Breathing techniques are a major component of yogic teachings. Hatha yoga emphasizes the power of the breath to promote physical and mental health. Each inhale supplies your body with oxygen and each exhale cleanses your body of waste. Your breath can enhance your energy and can calm your mind. Practice breath control techniques so that it becomes second nature to use your breath as an effective tool for stimulating and relaxing your mind and body.
Breathing Practice Posture
Step 1
Sit on your buttocks on a folded blanket. Cross your legs and rest your hands on your thighs.
Step 2
Keep your spine straight. Roll your shoulders back and relax your shoulder tips away from your ears. Broaden across your collar bones to open your chest and expand your lungs.
Step 3
Breathe naturally, filling your lungs completely with air and expelling the air fully from your lungs.
Ujjayi Breath
Step 1
Place your hand about 1 inch in front of your mouth.
Step 2
Imagine that your hand is a hot bowl of soup you want to cool. Blow on your hand and notice the dry, cool quality of your breath.
Step 3
Imagine that your hand is a pair of sunglasses you want to clean. Blow on your hand and notice the moist, warm quality of your breath. Notice the difference between the cooling breath and the heating breath.
Step 4
Close your mouth and continue to breathe in the same manner as you did with the heating breath, except inhale and exhale through your nose. Use the Ujjayi when practicing yoga poses.
Connecting Breath to Movement
Step 1
Bring your arms to your sides. Keep your arms straight and your palms facing out.
Step 2
Inhale as you lift your arms up along the sides of your body to overhead. Begin your inhale and movement at the same time and complete your inhale and movement together.
Step 3
Exhale as you lower your arms back down to your sides, starting and ending your exhale and movement together.
Step 4
Practice this exercise until you can naturally connect your breath and your movement. Apply this technique to a Vinyasa practice that teaches fluid motions in and out of your poses.
Two-to-One Breathing
Step 1
Concentrate on making your inhalations and exhalations equal in length to prepare for this calming breathing technique.
Step 2
Elongate your exhalations to promote calm. Count at a ratio of two-to-one the length of your exhalations and inhalations. Count to two as you inhale, then count to six as you exhale, for example.
Step 3
Increase the length of both your inhalations and exhalations as you become more comfortable with the exercise.
Shining Skull Breath
Step 1
Concentrate on taking deep inhalations and complete exhalations to prepare for this energizing breathing technique. Place your hands over your lower abdomen between your navel and your pelvis to focus your attention on your lower abdomen.
Step 2
Take a deep inhalation, and then forcefully thrust out an exhalation by strongly contracting your lower abdomen.
Step 3
Allow your diaphragm to expand and draw in air naturally.
Step 4
Repeat the breathing cycle 10 to 30 times, thrusting air from your lungs and allowing air to naturally flow back into your lungs.
Step 5
Take normal inhalations and exhalations between shining skull cycles.
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