While doing asanas and flow. Should we only use our chest to breath? Belly doesnt move?
Can you do uddiyana bhanda and still belly breath same time?
Lastly, I hear some people say breath in to the chest then bring down to belly on inhale… then exhale from belly bring towards chest … and some say do opposite… does this matter?
As is so often the case, replies will vary based on schools of thought, intentions of practice, lineage, etcetera. What I can provide is only my learning, teaching, and experience.
Generally speaking the breath remains in the home of the breath - between the diaphragm and the clavicles. The abdominal cavity may rise and fall, of its own volition, but should not have the breath intentionally moved into it (for yoga).
The two systems are very different. One is a pneumatic system - the respiratory system which moves air. The other is a hydraulic system - the digestive system which moves liquid. Air should not be pushed into a hydraulic system.
The action of Uddiyana Bandha is the drawing in toward the spine from the pubis to the xiphoid process. It is “unwise” to do this during asana. When Uddiyana Bandha is done, typically it is accompanied by a cessation of the breath (Kumbhaka) following exhalation (Rechaka).
In the 11 plus years I’ve been studying seriously I have not heard anyone of “merit” actually say anything about the breath from the chest to the belly or the belly to the chest. That doesn’t mean it is not valid. However I don’t see any purpose to such a thing and I would be far more concerned with the intention and result of a thing then I would in how many reputable people say it is so.
In the tradition of yoga which I study in, breath is not forced into any specific region at any time, nor is it constricted. This might vary for certain pranayama, mudras, postures utilizing retention, or bandhas… but as a foundation, the breath should be uninhibited and allowed to be steady, smooth and long throughout all postures. Dynamic movement in asana is done corresponding to the natural movement of breath and spine. For instance, if you are performing an asana which expands the ribcage and opens the chest through extension of the spine, the movement would be done on an inhalation. If you are performing a forward bend which contracts the abdomen and lower part of the rips, this would be done on an exhalation with the aid of subtle contraction of the abdomen inwards to enhance the effect that the movement would already have of pushing the air out of the lungs as the body compresses forward. This also prevents people from moving into postures and trying to round their back and stretch forward against an expanded thoracic cafe. These same principles are followed as one enters into static postures, but in the postures, the breath should be able to move freely within the constraints of the posture (obviously certain postures cause a natural restriction).
In seated or lying breathing, the breath is free to fill the entire lung cavity with ease, resulting in the subtle rise of the chest first and then the slight protrudance of the (relaxed) upper abdominal cavity as the lungs expand outward and the diaphragm descends downwards. There isn’t a force into the chest, like I said - but the focus is for training students who have restrictive breathing habits is on allowing the chest to expand first. On the exhalation, the focus is on drawing the abdomen gently back as the diaphragm relaxes back upwards. It isn’t intense like a deep contraction, but a aid to focus on expelling the air. The chest is relaxed here, with maybe a very, very subtle drawing inwards at the end, so that there is no restriction to the air leaving the chest.
This focus on monitoring the movement of the chest first and then the abdomen (and versa) is often referred to as the chest–>abdomen–>chest, but it’s really just a way to train people to allow the breath to move freely. There is no ‘breathing into the chest, then breathing into the belly’. Once the resistance to full, relaxed breathing is reduced, breathing should be a full, gentle expansion, like blowing up a properly stretched balloon.
When I was first starting in training, I enjoyed laying down and imagining, trying to feel the moment when the diaphragm contracted and began to pull downwards, and then monitoring how the breath would move of it’s own accord. It was sooooo relaxing.
The FIRST school I studied at many years ago, however, emphasized abdominal focused breathing, but I don’t remember that they gave any good reasoning for it. Like Gordon said, every school of thought is different.
[QUOTE=pinoyvegasyogi420;69653]While doing asanas and flow. Should we only use our chest to breath? Belly doesnt move?[/QUOTE]
Pino,
Concern yourself primarily only with getting all the air out: exhale completely by squeezing the abdominal wall against the spine, down through uddiyana to the mula (simultaneously), then releasing gently with inhalation from the bottom up. Try not to breathe with the ribs and shoulders until you have to as doing so prematurely compromises the strength of your abdominal breathing by effectively bypassing or skipping it, jumping over it. Rib, or “chest” breathing should be encouraged gradually only after you build strength and control of abdominal breath (as well as increasing capacity). You want to build a seamless continuity between abdominal and rib breath, which is not something you exercise so much as it is something that happens on its own, over time. Rushing it will actually compromise your foundation, which is the abdominal breath.
[QUOTE=pinoyvegasyogi420;69653]Can you do uddiyana bhanda and still belly breath same time?[/QUOTE]
I can, but that doesn’t mean you can. You first have to have the strength and control of uddiyana to do so. Eventually, uddiyana can be held tight both with the inhalation as well as with exhalation, or I should say, it holds itself. It’s a “lock.” right?
[QUOTE=pinoyvegasyogi420;69653]Lastly, I hear some people say breath in to the chest then bring down to belly on inhale… then exhale from belly bring towards chest … and some say do opposite… does this matter?[/QUOTE]
The first part of this statement is lacking context: it would be generally false, however it doesn’t mean it’s not something you might exercise from time to time. The second part is true. Again relax the emphasis on the chest all together. You create space in the abdomen to draw the diaphragm down away from the lungs, from the bottom up, and exhale the same, from the bottom up. The last part of your question…“some say to do the opposite,” is just what some say.
I hope that helps.
siva
Great responses! Many thanks siva, suryadaya and Gordon. This really helps and I’m sure many others will benefit from reading this.