We all understand the importance of good breath control.
However, a puzzling question arises: Why do the techniques used in physical yoga differ completely from those in other physical activities like dance, tennis, golf, kickboxing, and even when picking up heavy shopping bags off the floor?
In yoga, the emphasis is on uniting breath with movement, which helps deepen your practice, fosters awareness, and maintains a tranquil and focused mind and body. This principle of linking breath with movement is also crucial in sports, where focus and a serene mind and body are equally essential for success.
Since sports and yoga share the same importance of coordinating breath with movement, why are their approaches fundamentally different?
SITTING MEDITATION
After a decade of dedicated yoga practice and becoming thoroughly integrated into the yoga industry, I became acutely aware that the mindset towards breath control in yoga is bogged down with a subtext that keeps modern yoga tightly linked to yoga's ancient roots in sitting meditation, where the primary goal is to quiet and calm the mind and body in stillness. Yet, in physical yoga, our bodies are in motion, not still. So, why choose a breathing approach designed for stillness?
SPORTS
Relaxation and focus are crucial for power, coordination, and control in sports. Surely, in yoga, we should utilize a more dynamic style of breath control that aligns with the body's ability to move effortlessly, without straining, while unleashing incredible power, similar to the techniques used in sports.
To address this dilemma, I decided to give it a try.
This decision has completely transformed my yoga practice beyond the physical aspects. My body adapted to this breathing style like a duck to water. It's more intuitive because it's rooted in movement, not sitting. This change has elevated my yoga practice to levels I never imagined possible.
TRANSFORMATION
I've cultivated a deeper sense of awareness and unlocked my body's latent potential, enhancing flexibility, strength, stamina, coordination, and control, all while keeping my body relaxed and free of tension.
Adopting a more dynamic style of breath control has led to profound improvements in all my students, both young and old, regardless of their individual roadblocks.
Let's go through a few yoga postures to experience this in action.
AWKWARD POSE
In yoga, the general rule is to inhale during upward movements and exhale during downward movements.
Applying this principle to the first part of Awkward pose (a squat), you are advised to inhale as you come up.
In sports, during a power squat or barbell squat, you are advised to do the opposite. You must exhale to come up, not inhale.
BARBELL SQUAT
In sports, all-powerful movements typically happen during the exhale, regardless of whether it's an upward or downward motion. Imagine lifting two heavy shopping bags off the floor; your body would naturally exhale as it rises.
It's well-known that inhaling creates body tension while exhaling releases it. Lifting a heavy object during an inhale means overcoming resistance from both the object and your own body tension, essentially fighting against yourself.
The same is true when throwing a punch; you exhale when throwing because, without body tension, your body can better coordinate and control the movement.
I'm amazed that it took me so many years to apply this mindset to my yoga practice.
Today, I emerge from Awkward pose with unprecedented control and smoothness.
When it's time to rise, after a deep inhale, I begin to exhale and sense my whole body relaxing. I then ascend while continuing to exhale, expanding my chest.
This approach extends to all three parts of Awkward pose, with the exhalation phase facilitating movement and body expansion.
COBRA
Let's analyze Cobra pose.
In Cobra, we're usually told to inhale as we lift up, believing it supports spine extension stability and enhances the mind-body connection. However, embracing a dynamic approach yields significantly greater spine extension, stability, and mind-body connection.
The typical way of coming up on an inhale is passive. If you inhale to come up, the pneumatic pressure in the lungs makes it easy for your body to rise without needing your core spinal muscles, which is akin to using a crutch. Consciously, that may feel nice and secure, but you’re not helping your body truly be in control of extending the spin open.
CRUTCH
In the case of Cobra, the Erector Spinal and Multifidus muscles are the dominant core muscle groups needed to fully extend the spine and lift up the upper body with precision and control. These muscles connect to the individual vertebrae of the spine.
Core Spinal Muscles
As we age, a breakdown in communication with these core spinal muscles can result in their atrophy, forcing the superficial back muscles to compensate, leading to back pain and issues with posture and movement. In order to maintain a healthy spine, ensuring continued mobility and activity as we age requires sustained communication with the core spinal muscles.
If you inhale while coming up into Cobra pose, the glutes and superficial back muscles dominate, impeding the efforts of the Erector Spinal and Multifidus muscles in their role of spinal extension and control. In reality, inhaling while lifting up into Cobra prevents true spinal extension.
Admittedly, all this demands more focused effort, and if you've practiced yoga for a decade, inhaling as you rise, you have a bit of rewiring to do. You must learn to become completely relaxed, without body tension, and allow the body to expand.
COBRA INSTRUCTIONS
Here's how to do Cobra pose:
1) Lie down, palms flat under the shoulders, as usual.
2) After a deep inhale, begin to exhale and feel your entire body relax, especially the bum and surface back muscles. As you continue to exhale, expand your chest, driving it forward and up, with a focus on extending the spine. Do this in one exhale. Keep your bum and surface back muscles as relaxed as possible.
3) Once up, inhale and hold whatever position the body got itself into.
4) Next, exhale, again feel the entire body relax, then engage, expanding the chest, driving it forward and up, extending the spine.
5) Now you can’t keep lifting up every time you exhale. That would be a physical impossibility, and you would end up compressing into the spine.
Remember, in Cobra, we are seeking to neurologically advance spinal communications to improve strength, flexibility, coordination and control. We never, ever want to compress the spine.
So don’t keep trying to come up any more; instead, during the exhalation phase, target all your effort on expanding the chest as if you're blowing up a balloon with the mantra “ relax and open”.
With a bit of practice, you will be able to come up into Cobra, with the glutes and superficial back muscles relaxed, yet with incredible spinal engagement.
SOHOT BREATHING
This I call Sohot Breathing.
When inhaling, you're maintaining the expansion you generated in the previous exhale. You should never simply hold a posture, waiting for the teacher to signal a change. Your focus should always be on releasing body tension while expanding and opening the entire body. It's an explosive process that requires practice to master.
Give it a go. I guarantee it will alter your whole perspective on what your body can do. You'll be amazed.
So, stop using a breathing style rooted in stillness and breathe for movement, expansion, relaxation, tension release, and heightened awareness. It will transform your entire yoga practice. To delve deeper into these biomechanics and other aspects of yoga, refer to our book "Yoga : The Sohot Way" on Amazon.
Let us know how you get on in the comments.
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Bill Thwaites