Proper Breath: Yoga

The breath: Yoga breathing is everything. Breathing is more than just an intake of oxygen. It is also a way of cleansing the body and restoring equilibrium. But, in order to gain high quality results from the breathing that you do, you must do them correctly. There is no quick way to learn the right technique, but here are a few pointers to bear in mind while starting out with yoga breathing.

Kapalabhati - Basic yoga breathing. In this method, you learn to breathe in order to purify the body. It is one of the six different Kriyas practices. Your breath is short, strong and fast. The lung acts as a pump that expels the waste from it. Here, you are deliberately breathing faster while breathing through your stomach and not your chest.

Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique - This is another basic yet fundamentally important type of breathing technique. Here, you will breathe through one nostril, hold your breath and then exhale through the opposite nostril. The ratio of inhale:hold:exhale is 2:8:4.

Brahmari - This type of less used yoga breathing is done by partially closing the glottis at the back of your throat and then inhaling through both of your nostrils. Your lips are closed and the palate will vibrate due to the nasal airflow.

Sithali, Sitkari - This is a rarely used type of yoga breathing. It works in a different manner. Here you stick your tongue out a little and then softly curl the sides of the tongue up. Now, start inhaling through your mouth.

Breath yoga exercises are fundamental to the work that you do. In any type of yoga session, you will be taught the fundamentals of breathing. This is due to the simple fact that it is the source of life. It is essential to cleansing the body. It is one of the central focuses of successful, effective yoga.

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