Yoga Teacher

Learn about the Types of Breathing & How to Improve Breathing for Yoga

The complete breath or yogic breathing is nothing but the natural breathing forgotten, needed to have vitality, mental clarity and full health. Adult humans have a huge lung capacity that usually is very unproductive. We are away from our natural processes and live automatically, disconnected from the body and its needs and wonders.

We are also not aware of the importance to our health breathe. Most of us know much less of its relevance to our inner harmony and its relationship with the prana, the vital energy. Ultimately, we do not know what exactly breathes well or how we are supposed to do it. On the one hand, we do not know the capacity of our lungs. Some use as little as one-third of them. There are three types of breathing as;

1. Abdominal breathing
2. Intercostal breathing
3. Clavicular breathing

Each type of breathing involves high, medium and low part of the lung respectively.

Clavicular breathing is shallow as possible, raising the shoulders and collarbone and contracting the abdomen. Although it requires a lot of effort, it is the most common, and when we breathe well, very little oxygen enters our body. The intercostal breathing is expanding the chest, using middle of the lungs, but although it is a bit more comprehensive, it is not complete.

Finally, there is abdominal breathing, which uses the lower part of the lungs and this has the greatest potential since it is deeper and rhythmic breathing. As you inhale, the abdomen expands and the diaphragm moves downward, pressing and massaging the abdominal organs. As you exhale, the abdomen contracts and the diaphragm moves upwards, giving a heart massage. This pressure changes the result of extensive and natural movement of the diaphragm making breathing rhythm steady and it promotes health of internal organs. Abdominal breathing is best as it has many great benefits and it is where we must give more emphasis when we intend to learn yoga, but abdominal breathing is complete either. In the practice of yoga, we learn to practice full breath. In order to learn full breath, you have to combine all the three types of breathing.

When you start practicing yoga, you will be taught full breath or yogic breath so that you can have proper practice of this wonderful discipline. You can find the best yoga teachers here.