Vanda Scaravelli explains that breathing is the essence of yoga. To breathe naturally, without forcing. No pressure, no disturbance, nothing should interfere with the simple, tide-like movement of our lungs as we breathe in and out.
After a while, when the last three vertebrae closest to the ground start to receive life, we will discover that the energy running along the back of the spine (from its base to the top of the head) increases in power, making the spine alive and strong.
Breathing is the most important part of yoga practice. Once we start breathing, training cannot be interrupted, it must be done regularly each day.
We can breathe lying down in Savasana, but the best position is always Padmasana, the cross-legged lotus pose. Should there be difficulty holding this pose, you can sit on your heels, (with a strap around the heels to keep them in place). This pose is called virasana.
Sit comfortably with the spine erect. Regularity is what is important when breathing. Do not try to take long breaths, their length will slowly increase; it is only a question of time.
Inhalation-no benefit is to be gained from forcing the breath. To inhale without pushing the air into the lungs and to exhale without wanting to push the air out.
Do not be tense when you inhale. Do not get involved, but receive the air in a passive, detached way, as though you were only an observer, an outsider.
After exhalation, new air replaces that which has been passed out, slowly filling the lungs again.
The movement of inhalation is an "un-doing" movement in which tension is released. The body must be relaxed so that the lungs can receive the new inflow of air.
These images can help us to follow the wave of inhalation. It is like a balloon swelling gradually as it fills with air, slowly expanding, or a door pushed gently by the wind, or one can compare it to the effect of a slow-motion film.
Exhalation-means to empty the lungs, expelling the air that has been used. The deeper we exhale, the greater is our capacity to inhale new, fresh air. By dropping the hips down (with the lower part of the spine), the body relaxes, making the lungs lighter. This enables the bad air (which seeps into the alveoli of the lungs) to be expelled more easily, even from their deeper level.
To exhale correctly, one must begin by allowing the weight of the body to sink towards the ground. It is also helpful to imagine the eyes set at the back of the head, in line with the cerebellum, even during inhalation.
There are various images that can be called to mind as one exhales. For instance, let the air rise from deep down the bottom of the spine, towards the top of the head, like a volcano in eruption releases the lava from the volcano's crater.
Or, picture a flower on the solar plexus opening its petals one after the other until the flower is completely exposed. Or a tree spreading its branches wide and upwards at the same time.
The important thing is that the outflowing breath should expand in a large wave.
Consult the book 'Awakening The Spine' by Vanda Scaravelli as she offers "stress -free new yoga that works with the body to restore health, vitality and energy".
After a while, when the last three vertebrae closest to the ground start to receive life, we will discover that the energy running along the back of the spine (from its base to the top of the head) increases in power, making the spine alive and strong.
Breathing is the most important part of yoga practice. Once we start breathing, training cannot be interrupted, it must be done regularly each day.
We can breathe lying down in Savasana, but the best position is always Padmasana, the cross-legged lotus pose. Should there be difficulty holding this pose, you can sit on your heels, (with a strap around the heels to keep them in place). This pose is called virasana.
Sit comfortably with the spine erect. Regularity is what is important when breathing. Do not try to take long breaths, their length will slowly increase; it is only a question of time.
Inhalation-no benefit is to be gained from forcing the breath. To inhale without pushing the air into the lungs and to exhale without wanting to push the air out.
Do not be tense when you inhale. Do not get involved, but receive the air in a passive, detached way, as though you were only an observer, an outsider.
After exhalation, new air replaces that which has been passed out, slowly filling the lungs again.
The movement of inhalation is an "un-doing" movement in which tension is released. The body must be relaxed so that the lungs can receive the new inflow of air.
These images can help us to follow the wave of inhalation. It is like a balloon swelling gradually as it fills with air, slowly expanding, or a door pushed gently by the wind, or one can compare it to the effect of a slow-motion film.
Exhalation-means to empty the lungs, expelling the air that has been used. The deeper we exhale, the greater is our capacity to inhale new, fresh air. By dropping the hips down (with the lower part of the spine), the body relaxes, making the lungs lighter. This enables the bad air (which seeps into the alveoli of the lungs) to be expelled more easily, even from their deeper level.
To exhale correctly, one must begin by allowing the weight of the body to sink towards the ground. It is also helpful to imagine the eyes set at the back of the head, in line with the cerebellum, even during inhalation.
There are various images that can be called to mind as one exhales. For instance, let the air rise from deep down the bottom of the spine, towards the top of the head, like a volcano in eruption releases the lava from the volcano's crater.
Or, picture a flower on the solar plexus opening its petals one after the other until the flower is completely exposed. Or a tree spreading its branches wide and upwards at the same time.
The important thing is that the outflowing breath should expand in a large wave.
Consult the book 'Awakening The Spine' by Vanda Scaravelli as she offers "stress -free new yoga that works with the body to restore health, vitality and energy".
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