Hi,
I contacted Mukunda with the following question which he very kindly responded to. Here is his reply which he asked me to post in the forum.
Hope it helps.
Namaste
Sarah.
My original question:
Hi,
I was wondering if you would be able to help and explain the use of the breath in entry, exit and hold in Shalabhasana (locust) and the precautions associated with this.
I am in my final unit of the teacher training course with the British Wheel of Yoga in the UK and currently preparing for my Final Class Assessment. My peak posture in my vinyasa in Shalabhasana.
A fellow student kindly lent me Mukunda’s Asana Manual “American Yoga College Asana Manural - 1996”.
In this under Shalabahasana it states “Inhale up and exhale down” and under precautions “Doing any backbend after an exhale may cause a hiatal hernia (ruptured diaphragm, the stomach passes through and presses on the heart). This problem especially occurs to people whose breathing is reversed from ideal. That is when they breathe in the belly contracts and reverse on exhaling. Thus abdominal muscles are coordinated with diaphragm, potentially causing many internal organ dysfunctions”.
Please can you advise me on this. I myself do come up on an inhale, as my body prefers this, but I have been taught to come up on an exhale. I think it is something that I will be questioned over by my final assessor if I put this in my lesson plan, as a precaution and I would really like to understand this fully so that I can talk from a point of knowledge. How can coming up on an exhale cause a ruptured diagphragm? Would it only be a precaution for students whose breathing is reversed?
My lesson plan currently states to come up after 3 rapid breaths on an inhale, to breath normally in the pose (hold) and to exit on an exhale. Is this correct?
Your help and guidance in this would be very much appreciated.
Om Shanti
And Mukunda’s reply:
This motion is controversial in terms of breathing patterns. My statement that you quoted is misleading. This maneuver cannot cause a hiatal hernia but can serve to aggravate it…
Most yoga teachers are taught to inhale from bottom up and exhale reverse. I was taught the reverse of this to follow the natural motions of the diaphragm; which is that it moves down as we inhale and up as we exhale. Lifting the legs in locust lengthens the abdominals and shortens the back erector spinae. If the same motion is done standing it would be on an inhalation, which is how i would do the locust. However those who are taught to breathe opposite me it would make more sense to breath out as you lift the legs. But doing so would pull the diaphragm upward stressing the hialtal hertnia.
I would be delighted if you cut and paste your Q and my ansswer into the Q & A with Mukunda namaste Mukunda