Deep breathing is one of the easiest ways to improve your quality of life. The average adult uses only one third of their lung capacity. Chronic tension and poor posture also contribute to poor breathing and thus poor health.

Many of us come to yoga as what is sometimes termed “chest breathers.”  We breathe from the chest – our breathing is irregular and air intake is slow. Diaphragmatic breathing is much healthier.  It allows you to take in more air and to breathe it  in more deeply.

In yoga, diaphragmatic breathing (or abdominal breathing) is typically one of the first pranayama (breath control) techniques we learn and practicing it is truly a great gift to yourself.

Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing

There are countless ways that abdominal breathing can benefit our overall health. I’ve mentioned a few of the most important below:

1. Triggers the Relaxation Response

Diaphragmatic breathing soothes the nervous system and is a great tool for releasing tension from the body. It also reduces stress hormones in the body.

2. Boosts Energy and Increases Vitality

Breathing deeply increases your energy levels as it allows fresh oxygen and nutrients to be more easily distributed to all the cells in your body. This helps the brain and all of the organs to function optimally.

3. Strengthens the Immune System

Abdominal breathing helps prevent infection of the lungs and other tissues.

4. Improves the Circulatory System

Diaphragmatic breathing benefits the circulatory system by increasing blood circulation and helping with blood-return to the heart.

5. Helps digestion by massaging the internal organs as the diaphragm moves up and down.

6. Helps us to center and ground ourselves.

How Does It Work?

The diaphragm is a large muscle found between the chest and the abdomen. When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and moves down causing the abdomen to expand.  A negative pressure is created and air is forced into the lungs.

For a detailed explanation, have  a look at the excellent video below by 3d-yoga.com Very cool!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Technique

Abdominal breathing can be practiced lying down on your back, on your belly or any future positions.  As you inhale, you allow the belly to expand. As you exhale, allow the entire body to soften, releasing the breath slowly and gently.

The video below from YogaYak teacher Kavita Maharaj, offers a great explanation and instructions to guide you through the  diaphragmatic breath.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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1. 8 Reasons to Practice Headstand (Salamba Shirshasana)
2. Alternate Nostril Breathing for Calm and Balance
3. 10 Reasons Why Everyone Should Practice Yoga!

Yesterday evening I went to an amazing Yin yoga class. I’ve been doing some strength oriented exercise classes lately and so have felt a bit tight in my lower back. In last night’s class we did the Seal Pose, which is the Yin version of Bhujangasana (Cobra). There are however a couple of differences. Your hands are kept further in front of your body(rather than beneath your shoulders) and are wider apart – about the width of your yoga mat. Feet and legs are also opened to the edges of your mat. I find this setup is easier on my shoulders and allows me to get a deeper backbend that I am able to hold longer.

Benefits of the Seal Pose

• Opens the chest
• Stretches the front of the abdomen
• Compresses and stimulates the sacral-lumbar arch
• Stimulates the Urinary Bladder and Kidney meridians
• Stimulates manipura chakra

Have a look at the video below by Mark Laham. This is a great demonstration and description of both the Sphinx Pose and the Seal Pose.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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1. Getting Over the Hump of Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
2. Seeking Strength and Softness in Warrior 1 Pose
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Wondering where to find yoga and meditation music?

A couple of days ago I wrote a post about Nada Yoga and using sound to meditate. @marcusunlimited sent me a note via Twitter recommending his yoga music with a link to his video on YouTube. He has created an album: YMU, Yoga Music Unlimited – The First Gita’s. Each track on the album represents one of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga as described by Patanjali: Yama (moral discipline), Niyama (observances), Asana (posture practice), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyhara (sense withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (truth, enlightment, bliss).

The music has a new age feel, is very relaxing and would be a good choice for practicing Nada Yoga. The album is available on iTunes and CDbaby. Curious? Have a look at the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related posts:

1. Does Music Inspire you During your Yoga Practice?
2. Yoga and Music
3. Nada – The Yoga of Sound

Imagine a world where there is no war, no fighting and we all love and care for one another. No, I’m not creating my Ms. America speech, but talking about a worldwide vision that director David Lynch widely believes in.

So how do we achieve this seemingly impossible dream? According to David Lynch, we need to start with our children. And he believes that the best way to do this is to have each child practice Transcendental Meditation or Yogic Flying. Lynch has practiced yogic flying for the past 34 years and believes that this technique can help solve some of more challenging world problems.

His mission is to have 200,000 children in every continent practice transcendental meditation on a daily basis. He believes that if we can teach even only 1% of our children the art of yogic flying, they will work together to ensure world peace.

To accomplish his goal he has developed the Foundation: Transforming Lives: The David Lynch Foundation . This foundation is based on advocating and communicating, and ideally implementing transcendental meditation worldwide.

David Lynch is not alone in his belief, in fact he has brought together a crew of musicians to put on a fundraising event to launch his goal of teaching 200,000 children. On April 4^th, 2009, Paul McCartney as well as Moby, Cheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder and Donovan will be playing in a fundraiser to teach yogic flying to children across the world.

History of Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation is an adaptation of a fairly ancient art of meditation. This form of meditation began in 1957, by Maharisi Mahesh Yogi. Maharishi first begin teaching his techniques in the Middle East and then slowly brought this technique to North America. His goal was to have teaching centres available for every million individuals worldwide. This meditation principle is not based on religion, but on the natural virtues of pure meditation.

Benefits of Transcendental Meditation

Since Maharisi’s launching of this form in meditation worldwide, there have been over 600 studies done on its unique benefits. This form of meditation is different than other forms as it is not based on a particular religion or philosophy, making it accepting and welcoming for all individuals to practice.

Yogic Flying or Transcendental Meditation helps:

• Decrease classroom stress
• Alleviate learning disorders
• Reach your full brain potential
• Reduce high blood pressure
• Focus on world peace
• Increase academic achievement
• Reduce clinical depression

In addition to all of these benefits, the technique looks like a lot of fun. Transcendental Meditation is about getting in tune with your mind and body and connecting with both yourself and others. In the first stage of yogic flying, the practitioner sits in a lotus style position and their body jumps up and forward, similarly to a bouncing frog.

So how does this technique help develop world peace? Well, research has shown that because yogic flying is typically done in groups it helps to increase brain waves coherence in the individual which in turn increases social coherence. This increase in social coherence leads to a reduction to war, terrorism and hostility towards others.

Sounds good to me, now my only challenge is to find a place that teaches it in Barrie. I wonder if it’s ok for pregnant women?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related posts:

1. The Peace Project – Using Yoga to Change the World
2. Flying Free with Acro Yoga

I’ve always wanted to be part of the circus. As a child, I used to practice my tight rope act on the back of the sofa, my trapeze adventures on the swing and attempted to train my cat Cindy to jump through a hula hoop.

Crunch Fitness has recognized this childlike love and has brought part of the circus to their gym. Imagine flying while completing a downward dog: your feet and hands are off of the ground and the need to balance has disappeared. Crunch Fitness’s Antigravity yoga class does just this; taking members through a series of yogic moves all while being suspended in the air.

Antigravity yoga was founded and created by Christopher Harrison: a competitive gymnast and tumbler. Harrison originally developed his anti gravity yoga program to enhance the artistic and strength development of athletes and dancers.

Harrison recognized that the individuals that he was training were not circus performers. His athletes and dancers required the benefits from this intense core workout, without the fear of falling and so he invented the antigravity hammock. This hammock looks like a simple piece of white cloth, but the material is strong enough to hold up to 2000 lbs. It is harnessed to the ceiling and the athletes use the hammock to assist them with their movements.

In 1990, Harrison developed the performance group in New York called Anti Gravity . He wanted a venue where individuals who may have ended their professional sports career could transfer their skills to entertain. Harrison was pleased to discover that not only did this workout help strengthen core muscles and build flexibility, but it helped induce a sense of a calmness among the participants. Harrison recognized that these features would be beneficial for all forms of athletes no matter their level of experience. Recently Harrison has developed the Anti Gravity Yoga Wings program for Crunch Fitness and the popularity is rapidly spreading across the country.

Anti Gravity Yoga Wings Program

Each individual in this class has a harness and the exercise class uses this unique vehicle to reap the benefits of the yoga practice. At first glance the class looks extremely intimidating, a piece of fabric is hung from the ceiling and you will rest your body on the fabric suspended in mid air. This process requires trust, a bit of guts and the ability to laugh at yourself. A typical class starts off slowly, the participant uses the hammock to assist with bends, twists and balance with their feet remain firmly grounded. As the class progresses, the participant raises their feet of the ground completing their movements while transcended in the air.

Benefits of Anti-Gravity yoga

• Builds core strength
• Fun innovative workout
• Dynamic energy
• Improves flexibility and strength
• Improves digestion
• Calms the mind

Anti gravity yoga is quickly moving to gyms across the United States. Currently Crunch studios have classes in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. For the rest of us, the trend is spreading rapidly and it won’t be too long until you are able to locate a class nearby. In the meantime, I will be reverting to my childhood roots and practice on the swings and monkey bars at my local playground.

Click here to view the embedded video.

No related posts.

Yoga really is for everyone… Happy Hallowe’en!

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Related posts:

1. Yoga Music for Meditation
2. Reaping the Benefits of Yoga for Children with Autism
3. How to do the Seal Pose