The importance of breathing right
Maximise the benefits of these asanas with these breathing tips.
Practicing yoga regularly provides several health benefits and helps one live a healthy life. But by reprogramming your breathing techniques and more during your yoga sessions could yield better results. Here are a few asanas and their breathing techniques that can help you attain the perfect physical health and rid your body of certain lifestyle diseases.
Kapota sana or the pigeon pose helps relax the sciatica nerve. Inhale deeply to lengthen your torso and exhale as you stay stable in the asana.
Halasana or the plow pose helps rejuvenate the inner parts of your body and make it healthy again. Take a deep breath and then inhale using your abdominal muscles to lift your feet off the floor, raising your legs vertically at a 90 degree angle. Continue to breathe normally while supporting your hips.
Ardha Chakrasana or the wheel pose helps strengthen the back and abdominal muscles. While inhaling lift the buttocks, hips, lower and middle back of the ground and then exhale. While inhaling, lift the shoulders up by pushing the palms into the ground. Lift the buttocks, waist and back; the arms and legs are straight. Breathe normally in this asana.
Vriksasana or the tree pose strengthens thighs, calves, ankles and spine. Breathe slowly from your abdomen and place your hands into a prayer position in front of the sternum. Relax here as you tune into your breath by maintaining a gaze at one singular point. This pose is beneficial in felicitating proper breathing.
Padmasana or lotus pose deepens your meditation and has several physical and mental benefits. Keep the wrists of both the hands on the respective knees and take a dhyana mudra. Continue breathing normally.
Vakrasana or the half seated spinal twist is a very good asana to make the spine flexible. Take one deep inhalation and with the next exhalation twist the trunk of the body and the neck to the right, while keeping the spine erect, looking back over the shoulder. Maintain the asana and breathe easy.
Utthita Padmasana or the lifted lotus pose results in strong shoulders and an increased sense of balance. Retain the breath in the lungs as long as the body is in the raised position. Exhale when the body is lowered down.
Viranbhadrasana I or the warrior pose is commonly used as the beginning position for Virabhadrasana III. It helps strengthen thighs,
calves and ankles.
Inhale while taking your hands up and exhale while bringing it down. Maintain normal breathing while in the posture.