| There are many factors that influence the quality of | | | | adopting relaxed, controlled yoga breathing definitely |
| your yoga practice and your satisfaction with | | | | helps to improve your overall yoga practice. |
| theoverall experience. These factors range from the | | | | The natural tendency, when practicing an asana (yoga |
| style of yoga you practice, the instructor you choose | | | | posture) that tests your physical abilities, is to shorten |
| through to the environment in which you practice. | | | | your breath and in some cases, to start breathing |
| Some of the factors you can easily control, others | | | | through your mouth. This stressful breathing technique |
| may be more dependent on what's available to you. | | | | encourages you to tense your muscles and fight |
| When starting out practicing yoga, you should keep | | | | against the asana and the stretch. This is the opposite |
| searching for the perfect combination that makes your | | | | of the desired state for practicing yoga. |
| practice the most satisfying and enjoyable. | | | | Instead it's important that you concentrate on your |
| There are however three factors that are 100% under | | | | breathing, completing a long, controlled inhale exhale |
| your control, that affect not only your enjoyment of | | | | cycle that fills your lungs to capture the maximum |
| your practice, but just as importantly, the benefits you | | | | amount of oxygen for each breath. Focusing on your |
| receive from each practice. | | | | breathing in this way, helps you to remain relaxed and |
| Challenge yourself | | | | allows you to be more aware of your physical |
| One of the purposes of yoga, like every exercise | | | | condition enabling you to better feel the stretch, be |
| regime, is to incrementally improve your body's physical | | | | aware of tension in your muscles and concentrate on |
| capabilities. Yoga of course has the added advantage | | | | releasing that tension and loosen to muscles you're |
| that it also helps to improve many aspects of your | | | | working on. Through this increased awareness of |
| health and well-being that general exercise cannot. | | | | what you body is telling you and by noticing and |
| Even with these increased benefits, yoga is not a | | | | releasing tension in your muscles, it's easier to accept |
| magic cure-all. Achieving these benefits requires your | | | | each stretch and go deeper into each asana and hold |
| commitment and effort each time you practice. | | | | it for longer without injury. |
| Achieving incremental improvements to your | | | | Practice, Practice, Practice. |
| capabilities requires (and allows) you to further | | | | As with all exercise, the benefits only come with a |
| challenge your own physical limitations. Over time | | | | commitment to regular practice. Only through regular |
| gradual improvements result in large gains in your yoga | | | | practice of exercise does the body start to develop, |
| abilities and the health benefits of your practice. | | | | strengthen, adapt and change according to the |
| In every posture you should be looking to make sure | | | | physical demands you are placing on it. Practicing yoga |
| first that you are stable and comfortable in the posture. | | | | is no different. Regular practice helps to build the |
| You should then be aiming to slowly and smoothly | | | | muscle strength required to hold asanas. More than |
| deepen the stretch as far as it remains pain free for | | | | that, you'll develop increased lung capacity and provide |
| you to do so. In all postures you should feel the stretch | | | | the regular stimulation to the internal organs that helps |
| in the relevant muscles and deepen into the stretch in | | | | balance chemical and hormone levels. Frequent |
| a controlled manner to avoid damaging your muscles | | | | practice helps to learn any new skill or ability and yoga |
| and ligaments. You should challenge your own abilities | | | | is no different. In particular repetition helps your body |
| in order to achieve new yoga abilities, but also listen | | | | learn the correct position balancing postures, to the |
| carefully to your body to know when to stop. | | | | extent that it becomes second nature - just like riding a |
| Breathe | | | | bike. Another area where frequent practice is highly |
| There is a lot of discussion and research into the | | | | beneficial is learning how to slow and calm your mind, |
| importance and health benefits of yoga breathing. | | | | to purge your thoughts of the worries and stresses of |
| While these may well prove to be real benefits, | | | | the day. |