Yoga Breathing: Yoga Pose Basics

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YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES (a.k.a. Pranayama)
A big part of hatha yoga is pranayama, or the practice of extending & controlling the breath. There's an ancient yoga idea that the your age is most accurately measured not by how many years you've lived, but by how many breaths you've taken.

Advanced yoga breathing (pranayama) is best taught one-on-one with a teacher, but there are some simple preparatory breathing exercises you can safely practice on your own. Pranayama is believed to be extremely powerful for balancing the nervous system, detoxifying the body (through the lungs), and rapidly shifting your mental state from that of outward, worldly focus, to a more introspective and spiritual state.

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To begin, you want to find a comfortable seated position with your legs crossed. If you can talk half or full lotus, that's great, if not, it's not important. Just take any cross-legged seated pose that you find comfortable. Feel free to put a pillow underneath your bum if that eases the stress on your back.

For nearly all yogic breathing techniques, the breath is drawn in and out the nose only. There are some exceptions to this, but in general, nostril breathing provides a much more controlled and integrated breath than mouth breathing. We generally breathe through our mouth during period of physical exertion or dull mind states like observing a public sports event.

Nostril breathing naturally correlates with an elevated spiritual state, heightened awareness, and an internal poise. It's also much easier to regulate the breath as we take it in and out through the small space of the nostrils as opposed to the wide opening of out mouth.

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