Amrita 6: Asana through the ages - Magazine - Page 36
Take a Deep Breath
“The diaphragm is a skeletal
muscle and like any skeletal
muscle requires exercise. Deep
breathing will do this, but
more effective is to breath
against a resistance”.
BRIAN COOPER IS the editor of Amrita Magazine
34 AMRITA Issue 6 / Spring 2021
The movement of the diaphragm also pushes and pulls
the internal organs, effectively giving them a deep massage.
As it descends it pulls on the pericardium surrounding the
heart, and squeezes the organs in the abdominal cavity. On
its ascent, it pulls these organs in the opposite direction while
exerting pressure on the heart. This constant massage increases blood supply and waste removal and helps maintain
organs in optimal condition.
The diaphragm is a skeletal muscle and like any skeletal
muscle requires exercise. Deep breathing will do this, but
more effective is to breath against a resistance. A neat way is
to combine deep breathing with the king of asanas, Sirsasana
or headstand. Normally when you inhale, the diaphragm
moves down and is assisted by gravity, but now, because you
are upside down, inhaling lifts the diaphragm up against
gravity. You are now breathing against a resistance. Because
the exhalation is assisted by gravity, you can really take it to
its limit. The result is full strong breathing combined with all
the cardio-vascular advantages of inversions.
The Practice
Many yoga styles place the headstand near the end of the
practice, but this is not necessary. Try starting your practice
with headstand combined with deep breathing. There is no
need for warm up exercises; you will find you become energised and warm, and even if you have no time for any other
asana, this is a great stand alone exercise. You may want to
first sit and experiment with deep breathing, taking the inhale
to its limit, and exhaling freely and without control. Note how
deep your inhale is. Now take the headstand and slowly build
until your inhale is the same length as your seated inhale. At
first you will find this difficult, because you are now working
against a resistance, but in time you will achieve the same
satisfying length. You can also employ a trick to encourage
deeper inhales: as you get towards the end of the inhale, stop
for a second, then inhale a little further, then stop again, and
continue like this till you reach your limit. For the exhale, just
let go, the diaphragm will drop under gravity without effort.
You can keep your mouth very slightly open if it helps to give
a complete exhale.
It is also instructive to monitor your pulse. Compare it to
before and after. When you first enter headstand it is normal
for the pulse to quicken, but provided you are stable and
comfortable, the pulse will return to near resting rate. Once
you are familiar with the exercise you will find your pulse
afterwards to be at its resting rate and also very strong. A
