By Stephen Kreutzer • June 27th, 2006

Your yoga practice and the way you breathe are intertwined. You won't fully experience the benefits of yoga without first learning how to breathe properly.

Different types of yoga practice call for different types of breathing, so it is important to note from the beginning that there is no one right way to breathe in yoga. If, in your yoga practice, your goal is total relaxation then your breathing should reflect that. This means long deep breaths meant to slow your heart rate and allow you to fully relax into the yoga pose.

Here are a few tips:

• The diaphragm is where the breath originates in yoga and in everyday life. When you breathe in, your stomach puffs slightly because your diaphragm is filling with air. When you breathe out, your stomach flattens as your diaphragm empties itself of air. When you breathe, be sure that your stomach is moving, that you aren't restricting this movement in any way.

• It's important to relax every muscle in your chest, your face, your neck, your shoulders – even your jaw – in order to benefit from a relaxing breath in yoga. One way to do this is to clench the body part in question and then let go entirely. You may not even realize that your muscles are locked until you try to contract them.
   
  ...
  • <<
  • <
  • 1
  • 2
  • >
  • >>

Location:  Cupertino, US

...