While breathing is an automatic function and one performed every moment of the day, breathing is rarely executed correctly. Few know how to breathe fully. Without focus on the breath, the majority of people routinely exhibit shallow breathing. Shallow breathing, also known as chest breathing, uses only the middle and upper portions of the lungs, according to Carol Krucoff, author of "Healing Moves: How to Cure, Relieve, and Prevent Common Ailments with Exercise."
Full breaths engage the lower lung and cause the belly to inflate on inhale and deflate on exhale, also known as abdominal breathing, according to Dr. James Gordon. Abdominal breathing offers many benefits, including relief from stress and anxiety and relaxation. Because of these benefits , teaching your students to breathe properly is a very satisfying endeavor.
Preparation
Step 1
Locate a quiet place away from noise or other distractions. Abdominal breathing can be taught in a yoga studio or a separate room in your house. If you teach abdominal breathing in your home, create a space for your students by moving furniture out of the way.
Step 2
Adjust the light in the room either by dimming the lights or closing the shades. This allows your students to avoid squinting and relax their focus even with their eyes closed.
Step 3
Instruct your students to sit comfortably in a cross-legged position, relaxing the shoulders. If your student has tight hips or experiences pain or tension while seated have them sit on a rolled blanket or pillow to elevate the hips. This allows the muscles in the lower part of the body to relax. Alternatively, a student may lie supine, or on the back, or kneel with the shins and tops of the feet against the floor
Abdominal Breathing Instruction
Step 1
Ask your students to close their eyes and begin to transition breathing to inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Step 2
Direct students to place their right palm over their sternum, or chest, and rest their left palm at the navel. Using their hands, ask your students to feel the breath entering and exiting the body. Ask them to notice the breath--whether it is smooth or ragged, such as whether it falters or stops abruptly.
Step 3
Ask your students to notice the movement of the breath. Ask them whether the inhale inflates both the chest and the abdomen, or causes it to move up and out. If your students do not feel inflation in the abdomen, or belly, ask them where the rise caused by the breath ends. This demonstrates to the student how deeply they are breathing and if they are using the whole breath. An inhale that ends at the rise of the sternum indicates your student exhibits chest breathing. Alternatively, feeling movement in the abdomen indicates a deep, full breath.
Step 4
Coach your students to begin to slow the inhale and the exhale. By slowing the breath a student is able to smooth out breathing particularly if it is shortened, or does not inflate the belly.
Step 5
Practice this exercise for 15 to 30 minutes. At the end of each session ask students to lie on their backs and gradually bring the breathing back to a normal rhythm and cadence, or tempo.
Tips and Warnings
- Because of the benefits, encourage students to practice this exercise as often as possible. Additionally, ask your students to routinely check in with their breath--noticing how they breathe while working versus exercising. The more aware your students become the better you are able to coach them to incorporate abdominal breathing into daily life.
- Abdominal breathing accelerates the amount of oxygen you take in. If your students do not regularly engage the whole lung while breathing, initially abdominal breathing may cause students to experience headaches or dizziness. If this happens, ask your student to spend a few minutes lying in a supine position before returning to normal activity.
Things You'll Need
- Blanket or towel
- Yoga mat
