Breath Space: Inhale, Exhale

Have you ever wondered why a yoga teacher will guide you to inhale into some asanas and exhale into others? This has come up a lot lately as my fellow yoga students and I practice for our practical exam in May. There is an anatomical and biomechanical reason. Once you get the hang of it the breath and the asana can work together seamlessly and practice can become quite meditative.

INHALE:

The diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles draw down away from the chest creating space in the chest cavity. The intercostal muscles and some other synergist muscles help the ribcage to expand increasing the space in the chest further. As a result there is a pressure difference between the outside world (atmospheric pressure) and inside our chest wall. This results in a vacuum effect and air rushes into our lungs. An inhalation. Asanas that take advantage of this tend to be chest opening asanas. Think upward dog/Urdhva Mukha Svanasana and cobra/Bhujangasana. Inhaling into asanas where we raise our arms over head, look up and open the chest also takes advantage of these biomechanics. Think upward salute/Urdhva Hastasana and the warriors/Virabhadrasana.

EXHALE:

The diaphragm relaxes back to its original position. The ribcage begins to return to its original position. Space is reducing in the chest and there is again a difference between pressures inside our chest cavity and the outside world. Air is pushed out. An exhalation. How fast or slow we do this can make a big difference to the control we have in our asanas. Asanas that take advantage of the exhalation biomechanics are usually folding and twisting asanas. Think seated forward fold/Paschimottanasana, standing forward fold/Uttanasana and eye of the needle/Sucirandhrasana. We can also use the exhale to control our bodies in some transitions between asanas. By slowly releasing the exhale and not letting it go too quickly this improves our eccentric control. Think moving from plank pose to four limbed plank pose/Chaturanga Dandasana or from upward dog to downward dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Try it! Once you get the hang of it your breathing will sync with your movements. If you are a visual learner like me the following short you tube video explains the biomechanics very well: respiratory system-7 role of diaphragm in breathing - YouTube

When holding an asana for longer don’t hold the breath. Practice inhaling and exhaling comfortably and in a controlled manner. Make the breath the focus and think expansion on an inhale and relaxing into the asana on the exhale. In more difficult asanas like wheel pose/Chakrasana or a head stand/Salamba Sirsasana I find my breath comes fast and uncontrolled and I try to focus on slowing and equalising the inhale and exhale. This is a good lesson for me in life too. Challenging moments will come and sometimes all that I can focus on is controlling my breath. So whatever asana or life experience that you find challenging try to put your mind focus on your inhale and then your exhale. Repeat. Patanjali sutras discuss the importance of the breath/pranayama and its ability to calm and control the mind in preparation for concentration and meditation.

Keep breathing slowly and with control.

I fell over after a few seconds here……still a work in progress!

If you are a nerd like me and want to know more about the diaphragm muscle and how amazing it is check out my other blog on the diaphragm muscle: Breath Space: The Diaphragm Muscle — YogaSpace

I also have a blog which explains the diaphragmatic breathing pattern: Breath Space — YogaSpace

Resources and References:

-Anatomic connections of the diaphragm: influence of respiration on the body system (nih.gov) Bardoni and Zenie 2013. There are some great anatomical images in this paper

-For more on Patanjali sutras I am listening to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali explained by Sri Swami Stachidananda. I also found a great web resource here: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2.49-2.53: Pranayama and breath control, rung #4 of 8 (swamij.com)

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