Why Diaphragmatic Breathing:

Breath is life and life is breath. Breath is bridge between body and mind and As great Yoga masters have often reminded us, inhalation and exhalation are two guards guarding the palace of life. One of the first aims of yoga is to re-establish good breathing habits, thus improving both physical and mental health.

When the breath is regulated, the heart pumps well, the brain functions well and the nervous system is coordinated. Regulation of breath includes making the breath deep, free of jerks and noise, equalizing the duration of inhalation and exhalation and eliminating the pause between exhalation, inhalation and the next exhalation. This pause is not healthy and could contribute to heart disease. Even, smooth, rhythmic breathing promotes the health of the heart and circulation, the right vagus nerve and the entire digestive system including the liver. One can learn to regulate the breath by practicing deep, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing.

Diaphragmatic breathing is an essential preliminary practice, which precedes all other practices of pranayama. Diaphragmatic breathing is best learnt in the crocodile posture (makarasana) as the contact of the abdominal area with the floor, with the chest off the floor, promotes diaphragmatic breathing. The increasing pressure against the floor during inhalation and decreasing pressure against the floor during exhalation provides feedback for improving diaphragmatic breathing.

The many benefits of diaphragmatic breathing are:

• Improves the efficiency of transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood and the inspired air in the lungs

• Reduces heart rate and load on the heart

Diaphragmatic breathing increases the suction pressure in the chest cavity, thus improving the venous flow returning to the heart. This reduces the load on the heart and improves the circulation.

• Improves coronary circulation

• Lowers blood pressure

• Increases volume inhaled with each breath and reduces the breaths/minute (respiration rate)

• Massages abdominal organs
• Stimulates lymphatic circulation

• Reduces sympathetic tone and increases parasympathetic tone

• Body becomes relaxed, mind becomes calm and fatigue is reduced

Diaphragmatic breathing is very therapeutic for anxiety states and restoring emotional balance. Chest breathing is a part of the fight – flight syndrome which is evinced when danger is perceived or when there is stress. As there is reciprocity between breath and mind, chest breathing is associated with increase of sympathetic tone and anxiety. With diaphragmatic breathing, parasympathetic tone is increased producing a relaxed body and calm mind.

With chest breathing, the lower lobes of the lungs are well perfused with blood, whereas the inspired air is in the upper lobes. So gas transfer is less efficient. With diaphragmatic breathing, the inspired air is pulled down into the lower lobes where the blood is, thus improving the efficiency of gas transfer.

Diaphragmatic Breathing in the Crocodile Posture, or Makarasana

You can learn to breathe diaphragmatically in the crocodile posture which allows you to observe the effects of the movement of your diaphragm as you exhale and inhale and helps to strengthen the diaphragm.

Now, lie on your stomach, with your feet about shoulder width apart.

Point your toes outward. If this is not comfortable, you may point your toes inward.

Fold your arms in front of your body, resting each hand on the opposite upper arm.

Rest your forehead on your forearms.

Position the elbows and lower arms so that your chest is off the floor.

Become aware of your breathing. Observe the effects of diaphragmatic breathing.

As you exhale, feel the pressure of your abdomen against the floor decreasing.

As you inhale, feel the pressure of your abdomen against the floor increasing.

Let the body relax completely and continue to exhale and inhale with full awareness.

If your mind begins to wander, come back to awareness of your breathing, observing the pressure against the floor decreasing as you exhale, and increasing as you inhale.

Relax completely as you continue to exhale and inhale. Let your breathing be smooth and even.

Let there be no pause between exhalation, inhalation and the next exhalation.

Be completely relaxed as you continue to exhale and inhale. Om shanti, shanti, shantihi. Om, peace, peace, peace.