Every yoga teacher may have his or her own priority and style, which relates to when to inhale as well as exhale during a yoga asana. It might be a practice, which is not completely standardized but should be given much attention. Breathing is very important in any yoga practice, and this is why most yogi takes it seriously. However, you may agree with me that some students do not know how to breathe well, or cannot utilize the best style or technique to breathe during their practice. It is not their fault, because they are just starting. You do not have to be perfect to do this but with the right information, you can do it successfully. Let us take a close look at some of the simple guidelines for pairing breath with different types of poses.
Exhale when bending forward
When you exhale, your lungs would be empty. This will make your torso to become more compact thus causing the physical mass that is between your upper and lower body to be reduced, as they move towards each other. In addition, your heart rate will also slow down as you exhale. This will make it less activating than what you experience during inhalation. However, it will also induce a relaxation response. However, due to the fact that forward bends are relatively involves postures that are quieting, this breathing rule will help to enhance the energetic effects of the pose and the depth of the fold.
Inhale when lifting or opening your chest
Take for instance when you perform a heart-opening backbend, you automatically increase the space that is in your chest cavity, thereby giving areas like the lungs, rib cage as well as diaphragm, more opportunity to fill up with air. In addition, your heart rate will also speed up on an inhalation, which will in turn increase your mental alertness and pump more blood to your muscles. Also, do not forget that deep inhalation needs muscular effort that makes contributes to its activating process. However, yoga poses that helps to lift and open your chest are in most cases, are the energizing constituents of the practice. Therefore, synchronizing them with inhalations takes optimum advantage of the breath’s effects on the body.
Exhale when twisting
When you twists, the inhalation that your performed, will accompany the preparation phase of the pose, which includes lengthening the spine, etc. However, the exhalation is paired with the twisting action as well. Looking at it from the angle of your posture, this occurs due to the fact that as your lungs empty itself; there is more available physical space for your rib cage to rotate further.
