The Importance of Proper Breathing Practice
Yoga – it isn’t just about the moves. Here are four reasons why breathing is just as important to perfect as your posture.
Breathing helps to improve lung capacity
Once you reach the age of thirty, your lung functionality gradually starts to decline. This can lead to shortness of breath in later life. Because lungs are made from tissue and not muscle, their capacity starts to shrink, but keeping your diaphragm strong and your ribcage active helps to maintain optimum capacity. Combined with the right positions, yoga breathing techniques help to strengthen your chest muscles, and make your lungs more resilient to coughs, chest infections, and even COVID.
Breathing reduces risk of injury while practicing
Breathing properly helps to reduce injury, especially when practicing advanced yoga positions. The action of breathing out creates motion, and doesn’t enable you to engage your core. Therefore, yoga instructors advise that you transition once you have breathed in, and breathe out once you are in your new position. Having a body full of air puts pressure on the abdomen, so your core is more engaged, increasing stability and reducing the risk of injury.
Use yoga breathing exercises on a daily basis to increase mindfulness
Breathing properly while practicing yoga helps to push carbon dioxide out of your body. This increases the amount of oxygen in your brain, and in turn helps to reduce stress and anxiety, all the while improving your brain functionality. As a result of this, your mindfulness improves, helping you to keep your emotions in check, handle challenging situations better, and even improve your sleep quality.
Yoga and breathing has been revealed to help combat depression
Yoga and its associated breathing exercises have been found to increase the production of ‘feel good’ chemicals in the brain. In fact, a study featured in the New York Times revealed just 12 weeks of yoga and breathing practice increased the chemicals in the brain responsible for calming and anti-anxiety. Dr Streeter, who conducted the small study, stated that the findings show ‘behavioral intervention can have effects similar in magnitude as an antidepressant.’
YoYoga mats help to improve your yoga form
At YoYoga, we believe yoga practice should combine moving, breathing, and spiritual energy. Our yoga mats have been designed to help the yoga community get the most out of each yoga session. They’re also eco-friendly and made from sustainable materials, so you can have a clear conscience when you’re practicing.
