Typically we’re told to INHALE as we come up into Cobra, but...

from a Primaeval movement point of view, such thinking is WRONG!

Yogic Breathing

All yogic breathing styles have their roots in sitting meditation, where the aim is to calm down the nervous system and centre the mind.

But when doing any form of physical yoga, we are engaging the body, so we need our nervous system to be awake, not half asleep.

Reptilian Mind-Body

The nervous system is an integral part of our older reptilian mind-body, so a more accurate statement is to say that we need our reptilian mind-body to be on the ball and in control.

Although it is not advisable, it’s very easy to send a text message while riding a bike.

This is because your reptilian mind-body is coordinating your limbs and breathing. Your thinking mind is just not needed, so it can disconnect and wander off to send that text.

Movement and breath are interconnected

During movement, you must never tie your reptilian mind-body down with a breath pattern that benefits the thinking mind as if you're doing a sitting meditation.

3 Core Reasons

The three main reasons why you should never inhale as you come up into Cobra centres around supporting the needs of the reptilian mind-body for stress-free movement.

1) As we all know, when we exhale, the body naturally releases tension.

This is why, when throwing a ball, we automatically exhale. Imagine throwing a ball on a inhale … errrrr!

Tension is resistance. During movement, we need to release tension so that we are not overstressing the joints and spine.

2) Your inner stabilisation strength is able to do its job if it has to overcome joint tension.

This means your inner stabilisation strength is unable to decompress and open the spine and joints, ensuring the body can move freely without any damaging resistive or compressive forces.

This aspect underpins all good movement in life.

3) When the body is in an open, decompressed, engaged state, proprioception is enhanced.

This means you are more aware of when to pull back because the spine has reached a point of over-compression.

There are more physical and mental benefits to exhaling as you come up into Cobra and other yoga postures. If you wish to learn the science of correct breath control, you should read our book: The Sohot Way: The Secrets to a Healthy Body Your Yoga Teacher Isn’t Telling You. See Below.

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Bill Thwaites

If you wish to learn the science of correct breath control, you should read our book: The Sohot Way: The Secrets to a Healthy Body Your Yoga Teacher Isn’t Telling You.

You will learn cutting-edge techniques that will give your yoga practice a major performance upgrade, no matter your age or physical limitations.

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If you wish to reprogram your nervous system to instinctively release tension in all yoga postures, you will find a powerful and engaging 37-minute self-paced online workshop on our website.

You will learn how to unleash your body without stress or tension in a rapidly short amount of time.

Many Bikram-style students, teachers and studio owners from all over the world are expressing great benefits from a fresh headspace.

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Thanks, Bill & Elaine