Asana and Breath

[shanti108]

Namaste
Often breath is opposite of traditional exercise breath rhythm. For example, exhaling during "exertion" phase of exercise vs yoga where exhale is release/phase. Please can you explain why this is so? Any resources/physiological-or energetic explanations i can offer to "exercisers" who resist the yoga breath rhythm?
om

[InnerAthlete]

There are different breaths in Asana just as there are different breaths in pranayama.

I wouldn't worry too much about resistant exercisers. Once they cultivate a greater self awareness they will know the subtlties of the proper breath; except of course where the breath is counter intuitive like in the Tibetan Rites where the chakras are being activated.

[Pandara]

Hi,

Breath control is a gradual development in all yogis and in the beginning I usually give attention to the inhalation and exhalation to strenghten the lungs and to balance the nervous system, I would tell them to inhale and when to exhale during an asana, this way they quickly learn the rythm of yoga breathing. This I do at least for the first two to three years with beginners. Those resistant ones will sooner or later fall in with the breathing.

Good luck and just let flow, do not try to control too much, each person must learn control for him/her-self and yoga will affect control eventually, in some it may just take longer than in others.

[Hubert]

I do not practice any kind of breath control, except counting it while performing asanas. I sometimes do kapalabathi but only when I feel the need, and only for a minute or two. This is natural and I did this before I learned the name of it.

Nityananda said there is no yoga without breath control ... so I am not much of a yogi.

[Pandara]

Ah Hubert, not much of a yogi??? Perhaps you might not do breathing according to the norm of yoga, but then again who needs special breathing if they exhibit the insight you do in most of your mails!

[Hubert]

Thank you, you are too kind. I will try to raise myslef to deserve your appreciation.
This is the curse of trying to appear better than we really are ...

[shanti108]

Dear InnerAthlete
Dear Pandara,
Dear Hubert,
Namaste
Thank you for insightful responses.

In this situation, the students are new to yoga and quite experienced in Pilates. In Pilates, the breath rhythm cueing is often the opposite of Yoga. When asked why there is this difference, would like to offer an explanation that satisfies and balances the physical and energetic elements and helps the students in their journey of self-awareness.

Here are some thoughts on introducing this to a new student...but still doesn't fully explain the Pilates vs Yoga rhythms.

- Yoga sees exhalation as a letting go, a release...one learns how to let go before one receives or bring in energy with the inhalation
- Yoga emphasizes "relaxation" - parasympathetic, vs an aerobic "stimulating" - sympathetic response. One should feel calmly energized and relaxed at the end of a practice...balanced.
- In Yoga breath connects body and the mind...bridges awareness and consciousness of the physical and inner planes.

Any other thoughts that help explain the "Why Yoga and PIlates differ" on the physical level especially?

Really appreciate any additional guidance and insights.

om shanti

[amik_abeo]

I am not too much of an expert here. You know the routine... huge grain of salt.

Once again I do not have a yoga teacher as of yet. I finally get six days off of work starting tomorrow and darn it I am going to the yoga studio no matter what. As far as breathing goes, I seem to recognize a pattern of most of the time your abdominal cavity contracts, folds, bends, whatever, then you exhale, and when you open your abdominal cavity you inhale. My favorite thing to do during sun salutations is a sniffing breath when I actually "salute the sun" (gradually sniff in more breath as I lean backwards). Feels really good, and I can't inhale continuously while I bend that far back.

The main yoga/pilates differences, from what I have read, are the philosophy and the focuses of the exercize. Pilates focuses more on the core with less of the spiritual element of yoga. Doctors actually recommend more pilates exercizes for patients with bad backs than yoga exercizes, go figure!

[Pandara]

Hi Shanti108,

I must confess my knowledge of Pilates is extremely limited so please what I offer is limited and you may want to explore further. However, I can offer you from a yoga perception the following:

Yoga, as we all know it, is aimed to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. Yogis view that the mind and the body are one, and that if it is given the right tools (i.e asanas, pranayama, bandhas etc.) and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself. Yoga therefore is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of your body's posture, alignment and patterns of movement and I suspect Pilates does more or less the same in this case. So physically there are many similarities between the two disciplines.

Breathing in yoga is designed to bring greater peace and harmony to the body and works specifically on the Pranamaya Kosha and the five sheaths in this Kosha collectively known as the Pancha (they are prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana and each is associated with a part of the body). Rhytmic, deep and slow breathing in yoga is therefore designed to bring serenity, calmness and peace to the mind as mind and breath are connected. For example, look at somebody who are angry, the breath is fast and what happens, the words out of his/her mouth are also fast, sometimes crude and hurtful. And I think this is where the biggest difference is. Yoga is more breath conscious as the breath affects the prana, nadis, emotional states and nervous system etc. in the body.

I suspect that Pilates focuses more on the body and specifically the lower back, so the focus is more physical. In yoga breathing work combined with the asanas is designed to affect not only the physical body but also the more subtle energies in the body. Breathing is not just a physical aspect of the asanas, but much more than that, because you work with energies which is delicate and in some people supressed or not fully developed, you need a slow and rythmic approach to breath. I have unfortunately heard of too many cases where people have done vigorous breathing work with devastating effects on their emotional states and nervous system.

I trust this will shed some light on it. Perhaps with other responses you might get a more balanced view to offer your students.

Good luck.

[Pandara]

I just want to add the following: Yogic breathing is in and out through the nose and this is specifically so because body and mind is conected. Pilates breathing is in through the nose, out through the mouth, this way the breath helps to re-oxygenate the muscles while you work. An aspect not always necessary in yoga.