Breath Discussion

Yoga Discussion Structural Yoga Therapy
#1

I asked to esutra@aol.com members - Query - A basic question for the group. Some Indian yoga teachers teach how to breathe in three-part motion like filling a glass from the bottom upward. In this image one is to inhale expanding the belly first then let the air rise upward into the chest. Some others teach breathing in reverse following the pattern of the diaphragm. I would like to take a survey and find out which method goes with each of the styles of Hatha yoga. I would appreciate hearing from students representing each method.

I would also like to hear your personal and teacher’s comments as to what you experience as the benefits or detriments of each.

#2

Answer from Leslie Kaminoff (in charge of esutra dialogues)

The easy part of the answer relates to which schools teach the different approaches to breathing.

The only lineage I’m aware of that explicitly teaches the “top to bottom” breath is Krishnamacharya’s. Specifically, Viniyoga, the method taught by his son Desikachar, is the system in which this is found. The Ashtanga yoga of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (another student of Krishnamacharya’s) teaches the control of the lower abdomen through Mula bandha, so the “top to bottom” breath is somewhat implicit in that approach, although many of K.P.J.'s students have different opinions about breathing methodology (a few of them are on the list, so perhaps they’d like to chime in). Prof. K.'s other famous student, Mr. Iyengar, seems to favor the bottom-to-top pattern (at least that’s what I recall from reading his book “Light on Pranayama”).

It should be pointed out that in Viniyoga, there is no “right” way to breathe; all instruction is given on an individual basis, and “bottom to top” breathing (or any number of other patterns) may be prescribed if it is useful for certain students in certain situations.

All the other schools of yoga that I’m aware of teach some variation of the “bucket breath” (bottom to top) approach that Mukunda describes; which brings me to the second part of my response.

Embedded in Mukunda’s description of these breathing patterns are a few oft-repeated inaccuracies that perpetuate much confusion about breathing (I don’t mean to imply that the well-learned Mukunda is confused – he’s just asking the questions).

Let’s look at: “Some Indian yoga teachers teach how to breathe in three part motion like filling a glass from the bottom upward. In this image one is to inhale expanding the belly first then let the air raise upward into the chest.”

Air never rises upward into the chest Here?s why: A glass or a bucket filling from the bottom upward is a very common image and justification that’s given for this 3-part breathing pattern. The problem with it is that the lungs are not a bucket, and air is not water. Actually, what’s more fundamentally erroneous is the entire notion that the order in which you change the shape of your body cavities during inhalation has something to do with the order in which the different parts of the lungs will fill with air. This is simply not the case, and it comes from the almost universal confusion between muscular movements and air movements.

During breathing, air only goes in and out from the lungs, and it can only move through the lungs by means of the bronchial tree. The inhaled air enters from the top downward, branches left and right, and then fans out from center to periphery. The path of the exhaled air, of course, follows the exact opposite pattern. This pathway remains the same no matter how you manipulate your respiratory muscles.

**A belly breath does NOT bring air into the belly NOR does it cause the lower part of the lungs to fill first. ** Sorry, folks; I know how often this stuff gets repeated, and how attached to our teaching language we can become.

Mukunda’s next statement was: “Some others teach breathing in reverse following the pattern of the diaphragm.”

I don’t really know what Mukunda means by “following the pattern of the diaphragm,” so perhaps he could clarify it for us. I do know that the statement would be more correct if he substituted the phrase “bronchial tree” for diaphragm.

There’s a lot more I could say about this (enough to fill the book I’m working on!), but I’d prefer to continue this dialogue by answering questions about my response, and posting other responses to Mukunda’s question.

#3

Mukunda?s Response

I thank Leslie for his comments. Indeed even such a simple instruction as this has been the source of much confusion and deliberation. I am reminded of the great Lilliput controversy in Gulliver’s Travels as to whether to open the egg from the pointed side or the rounded side. Grounds for war! Or at least an inflamed pitta. Today such controversy pales in contrast with the greater concerns for peace and recovery of our connection with the universal Life Breath’s rhythm that was lost in the recent tragedy.

In the last post I said, “Some others teach breathing in reverse following the pattern of the diaphragm.” This image is that the diaphragm moves downward as one inhales thus setting in motion a wave from the lower thoracic region into the abdominal and pelvic cavities. Some instructors, mostly those trained by Krishnamacharya, Desikacharya, and Indra Devi - myself included - use this image to convey how to breathe. My curiosity is to what variations are there in the schools of yoga.

#4

From Kriyananda Devi.

I believe Rama Berch of Master Yoga teaches breathing filling from bottom up. She also teaches filling each vertebra from the tailbone up with breath like small balloons inflating. On the exhalation each vertebrae deflates from the tailbone up.

#5

From Hamsa

Also surprised because you (mukunda) teach the breath direction as Desikachar / Krishnamacharya do: inflating from top to bottom, exhaling from bottom to top. Reading Desikachar’s book, his explanation is that this follows the natural movement of the diaphragm as it moves downward w. the expansion of the lungs on inhalation, and moves upward again on exhalation.

#6

YOGALOCA@aol.com would like to throw her hat into the pranayama debate. In most instances, I teach Mulabandha breathing, as taught by my teacher Dona Holleman. Exceptions are when student is creating tension by using this method. BKS Iyengar in Light on Pranayama also explains this same breath, but calls it complete pranayamic breath.

As one inhales through the nostrils, the breath descends through a wide, lower throat down into the abdomen. The abdominal muscles gently contract to the sacrum, while the perineum lifts gently. The breath then should be visualized as moving up the inner spine to the top of the head, using the Jalandhara bandha to complete the inhalation. On the exhalation, the breath releases from the nostrils downward again toward the abdomen.

Of course, the breath only moves into the bronchial tree. However, the movement of the abdomen toward the sacrum on the inhalation creates a wave action, which as the sit bones descend and the perineum (Mulabandha) lifts, then, moves up the spine. As the abdominal organs have been moved up and back (gentle Uddiyana bandha), the diaphragm cannot descend on the inhale, and thus has to move sideways, expanding the lower ribs. The wave which began in the lower body then moves up the inner spine, elongating the spine, moving into the latissimus, pectorals and brings the entire ribcage up. Finally the wave is caught by the Jalandhara bandha and extended to the crown of the head, much like a wave of the ocean, cresting, then crashing down, as the breath is exhaled. This breath can be used in pranayama, but more importantly, can also be used in asana to create more energy in the body.

In Dona Holleman’s book, DANCING THE BODY OF LIGHT, there is a fuller and more eloquent description. I also use the analogy of a glass filling with water to describe the filling of the torso with breath, with energy. The idea being that prana and apana must be kept moving. That prana must be moved into the Sushumna, up towards the brain. More oxygen, more quiet mind, soothed nervous system. Expanding the abdomen on the inhalation is more a relaxing breath.

Also, he explains that with the pattern you (and he) teach, expanding the ribcage and only later the abdomen gives more freedom for the lumbar spine (w. its attachments of the diaphragm there) to expand more. If we breathe the Iyengar way (i.e., inflating the belly first, then letting the breath move upward), we tend to get much less movement in the spine - sending the breath first into the full abdomen (says Desikachar) restricts the expansion we can experience in the spine, particularly the lumbar region. Tatiana

#7

Just a comment on the Complete Body Breath…I teach a breathing that is a combination of diaphragmatic breath and complete breath…it is used for relaxation, to move one into meditation, and for poses… sometimes using it subtly and sometimes more physically to open up the intercostal muscles and core body skeletal system. I call it CORE BODY BREATHING. It has personally changed my practice…it is what I am teaching in Calgary next weekend…what it is doing for students is connecting them with their energy body quicker than other wise. It came to me last year, and since then, there has been a drastic change in my personal practice and the depth of consciousness in my students while they practice yoga…I teach it in 4 stages…each stage they progress to another level of subtlety… simply, it is diaphragmatic breathing - moving into all parts of core body in a particular fashion, first pushing out in six directions, then pulling out in six directions from the outside, then having the whole energy body pull the body out (which I feel is what is actually happening, but just connecting people to that concept that the body is being breathed)…Since starting to teach this, the results to me have been so great that I haven?t been teaching the other…what about the chakras too…breathing from down up or up down…this way the breath starts from the diaphragm and goes to pubic and shoulders evenly and equally…prana moving through the chakras from the center and on the end of the inhale ending at both ends of the core body…chakras more balanced at the end of that inhale…
I don’t know if this is of any value to your question…I was always bothered by which way is the right way of breathing (well, not right…but why) - when reading the different directions in books and not having a teacher to teach…so I tried both ways…students seem to be able to find the nooks of holding patterns easier with this method - and to gently open them up through breath.

Katherine

#8

From Leslie Kaminoff

Not to nitpick too much here, but “…the diaphragm moves downward as one inhales…” is unclear. First of all, the phrasing makes it seem like the movement of the diaphragm is something distinct from the act of inhaling. Also, the fundamental activity of the diaphragm is not downward movement; it is contraction. It is possible to contract the diaphragm in such a way that it creates upward movement of the ribcage rather than downward movement of the central tendon (this is what occurs when you keep your abdominals engaged during an inhalation).

The diaphragm’s contraction increases the volume of the thoracic cavity, thus lowering it’s pressure relative to the atmosphere" (volume and pressure are inversely related). The partial vacuum is not located specifically in the base of the lungs; there is never actually a vacuum anywhere, as the pressure is constantly maintained as long as the respiratory passageways remain open. One can experience a partial vacuum during Uddiyana bandha performed on the retention after an exhale, as the ribcage increases its volume, but no air enters to equalize the pressure. That is why the abdominal organs are pulled upward towards that vacuum.

When discussing the ways in which our chest and abdominal cavities change shape during respiration, it is less confusing to refer to the components of the breath by the spatial dimensions in which they move. The vertical (top to bottom) dimension corresponds to the downward movement of the central tendon (insertion) of the diaphragm, which results in the forward bulging of the upper abdomen (belly breathing). Along with the downward pressure, an upward lift is created by the diaphragm’s contraction as it acts upon its attachment (origin) at the circumference of the lower ribcage. This creates movement in the lateral (side-to-side) dimension in the lower ribs, as well as a sagital (front-to-back) movement in the sternum. In short, the diaphragm can create 3-dimensional expansion of the thoracic cavity; so, to equate diaphragmatic breathing only with its abdominal component is to leave out at least two thirds of the picture.

What is usually referred to as the “dome” is the central tendon, which is non-contractile tissue. The muscular fibers of the diaphragm are primarily oriented in the vertical, not the horizontal plane; as they shorten, they pull downward on the central tendon and upward on the base of the ribcage.

#9

From Larry

Desikachar quotes numerous ancient texts that talk about the prana going down to the apana. From a mechanical standpoint if you watch closely the spine gets more continuous work when you start from the chest going down. The chest fills, then the belly - there are no gaps or breaks in the working of the spine. When you start from the belly up there is a slight pause as the diaphragm is going down it looks like an S. It is subtle but noticeable.

Also in Viniyoga, chest to belly works nicely in coordination with the raising of the arms. Finally, if you talk to a Yogi who has had a partial lung removed or something of that nature (like Marsha Accomazzo who was one of the founding board members of the International Association of Yoga Therapists) they will tell you that they feel more volume of air if they start from the top.

#10

From G. of Ashtanga Yoga in Israel

  1. proper mulla-uddiyana-bandha control lifts the pelvic floor and controls the lower abdomen, creating a relatively tight bathing-suit all around the middle section of the body, protecting the lower back AND the abdomen from possible over-strain during the intense asana practice, which the Ashtanga is famous for

  2. if the abdomen is held in and controlled due to the bandhas, breath can not go into the abdomen Nor the abdomen should expand: for most people, if breath goes into the abdomen- Bandhas will release automatically. and then one is more likely to injure oneself IF PRACTICING INTENSLY. and Ashtanga, as I recognize it and love it passionately, is intense. but practiced properly with those protective measures one is fully protected. Guaranteed.