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Yoga breathing exercises for beginners pranayama. Breathing exercises of yogis. Pranayama. Proper breathing in everyday life

Seven Simple Yoga Breathing Exercises

The exercises described below are very simple, but, nevertheless, their benefits are great. Each of these exercises is basic in yoga, each of the seven breathing exercises described below is the result of the adaptation of classical yoga for any unprepared person.

Breathing exercises:

1. Holding your breath

A very important exercise that promotes the development of the respiratory muscles. Regular exercise will expand the chest. According to the practice of yogis, temporary holding of the breath brings great benefits not only to the respiratory organs, but also to the digestive organs, the circulatory system, and the nervous system.

The scheme of the exercise for holding the breath:
1. Get straight.
2. Take a full breath.
3. Hold the air in the chest as long as possible.
4. Forcefully exhale air through the open mouth.

A beginner can only hold his breath for a very a short time, but a little practice will greatly increase its capabilities.

2. Lung activation

This exercise is designed to activate the work of oxygen-consuming cells. Beginners are categorically not recommended to abuse this exercise; in general, this exercise should be done with great care. In case of signs of even slight dizziness, it is recommended to interrupt the exercise and rest a little.

Exercise scheme:
1. Stand straight, arms extended along the body.
2. Take a slow, very deep breath.
3. When the lungs are full of air, hold your breath and hit the chest with the palms of your hands.
4. Slowly exhale, exhaling, slowly hit the chest with the tips.
5. Perform a cleansing breath.

This exercise activates the absorption of oxygen by the lung cells and increases the overall tone of the body.

3. Rib stretch

The ribs are very important for proper breathing, so it is necessary to perform special exercises to make them more elastic.

Exercise scheme:
1. Get straight.
2. Press your hands to the sides of the chest, as high as possible under the armpits so that the thumbs are facing the back, the palms are on the sides, and the remaining fingers are facing the front of the chest, i.e., as if squeezing your chest with your hands from the sides but without pressing hard with your hands.
3. Take a full breath.
4. Hold the air in the lungs for a short time.
5. Slowly begin to squeeze the ribs with your hands, at the same time, slowly, exhaling air.

4. Expansion of the chest

From lack of physical activity and hypodynamia, the volume of the chest decreases. This exercise is very useful for restoring normal chest volume.

Exercise scheme:
1. Get straight.
2. Take a full breath.
3.Hold air.
4. Stretch both arms forward and keep both fists clenched at shoulder level.
5. In one motion, take your hands back.
6. Move your hands to the fourth position, then to the fifth, repeat quickly several times, all the while clenching your fists and straining the muscles of your hands.
7. Sharply exhale air through an open mouth.
8. Perform a cleansing breath.

5. Breathing exercise on the go

Exercise can be performed while walking, and in general at any suitable time.

Exercise scheme
1. Walk with your head held high and with your chin slightly extended forward, pulling your shoulders back and paying attention to the fact that the steps are of equal length.
2. Take a full breath, mentally counting to eight and taking eight steps during this time so that the count matches the steps, the breath should stretch for the time of eight steps.
3. Slowly exhale air through the nostrils, also counting to eight and taking eight steps during this time.
4. Hold your breath while continuing to walk and count to eight.
5. Repeat this exercise until you feel tired. After the break, continue. Repeat several times a day.

If this exercise is difficult, you can reduce the time of inhalation, exhalation and retention of breath to the duration of four steps.

6. Morning exercise

Exercise helps you move from sleep to active state.

Exercise scheme:
1. Stand straight, raising your head, pulling your stomach in, pulling your shoulders back, arms with clenched fists extended along the body.
2. Slowly rise on your toes, very slowly taking a full breath.
3. Remaining in this position for a few seconds, hold your breath.
4. Slowly return to the original position while exhaling very slowly through the nostrils.
5. Perform a cleansing breath.

Repeat the exercise several times.

7. Exercises to activate blood circulation

Exercise scheme:
1. Stand up straight.
2. Take a full breath, hold your breath.
3. Lean forward slightly, take a stick or cane by the two ends, gradually increase the compression force.
4. Release the stick and straighten up, exhaling slowly.
5. Repeat the exercise several times.
6. Perform a cleansing breath.

You can perform this exercise without a stick, just imagining it to yourself, but putting all your strength into an imaginary squeeze. This exercise quickly normalizes arterial and venous circulation.

cleansing breath

This is a special breathing exercise that allows you to quickly clear the airways. It is performed whenever it is necessary to restore breathing, when breathing has gone astray, or has become too frequent.

Starting position: standing, feet shoulder-width apart, arms lowered along the body.

A full breath is taken, and without holding the breath, an intense exhalation begins in small portions through tightly compressed lips, which stretch into a kind of smile. Cheeks do not need to be puffed up. The body is maximally tense on exhalation: the hands are clenched into fists, the arms are extended down along the body, the legs are straightened, the buttocks are pulled up and tightly compressed. It is necessary to exhale as long as there is something to exhale, to the very last drop of air. And another full breath. Repeat until complete recovery of breathing.

Attention:

The exercises listed below are strictly not recommended to be performed (or performed with great care, after consultation with a specialist, under the supervision of a doctor):

People with organic heart disease; blood diseases (leukemia, thrombosis and thrombophlebitis, hemophilia, acid-base imbalance); consequences of severe traumatic brain injury; transferred inflammation of the brain; residual effects of his severe concussions and bruises; increased intracranial and ocular pressure; diaphragm defects; retinal detachment; chronic inflammation of the middle ear; inflammation of the lungs; acute conditions of the peritoneal organs;

After abdominal and thoracic operations - until the adhesions are completely eliminated; with severe violations of the body scheme; acute neurotic states and failures of adaptation; severe vegetative-vascular or neurocircular dystonia “according to hypertonic type”;

Do not perform breathing exercises with severe physical fatigue; overheating and hypothermia; severe drug intoxication; at a body temperature above thirty-seven degrees Celsius; children under fourteen; after the second month of pregnancy; with strong or painful periods.

Breathing yoga is like the art of meditation. It does not require large physical exercise, and at the same time the effect of breathing exercises is great. It is no less important for the human body and psyche than asanas. Therefore, in the article we will consider what breathing yoga is and what it consists of.

Types of breathing yoga

What do we used to understand under the types of respiratory yoga? Pranayama: This is the practice of consciously controlling and controlling the breath. Full yogic breathing could be attributed to a separate type of respiratory yoga, if it were not otherwise called “pranayamic”, because here, just like in all types of pranayamas, the yogi controls breathing. It ceases to be unconscious, as happens with ordinary people. It is completely controlled by the yogi. When the practitioner reaches this level of skill, even kumbhaka becomes as familiar as performing 32 fouettes for a ballerina. This is done so naturally that conscious control weakens (or rather, what we tend to understand by control is composure, maximum concentration on the implementation of all phases of practice).

Instead, comes a deep knowledge of technology, which becomes a way of life. The way you breathe now is your involuntary breath, while for a yogi, his involuntary breath after years practice becomes yogic breathing, much deeper and more comprehensive than the daily breathing of an ordinary person.

Three types of breathing

Let's look at the breathing process of an ordinary person. What does it consist of? We have already said that main characteristic such breathing is his unawareness. This is a psychological fact. And what about physiology? And here average resident did not succeed. Unlike a yoga practitioner, the average person breathes by filling one section of the lungs with air - upper, middle or lower. Sometimes it happens that there is a combination of the upper and middle sections, but almost never all three sections are included in the work during one breathing cycle. In yogic breathing, this deficiency is eliminated, and the yogi uses and fills the lungs completely; hence the name "full yogic breathing".

Three types of breathing modern man- clavicular, thoracic and abdominal. What happens when you breathe in one of these ways?

Clavicular breathing is the most superficial. During such breathing, air fills only the upper part of the lungs, while the shoulders rise, and the clavicles and ribs are included in the work. It is easy to guess that the air supply during clavicular breathing is minimal, it does not reach the alveoli, and, therefore, most of The resulting air is generally not used by the body for its intended purpose. It does not even participate in gas exchange, oxygen is not absorbed and will be removed from the body on exhalation.

Thoracic breathing is somewhat better than clavicular breathing. The air passes a little further, filling the middle section of the lungs, but still it is not complete. The thoracic region is included in the work, the chest expands and the shoulders rise. This type of breathing is typical for stressful situations, when it is not possible to breathe deeply, the person is constrained, but it is necessary to breathe. This is how once a fixed habit continues to accompany us even when there is no need for inferior, “forced” breathing.

Abdominal breathing is the most correct and natural of the three types, since it is only in this type of breathing that the “second heart” of a person, the diaphragm, begins to work. The diaphragm changes position, it moves, so the volume of the chest cavity changes: it increases and decreases. The tension is removed from the heart muscle, which facilitates the work of the heart. This type of breathing liberates the human psyche, because the shoulders automatically fall, the pectoral muscles relax, which contributes to a state of relaxation. The following will also be true: if you lower your shoulders, sit down and start breathing, you will turn on the process of abdominal breathing.

Respiratory system of yogis

The respiratory system of yogis has existed since the time of Patanjali. His name is associated with the emergence of yoga as a separate independent teaching. In the sutras, Patanjali outlined 8 steps of yoga practice: four lower - basic - and four upper, associated with the practice of mental states, the achievement of samadhi.

"Breath is life,
and if you breathe right,
you will live long on earth.”
Ramacharaka, The Science of Breathing

We breathe deeply when we feel good. We feel stiffness in the solar plexus in moments of pain, anger or fear. And we hold our breath in the most significant moments of our lives. Emotional state certainly affects how we breathe. At the same time, the East has known the opposite for several thousand years: breathing in yoga is a powerful tool for controlling the psyche, capable of not only regulating emotions, but also opening up qualitatively new levels of perception to us.

Proper control of breathing is taught by a special section of yoga - pranayama. However, before a serious study of pranayama, for those who are just starting to immerse themselves in practice, it is important to master the basic principles of pranayama.correct breathing in yoga for beginners: without this foundation, all our efforts in the classroom will not bring the proper result.

Principles of proper breathing in yoga for beginners

1. Use the aperture

The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities. When inhaling, it lowers, it expands the volume of the lungs, and with exhalation, it returns to its original position. For most people, chest breathing is habitual, in which the diaphragm moves slightly, and air fills mainly the upper part of the lungs. Such breathing cannot provide the body with oxygen to the full extent and over time leads to malfunctions in its work.

In yoga classes for beginners, we ": inhaling, we inflate the stomach, leaving the chest motionless, with an exhalation we draw it in again. Thus, we provide a more amplitude movement of the diaphragm and expand the working area of the lungs, allowing air to penetrate into their lower sections.

Such breathing is natural for a person: it is easy to see that this is how children breathe. However, due to the eternal running around and not the right way of life, our stomach tenses more and more, breathing becomes more and more superficial. A society where a flat stomach is considered aesthetic is also playing its role in this.

Not everyone gets diaphragmatic breathing the first time. This is where a simple exercise can help. Lying on your back, bend your knees and place one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Breathe so that the hand on the chest remains motionless, and the hand on the stomach rises with an inhale and falls with an exhale. Only after you have masteredproper yoga breathing for beginners, you can proceed to full yogic breathing - sequentially fill the lower, middle and upper sections of the lungs.

By relaxing the stomach and diaphragm, we get the opportunity to gradually get rid of the tension accumulated in this zone and more effectively respond to new stresses. The great yogi B.K.S. Iyengar in his book "Discourses on Yoga" writes: "If the diaphragm is straightened, it can withstand any load."

2. Breathe slowly and deeply

"Pranayama" in Sanskrit literally means "management of prana" or "expansion of prana". Prana is the vital energy that we receive from various sources, including through breathing. The better and fuller we breathe, the more energy we accumulate in the body.- Breathing is slow and deep. It allows not only, but also contributes to the maximum set of energy.

3. Keep the rhythm

The transition from one asana to another is accompanied by a certain rhythm of breathing. The main rule: movements directed upwards (raise your arms, straighten your spine, bend over) are made on inspiration, and downwards (bend over, round your back) - on exhalation. Dynamic complexes are especially subordinated to the rhythm, for example, “Salutation to the Sun”.

But even when performing static asanas breathing in yoga shouldn't stop. Each exhalation is worth using to relax a little more and go deeper into the position.

Sometimes we involuntarily tense up and hold our breath. Yoga Instructor and Expert Website Vasily Kondratkov recommends to novice students: “It is necessary to monitor such delays, run again and againproper breathing in yoga. The reason for the delay may be too high a load. In this case, it is worth reducing it, that is, simplifying the asana. No difficult posture will do you any good if you can't breathe deeply in it."

Even more asanas to strengthen the body and calm the mind in the yoga course from Anna Lunegova. here.

Breathing as a tool for awareness

Proper breathing while doing yoganot only allows you to get the desired effect from performing asanas, but also introduces you into a special meditative state. In classical sources, breathing is described as a "bridge from the physical to the spiritual", a way to go beyond the usual boundaries of perception. Concentrating on inhalation and exhalation, we are aware of what is happening here and now, we are fully present in our own body. That's what it is .

You can control your attention with the help of breathing and more pointwise. Taking an unusual position for the body, sometimes we experience tension and even pain. Of course, severe pain should not be endured, but some discomfort is still inevitable when ours. In such cases, cryptic words can be heard from yoga teachers: "Breathe into your pain." What does it mean? The best way relax tight areas of the body, such as opening the pelvis or stretching the hamstrings - imagine that in this place your body is “inhaling” and “exhaling”. You will notice that after a few breaths, the tension will begin to subside.

Practicing Conscious breathing in yoga , you can gradually get rid of the old blocks and clamps that fetter our body and impede the movement of energy, causing feeling unwell and emotional imbalance.

Proper breathing in everyday life

Practice proper breathing during yoganot limited to rug. The habit of constant diaphragmatic breathing will helpand deal with stress more effectively. Start small: breathe with your “belly” for a few minutes when you are worried. You will see - peace will return much faster!

The ancient yogis developed a technique based on the breathing of an infant. This is a completely natural way. It is a synthesis of three breaths and is often referred to as the full yogic breath.

It plays a key role in yoga practice. How important it is to breathe correctly in yoga is evidenced by a huge number of exercises and methods dedicated to learning. The whole philosophy of yoga begins with it, which allows the practitioner to achieve a state of unity of body and mind.

Full yogi breathing ensures the working capacity of the whole organism, it increases the lymph flow in the body, its practice allows you to get rid of partial breathing.

Breathing is the basis of all life activity. It connects with a delicate thread everything that happens to us, from the first breath to the last exhalation. All methods of working with the body and mind are less or more consciously connected and regulated by its rhythm.

In Eastern philosophies, it is given paramount importance - the quality of our life depends on how we breathe. According to the teachings of the Yogis, when the full breath of the Yogis is released, it gets rid of the polluting "poisons" of the mind.

These "poisons" irritate us the most in the form of what we call stress and everything related to it:

fatigue;
weakness;
depression;
decreased concentration;
lethargy;
sleep and relaxation problems.

Simple exercises do wonders

Each of us breathes, but few people know how to breathe properly. And this is very important, because by consciously working with the breath, you can change your mood, state of mind and emotions. Kabat Zinn, founder of the University of Massachusetts Medical University Stress Reduction Clinic, says the breath is a treasure we have under our noses.

Yogic breathing is an exercise for beginners and advanced. Mastering it is the basis of yoga. By controlling it, one can control body and mind.

Calm breath - calm soul.

It allows you to relieve tension and stress, calms the heart and calms the mind. What are the benefits of yoga breathing exercises? The mastery of yogis is the basis for:

health and vitality;
openness and creativity;
dominance over mood;
development of concentration.

Awareness of breathing begins simultaneously with the diagnosis of it as a gross physical, as well as a subtle life force of the body and mind (prana).

Both gross and subtle, it is automatic and conscious. The use and regulation of the physical breath leads to control over words and emotions.

The quantity, quality and circulation of it is the basis of life and creative activity. Most people have shallow breathing, only the upper part of the lungs works. Yogi full breathing - causes a state of relaxation of the mind and body.

Learning how to breathe deeply and fully is the most effective way for:

development of consciousness;
health improvement;
vitality (life force);
coherence in life.

Full yogic breathing will become habitual and natural if you regularly practice such simple exercises that can be performed lying down, standing, sitting.

Sit on a chair. The pelvic region should be in the middle position, not deviate back and forth.
Your lower back will serve as additional support.
Inhale and watch that the abdomen expands in all directions, otherwise, over time, the muscle tissue will lose its elasticity.
Exhale and draw in the abdomen, slightly holding the area from the navel to the perineum (mula bandha) in tension.
Perform diaphragmatic breathing 5 times, go to the chest.

Chest breathing - inhale, ribs up; exhale - go down. You can combine these two breaths, then on:

inhale - the stomach expands, the ribs diverge to the sides.
exhale - the stomach is first drawn in, and then the ribs are lowered;

In order to better control it, keep your hands in different places of the body. While inhaling, slightly press the body. (The first 2-3 respiratory cycles in the navel. Then, when you feel that the sides have begun to expand, move your palms to the area of the lower ribs, then to the upper ones.

The last stage is to lightly press your fingers on the collarbones and feel them rise as you inhale, and how they fall as you exhale.

The power of full breath

taking a full breath, the body receives 10 times more air;
long, deep and even, it enhances the work of the lymphatic system;
during breathing, 2/3 of unnecessary and harmful substances and toxins;
the brain consumes 80% of the oxygen inhaled with air;
cell regeneration occurs and the aging process slows down;
a person can live 21 days without food; three days without drinking; three minutes without breathing.

By the way a person breathes, yoga teachers can tell a lot about him, immediately determine the state of mind and emotions. Fast, intermittent, indicates that a person is under stress, uses drugs and lives under stress, has a rather low self-esteem, and can easily be thrown off balance.

Long, calm and even indicates that the person is relaxed, balanced, satisfied with life and self-confident. This is not a secret, but a completely natural physiological reaction of the body.

When they are nervous, they breathe shallowly and quickly, and when everything is fine and you are calm, breathing naturally lengthens.

Sit on the edge of a chair, or cross-legged on the floor.
Straighten your spine, relax your shoulders.
Close your eyes and put your hands on your knees, index finger and thumb together in a ring.
Start breathing with your diaphragm: as you inhale, fill your stomach with air like a balloon.
Exhale and release the air.
Be aware of each inhalation and exhalation.
Take 10 breaths. Practice 1-2 times a day.

Breathing in yoga: what is right

There are several ways of breathing, although not all of them are good for us and healthy. In daily activities, there are three types:

clavicular (superficial);
breastfeeding;
abdominal breathing (belly).

Often we breathe in the upper part of the chest, including the neck muscles. Diaphragmatic breathing is acceptable and the healthiest for us. In yoga, all three breathing techniques are connected together and alternately. This kind of training is the most effective. The philosophy of yoga is the selection of the way of breathing to the variety of exercises.

Yogic breathing

Full yogic breathing is always done through the nose, and there are no pauses between inhalation and exhalation. It may be a separate exercise, but it is also used as a relaxation method. It allows you to feel the fullness of life, and whoever breathes only in the middle is half alive, said yoga instructor Joanna Jablonsky. It takes a little practice for yogic breathing to become a daily routine. It consists of three elements:

Abdominal, due to compression and expansion of the diaphragm (raising and lowering the abdomen). The diaphragm is the muscle that separates the lungs from the abdomen. During inhalation, it descends to make room for the lungs to fill with air, and during exhalation, it rises by pressing on the lungs, helping them get rid of air. Such breathing is common among people who spend a lot of time outdoors and nature.
Average (internal). The air that filled the abdomen expands and fills the middle part of the lungs with air, increasing the distance between the ribs and slightly raising the arms. This type of breathing is characteristic of people sitting indoors, without access to fresh air. Nature protects her "child" and therefore we instinctively use the intracostal in such cases.
Upper, nasolabial (clavicular). Exhausted air in the abdomen and chest fills the throat and nose, including the nasal passages. Only the upper and smallest part of the lungs breathes. Shoulders, ribs and collarbones are raised, spent a large number of energy, but the result is small.

There is a saying: who controls his breath, controls himself. Learn to breathe correctly in difficult moments in order to be able to quickly and effectively transform the state of your mind and emotions, to respond calmly, with dignity, without unnecessary emotions and anger to different life situations.

Principles of Complete Yogic Breathing

Modeled on the principle of children's breathing.
There is no pause between inhalation and exhalation.
It is carried out through the nose.
It is the sum of three types: abdominal, chest, naso-throat breathing.
You can only learn by practicing.

Benefits of Full Breathing

Light and respiratory system cleansed and strengthened.
Since the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation, along with the air used, all the toxins are pushed out of the lungs.
When you hold your breath, the pressure in your lungs increases, allowing more oxygen to enter your bloodstream, while carbon dioxide and other remnants of air exchange are removed from your lungs and body.
Anuloma Viloma helps maintain balance between the hemispheres of the brain, as well as between the two channels of energy (the Sun and the Moon) that run along the spine.
Energy (prana) and is consciously controlled.
Anuloma Viloma brings calmness to the mind, makes the body light and the eyes sparkling.

Fundamentals of the Science of Yogic Breathing

Kariba Ikken, a seventeenth-century mystic, said: “If you want to achieve peace of mind, pay attention to your breathing. When it is under control, the heart is calm. And when the breath is convulsive, the peace in the heart disappears. Therefore, before you start anything, pay attention to your breathing. This will ease your situation and calm your mind.”

Breathing is the most important function of the body and everything else depends on it. Right is an integral part of yoga practice. Our lifestyle and low level physical activity contributes to negative changes in our breathing habit.

A full requires breaths through the nose, keeping the torso upright, avoiding contaminated areas and daily practice, even a few minutes of deep, full, calm breaths without undue strain and effort. Consciousness is an integral and important part of any yoga position. In each asana and in each exercise during the warm-up, the energy during inhalation is distributed evenly throughout the body, and strengthens the immune system.

During the exercise, try to breathe effortlessly, calmly, quietly, without sound, while exhaling slowly release the air, and not in a fast and violent way, so that it is enough to complete the count.

A good preparation for full yogic breathing will be a 1-2 minute massage of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles with your fingers. After that, they function more efficiently and fully.

Full breathing helps a person cope with emotions, they calm down, thoughts are balanced, strengthened and healed. nervous system, a person in any life situations operates effectively and appropriately.

First step for beginners

Preparation: Inhale, close the right nostril, exhale all the way through the left nostril.

Inhale through the left nostril: count: 1, 2, 3, 4 (right closed).
Exhale right: count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (left closed).
Inhale right: 1, 2, 3, 4 (left closed).
Inhale left: 1,2, 3, 4 (right closed)
Etc. Perform five cycles (one cycle begins with inhalation through the left nostril and ends with exhalation through the left nostril).
If you are completely new to yoga, you can inhale and exhale shorter, inhale - count to three, exhale - to six.

Second stage with breath holding

Preparation: inhale, close the right hole, exhale - left nostril to the end.

Inhale left, count: 1, 2, 3, 4 (right closed)
Without breathing (hold your breath - two nostrils are closed), count to 16o (for beginners, count to 8).
Exhale right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (left closed).
Inhale right: 1,2, 3, 4 (left closed).
Without breathing: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (both closed).
Exhale left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (right closed).
Second cycle: left inhale: 1, 2, 3, 4 (right closed), etc.

Repeat 5 cycles.

Breathing exercise 1

Practice sitting cross-legged on the floor or in a chair, with a straight back. Lying on the floor

Place your right hand on your stomach and left rib, with the back of your hand down.
Close your eyes and breathe in through your nose. First, try to fill the lower part of the lungs with air so that the right hand feels the stomach rise.
Inhaling further air, fill the upper part of the chest. Then inhale the air to fill your nose and throat.
Exhaling, first of all, exhale the air from the nose, then the middle part of the lungs and, lower.

For positive results, the exercise is performed for 5 minutes without pauses.

Breathing exercise 2

Sit cross-legged on a flat surface or in a straight-back chair.
Drop your arms and shoulders, head up.
Direct your blind gaze in front of you, in the direction of the floor (about 1.5 meters), if you are sitting on a chair, about 3 meters. Relax your body.
Thumb right hand straight, and the second and third fingers are bent inside the palm, the rest are straight (Vishna Mudra).
Rest your left palm on your knee or fold it into Guyan Mudra (index finger lightly touches the tip of the thumb, the rest of the fingers are straight, but not tense).
Inhale, close the right nostril and exhale only through the left.
On the next inhalation, with the right nostril closed, count to four, and then as you release the air from the right nostril, count to eight.
Inhale through the right nostril (count up to four) and exhale through the left nostril (count up to eight).

Mudra of Vishnu - 1, Mudra of strength - 2

Complete the series five times.

Important

If full yogic breathing causes discomfort at the initial stage, or there is not enough air, dizziness begins, you should stop doing the exercises and return to the usual normal mode. Breathe freely through your nose or lie on your back and relax in Shavasana (dead man's pose) - the classic relaxed position to rest after you've finished your session.

Lie with your back on the mat, legs apart, arms away from the body, the back of the neck is lengthened. Close your eyes and take a few long, slow diaphragmatic breaths.

Practice every day. Exercise can help relieve stress, calm your mind, and help you focus.

Full yogic breathing is the foundation needed to perform almost any pranayama. This is essentially a workout that trains all the major respiratory muscles. With regular practice, you will train yourself to breathe correctly on an unconscious level. Moreover, this exercise requires very little time. The article will help you to gradually master the correct technique for performing the three-stage breathing of yogis.

Benefits and contraindications

Breathing is easy, this vital process requires no effort on our part. We never forget to breathe, but we don't always do it right. Some people breathe only through their chests, others through their stomachs, and others through their mouths instead of their noses. The practice of full yogic breathing will eliminate all your respiratory shortcomings.

In addition to "accustoming" to proper breathing, during the performance of this pranayama, the volume of inhaled air increases by 4-5 times. In normal daily breathing, we breathe shallowly and consume about half a liter of oxygen. With full breathing of yogis, this volume increases to 2.5-4 liters (depending on fitness and body characteristics).

Practice Benefits:

congestion in the lungs is eliminated;
toxins are removed;
metabolism is accelerated;
strengthens the heart and normalizes blood pressure;
massaged internal organs using a diaphragm
the mind calms down.

But there are very few contraindications - these are serious pathologies of the respiratory organs or the heart. And you should also refrain from practicing if there is a hernia of the abdominal cavity.

Execution technique

Pranayama of full yogic breathing is quite easy to learn. But if you are new to yoga, then you should break the development process into stages and concentrate on correctness doing the exercise.

Body position, asanas

According to the "standards" of yoga, three-frequency breathing should be performed in the lotus position (padmasana). But for beginners, this pose is most often not available. Therefore, for the initial development, sukhasana (in Turkish) or shavasana (lying on your back in a relaxed state) is quite acceptable. The main condition is that the spine should be straight.

It is better to choose sitting postures (asanas). Savasana for full yoga breathing can be chosen if you are completely new and can not sit comfortably with your legs crossed. By the way, under the buttocks, you can put pillows or a folded blanket. This greatly improves comfort and helps keep your back straight for longer.

Preparation and training

Proper yoga breathing consists of three parts or steps:

abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing;
chest breathing;
clavicular breathing.

Preparation consists in working out each of the steps separately. This will allow you to feel well your sensations in the body at each stage and perform the practice as correctly as possible. We start in order.

abdominal breathing

Sit or lie down in the asana you have chosen for the exercise. Start breathing with your belly, concentrate only on it. Feel how your belly expands as you inhale, and as you exhale, it moves closer to your spine. Do it in a calm mode, without any extra effort on yourself.

Relax your face and whole body and just breathe calmly with your belly. Feel how your diaphragm expands and creates a slight pressure on the internal organs. Dedicate 5 minutes to this workout and move on to the next step.

chest breathing

Now bring all your attention to the chest area. For completeness, you can put your hands on the sides of the ribs and close your eyes. Forget about the stomach and breathe only from the chest. Feel all the muscles that are involved in chest breathing.

Try to take deep breaths to expand your chest as much as possible. Five minutes will also suffice for this step.

clavicular breathing

This type of breathing is the most difficult to feel and realize. In everyday shallow breathing, the clavicular is practically not used. Therefore, stagnation of "old air" occurs in the upper parts of the lungs.

To use clavicular breathing, you need to inhale as deeply as possible. Try to inhale even deeper, even if it seems to you that there is nowhere to go. The clavicle bones and shoulders will serve as an indicator. They will rise a little when you inhale, and fall when you exhale.

Spend 10 minutes in the clavicular breathing phase to get a good feel for the top of your lungs.

Full order of execution

Now you are ready to complete the three-frequency yoga breathing. We combine the previous three stages into one cycle:

sit/lie down in a suitable asana for you;
close your eyes and take a few calm breaths in and out;
exhale completely;
start inhaling from the abdomen, as in the first stage of training;
smoothly continue to inhale expanding the chest;
reach clavicular breathing and start exhaling in the reverse order;
the clavicles immediately fall, exhale with the chest and draw in the stomach;
we repeat the cycle again.

When and how much to do

For the first few days, practice 10 cycles of full yoga breathing 2 times a day. Within two weeks, increase the duration of one workout to 5 minutes. When a five-minute session does not cause any difficulties (fatigue, dizziness), also gradually reach 10 minutes per set.

Time to practice full yogic breathing better in the morning before meals and at night before bed. There is no point in doing more than 10 minutes at a time. Regularity is much more important than duration. Create a habit for yourself - practice every day. And you will feel the result in the form of better health and well-being in a month.

Remember that yoga breathing is an exercise. Don't constantly force yourself to breathe like this. Give this practice conscious 20 minutes a day (10 + 10), your body will do the rest.
The entire cycle of inhalation and exhalation should occur smoothly, without jerks and delays. The deepest continuous breathing cycle.
The muscles of the body, face and neck should be relaxed. There should be no discomfort.
Keep your focus inward, concentrating on the breathing process.

The better you control your breathing, the better you will be able to control your mind. Full yogic breathing is necessary for the effective performance of many pranayamas. But this does not detract from its merits as a separate independent practice. A simple exercise that ventilates the lungs, increases blood oxygen levels, teaches you to control your breathing and eliminates bad breathing habits.