevertheless, it is truly an awesome sensation.

In the long run, this practice could save your life. Do not, however, let it end here. Study into the art of Yoga. There are numerous forms of Yoga that can be practiced to enhance your life experience on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. There are several forms of Yoga breathing that will also enhance particular areas of your life. Give them all a try.

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Yoga Breathing Exercise Fundamentals

One of the most common comments I hear from others within my yoga class and yoga beginners alike is that they find yoga breathing exercises the most beneficial, but also the hardest set of asanas to master.

It's true when many traditional and alternative medicines describe breathing as the very essence of existing. Breathing is one of the primary rhythms we see in life which include sleep awake, birth and death, light and dark.

With this in mind, it's no wonder that significant studies have been done to examine the role breathing has on aspects of our life such as health, emotional well being, relationships and the state of society in general.


In yoga, the breath is known as a rather unifying principle called prana, a wide-reaching energy that can bridge body, mind and spirit together in a harmony that is the basis of yoga and meditation. Yoga breathing exercise then becomes the set of yoga breathing techniques seeking to maximize this universal energy that exists inherently in all of us.

Those who practice yoga believe that this state of harmony is natural and that there are many aspects of life that pull apart our inner harmony. Yoga breathing exercise is one of the basic fundamental techniques we can use to control and even eliminate the impact external forces have on our overall health and well-being.

Take our fight or flight response as one example. The instinctual fight or flight response served our ancestors well, arising infrequently to keep our ancestors out of danger and harm. Today, most of us suffer from an almost chronic, permanent fight or flight response triggering symptoms that lead to digestive problems, high blood pressure, deterioration of the arteries and many other stress-related illnesses.

Yoga breathing exercises tackle this chronic stress response by breaking through the mind-body response and re-focusing us on our natural state of internal harmony.

YOGA BREATHING EXERCISE BASICS

The good news is that we don't have to master yoga breathing exercises to realize the benefits, but it is important that yoga breathing techniques follow a few basic guidelines.

1. Practice Breathing. First and foremost is that we must give ourselves the permission, time and motivation to improve our breathing through exercise. Yoga breathing techniques are proven to help master control over our mind and bodies, but it can only work if you commit to a disciplined program over a period of several months.

2. Understand the Physiology of Breathing. A large part of advanced yoga breathing techniques involves altering the inhale and exhalation speed as well as controlling the depth of breathing exercise. The goal of yoga breathing (pranayama) is to ease the mind and heart, but also increase the oxygenation of the cells within your body - otherwise known as the process of respiration. To master pranayama, your mind pictures the exhalation of toxicity and gas while on inhale, your mind envisions clean, pure oxygen feeding your body.

3. Become Aware of your body as it breathes. Yoga breathing techniques stress the role of your body, your abdomen, your ribs, your thorax and chest as well as your lungs in the yoga breathing process. For example, when you practice deep breathing, the puffing out of the abdomen is a critical indicator that you are taking in enough breath to accomplish adequate oxygenation. Truly mastering pranayama (yoga breathing) is only possible when you become aware of your breathing rhythms in any activity at any time of day.

4. Focus on both inhalation and exhalation. When I first started yoga breathing techniques, I focused almost entirely on the inhalation, making sure I was taking a truly deep breath, without focusing at all on how I was letting the air out of my body. In fact, exhalation is just as important to the success of yoga breathing exercises. Focus on a consistent, controlled release rather than a jerky, uncontrolled release.

The long-term health benefits of yoga breathing exercise are thought to be significant, but I can tell you that the short-term increase in energy, focus, peace and brain power you gain from just a 5-minute yoga breathing technique are incredibly powerful to your overall well being, productivity and happiness.

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Yoga Positions – Positioning Yourself For Health

Yoga – the ancient art of breathing and stretching – has long been favored as a natural way to achieve optimal fitness and ward off stress. Today, more and more people are turning to yoga to help them achieve what traditional exercise has not – a mind/body connection that offers a greater level of health and inner peace.

Yoga positions consist of holding certain postures of the body while performing deep and precise breathing techniques. There are many types of yoga practice to which different people prescribe but there is a common thread that unites all sects of yoga. They all have various postures or positions that are common to yoga in general.


Some common yoga positions include:

Seated Yoga Position – Seated yoga positions often focus on learning disciplined breathing techniques. Participants sit cross legged in an erect position and learn to control their diaphragm and let their breathing work for them.

Standing Yoga Position – Standing yoga positions concentrates on improving flexibility and spinal alignment while still utilizing breathing techniques.

Supine Yoga Position - Supine yoga positions lengthen and strengthen the spinal column thus benefiting parts of the back.

Belly Down Yoga Position - Belly down yoga positions concentrate on abs and upper body strength. Participants are asked to lift themselves from the ground and perform a series of stretch positions in a fluid motion.

Balancing Yoga Position - Balancing yoga positions improve flexibility and strengthen back and abdominal muscles. Holding a particular position for an extended period of time while balancing body weight uses muscles much more then you would think.

Twisting Yoga Position - Twisting yoga positions stretch the body – most significantly the spinal column.

Yoga can be a wonderful way to tone your body, increase flexibility, improve cardiovascular function, and lower stress. Research yoga online or turn to professionals who practice and teach yoga. A local class can be just the thing to turn you on to the benefits of yoga positions.

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Yoga Positions – A Few Tips

Yoga positions and the practice of yoga can be beneficial to your mind, your muscles, and even internal functions like your digestive system. With so many benefits, it is no wonder that yoga’s popularity is on the rise. Before you take it up, though, it is a good idea to have in mind the right information to help you succeed and get the most out of the experience. Take these yoga tips into account as you begin your physical, mental, and spiritual journey.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice your positions often. Yoga offers many benefits to your mind, body, and spirit, and these benefits may be maximized with regular practice on your own in addition to your classes and with your teacher. As a beginner, it is especially important that you practice so that you may see and feel the benefits early on. With yoga, the frequency with which you work on your positions is as important if not more so than the length of the practice sessions. Try to find a few minutes each day to do a little bit of yoga.


Make sure that you practice your poses correctly. Most anything you read, watch, or listen to about yoga will tell you to practice often, but one of the yoga tips that sometimes get skipped is that you must practice right. Make sure that each practice session extends you. Do not practice only your best poses, but also work on poses you struggle with as well. Such a practice will be more productive and give you the feeling of self-assurance that you seek with yoga.

Maximizing Your Potential

One of the more important tips for beginners is to let go of your ego. In order to fully maximize your yoga experience, you must forget about such things as impressing your teacher and classmates. One of the central ideas of yoga is self-study. To fully study yourself, you must try not to compare yourself to the teacher or other students, but instead, you should strive to maximize your own learning and improvement during each class and practice session.

Finding Yourself

During practice, remember what is important. The depths of your poses are not nearly as important as how deep you delve into yourself. In yoga, you learn about your inner attention. Be sure to use that attention when practicing and when with your instructor to get the most out of your poses even if you cannot get deeply into them physically.

Finding the Right Teacher

No number of yoga positioning tips can compete with having the right teacher. When selecting a yoga teacher, make sure you find someone with whom you feel comfortable. Your instructor should have good knowledge and work through compassion and respect for you as a person. No matter how many books you read or tapes you watch, you will never get the feedback and encouragement that you will with the right teacher.

As a beginner in yoga, there are undoubtedly times that you feel a bit lost. That is okay. Hopefully, though, with these tips you will have an idea of what you need to do to feel more successful in your yoga experience. Yoga is not a religion, but in some ways it does become a way of life, and by following these tip you can start your journey toward that way of life on the right foot.

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