One of the fundamental aspects* for practicing pranayama (and also for asanas) is to properly manage all the phases of complete breathing: diaphragmatic, thoracic, and clavicular.
This will help us better ventilate the lungs of stale air, capture more prana, as well as internalize and deepen during the practice of asanas; but also to breathe better in our daily life.
The first phase, fundamental, consists of the active control of the abdominal waist, which is what we call diaphragmatic breathing (this should be the basis of our usual breathing).
The diaphragm or diaphragmatic dome is a muscle that separates the lungs and heart from the abdominal viscera (liver, stomach, spleen, and intestines); and manages the pressure in both areas.
- We inhale from the abdominal base: as the diaphragm descends (approx. 4cm), it allows the lungs to expand to the maximum while compressing and massaging the liver, spleen, intestines... revitalizing abdominal circulation.
(we inhale controlling the abdominal waist, taken from Pranayama by André Van Lysebeth)
- We exhale: as the diaphragm rises (approx. 4 cm), it presses the lungs, favoring the expulsion of the maximum residual air.
(we exhale controlling the abdominal waist, taken from Pranayama by André Van Lysebeth)
The second phase of complete breathing is the thoracic or costal, common in gymnastics, in which we inflate or expand the chest/ribs that rise upwards (during inhalation); thanks to the action of the intercostal muscles.
The last phase is the clavicular and we can observe it in agitated people; it is rapid and acts on the upper area of the lungs, expelling a small amount of air. In this phase, when inhaling, the clavicles and upper ribs rise.
We perform complete breathing** by combining the three phases:
1) We sit in a comfortable posture, with a straight spine, for example in vajrasana.
2) We exhale through the nose and inhale from the base of the abdomen, ascending while controlling the abdominal waist.
3) We continue inhaling by expanding the ribs to the sides and upwards until reaching the clavicular line, maintaining attention on the oxygen intake.
4) We raise the clavicles slightly, filling the upper area of the lungs with air.
5) To exhale, we return from the top down to the abdominal base***.
It is highly advisable to observe how we breathe throughout the day and how the type of breathing corresponds with our mood. We repeat that diaphragmatic breathing should be the most common in our daily life***.
As a practice, we recommend practicing complete breathing (slow, rhythmic, and deep) during the maintenance phase in any of the asanas we have seen on the blog (e.g., Trikonasana, Salamba Anantasana...)
Have a great week and if you have any questions, contact us!
*As we know in hatha yoga, we always inhale and exhale through the nose.
**We must stay attentive to where the respiratory impulse begins, which arises at the base of the abdominal waist, ascends to the chest, and finally rises to the clavicle.
***We recall the inhalation-exhalation proportions that we saw in Anuloma Viloma.
Comment
La practica de la respiracion Hatha Yoga y la Respiracion Kaphalabhati, rejuvene. Y, desde de una serie de asanas, o ejercicios, el sueño relaja al cuerpo de la tension, de el dia, te recomiendo una vida activa, y una completa salud manejable, en las horas, de mas relax.