How to Inhale

There are different techniques of inhaling in yoga. Learn how to inhale in yoga exercise routines in this video about yoga positions and moves.

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Long, slow inhale
Find comfortable position
Lengthen from side bodies
Close eyes
Natural exhale followed by slow inhale

About this Author

Cindy Mastry has practiced yoga since the age of eight, and also has a background in Jazz and Ballet. Active in the fitness industry for nearly twenty years, she teaches aerobics, kickboxing, and yoga at many fitness centers in the Tampa Bay area. Cindy trained with 84 year-old Master Yogi Monk, Baba Hari Dass at the Mt. Madonna Center in California and owns/operates "Yoga Etc Studio" in St. Petersburg, Florida. Cindy teaches yoga to people of all ages and experience levels and at very competitive rates.

CINDY MASTRY: Namaste. When we inhale in Yoga we want it to be a long slow inhale. Dirgha Purak, long inhale. So how do we do that? Faith is going to help us. She is sitting in a comfortable position and you want to sit in a position that you could sit in for several minutes so don't try to get too fancy just sit somewhere that's comfortable. You want to find the long spine. You want to root your sits bones right down into the earth. You want to link them out of the side bodies, heart is lifted, shoulder blades are down your back lengthening up to the back of the neck, lifting up through the crown of the head and allow your eyes to soften and close. Take a natural exhale and then begin your long slow inhale. So as you inhale in you draw the air all the way down into the very deepest part of your lungs allowing the diaphragm to press on your belly so that the belly expands. As you bring the air up into the midsection, you allow your ribs to expand both front and back, and then you bring the air all the way up to the collarbones as you exhale normally, and then you practice that long slow inhale again trying to make yourself so aware and so alive that you can feel the coolness of that air as it comes in through the ring around the nostrils. Feel it as it goes down the nasal passageways all the way down to the deepest part of your lungs, again moving up through the ribcage all the way up to the top of the lung, and then taking your natural exhalation. So we want the inhale to be long and slow. Sometimes it takes a while to practice to get the breathing right but you want to stay relaxed.

How to Inhale Video

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