Part 1: What Can Yoga Do For Me?

Psychological Benefits of Yoga

First, let’s talk about the mental health benefits of Yoga. Yoga is primarily known for its effectiveness in reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Multiple studies have looked into the relation of yoga and stress, and it is believed that yoga helps reduce cortisol, which is the main stress hormone in humans. In addition, regularly practicing yoga has also shown to assist with reducing symptoms of anxiety and PTSD. While the exact reason for this is unknown, the combination of meditation and healthy exercise is definitely a powerful way to increase relaxation and improve one’s quality of life.

Furthermore, some studies have shown that regularly practicing yoga can lead to improved sleep quality. One study comparing two groups – one which practices yoga regularly, and a control group – showed that the group practicing yoga were able to fall asleep more easily, and felt more refreshed in the mornings. Another study showed that yoga reduced sleep disturbances, improved quality of sleep, and reduced the need for sleep medication.

Physical Benefits of Yoga

In terms of physical beneifts, the various poses that are utilized in yoga – whether they are simple or more advanced and complicated – mostly incorporate a combination of core strength, flexibility, and balance. Furthermore, maintaining these poses will also contribute to improvements in physical endurance. In this sense, yoga is the one-stop solution for improving your base-level altheticism and physical strengh. In this way, yoga exercises can benefit you in your fitness journey, even as beginners.

Yoga has also been suggested to improve symptoms of chronic pain. Multiple studies have looked into the effects of yoga on patients with chronic physical pain, and have shown that long-term practice of yoga can reduce pain and increase physical functionality. In another cases, yoga has proven useful for patients who suffer from migrains, by reducing headache intensity, frequency, and pain level. Researchers have suggested that this may be due to the fact that yoga stimulates the vagus nerve, which is known to influence migrains.

Yoga V.S. Other Forms of Exercise

Yoga combines body strength, flexibility, core balance, breathing exercises, and meditation, which makes it quite different from other popular forms of exercise or sports. While it might not seem like the most physically enduring of exercises, you would be surprised at how much you lose your breath by the end of an hour-long session. One study compared two groups – one which were instructed to practice yoga, and another which were instructed to practice calisthenics – over the course of a year. After one year, yoga proved to have higher benefits in improving overall flexibility of the body.

While exercise in general is healthy for the mind and body, one key unique factor about yoga is the incorporation of meditation. Various studies have shown that regularly practicing meditation can help to improve quality of life in many areas. One such study examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on depression, anxiety, and stress. The results showed that a 10-week course on mindfulness meditation had positive effects on all three affective states, reducing their severity and intensity in the participants. Distress levels can be reduced by an increased awareness of one’s cognitive and emotional states, and mindfulness meditation helps individuals to accept thoughts, emotions and sensations as they occur, minimizing their influence on sustaining affective disorders.

Yoga combines the positive effects of meditation with the health benefits of physical exercise, which makes it a unique endeavour for anybody who is keen to take part. Your skill level does not matter, beginners can reap the health benefits of yoga just as much as more advanced practitioners. The important thing is keeping with it!

Part 2 will outline a few beginner poses in Yoga and help you get started on your yoga journey!

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Two Different Schools of Yoga

While there are many different advanced breathing techniques in yoga, this article will focus on two prominent schools: Pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya.

Pranayama Yogic Breathing Techniques

Sudarshan Kriya Yogic (SKY) Breathing Techniques

Exercise 1: Alternative Nostril Breathing (Nadhi Sodhana)

Alternative nostril breathing is one of the pranayama advanced breathing techniques. It increases oxygen intake into the body, therefore having calming effects on the mind and body. It is beneficial in anxiety relief, promoteing concentration, and aiding in a good night’s rest.

How to do it:
1. Sit down or lie down in a comfortable position.
2. Empty out all the air from your lungs with a deep exhale through the mouth.
3. Take the thumb of your right hand, and cover your right nostril. Inhale deeply through your left nostril only, for 4 counts.
4. Use the ring finger of the same hand to hold your left nostril closed. Then, hold your breath for 4 to 8 counts, with both nostrils covered.
5. Release your thumb, and deeply exhale through your right nostril, for 4 counts. Pause for a moment, before exhaling through the same nostril.
6. Repeat the exercise by covering both nostrils, holding your breath for a moment, then exhaling through the left nostril.
7. One ‘cycle’ is completed when breath is exhaled out of both nostrils. Repeat up to 10 cycles and see how your body responds.

Exercise 2: Lion’s Breath

Lion’s breath is another exercise from the pranayama family of advanced breathing techniques. It is named for the position you take while practicing the breathing technique. In addition, breath is released through your mouth, almost as if you are ‘panting’ like a lion. This relaxation exercise utilizes the muscles in your face and chest. Therefore, it promotes the release of any tension in the body, aiding in anxiety relief.

How to do it:
1. Get down into a kneeling position, with your knees at about shoulder width. Cross your ankles, with your right foot over the left foot. Sit your bottom down on your ankles. (If this position is too uncomfortable, you can first practice by just sitting cross-legged.)
2. Place your hands on your knees, or on the floor in front of you, with your arms and fingers stretched out comfortably.
3. Take a breath in through your nose.
4. To exhale, open your mouth wide with your tongue out, and release your breath by making a ‘ha’ sound. Stretch your tongue out as far as you can, and your mouth as wide open as possible.
5. Relax your face again to inhale.
6. Repeat these steps up to 6 times, switching the cross of your ankles at the halfway point.

Exercise 3: Ocean Breath (Ujjayi)

Ocean breath is one of the SKY advanced breathing techniques. It encourages full expansion of the lungs at roughly 2 to 4 breaths per minute. Therefore, it allows you to focus on your breath, promoting calmness of the mind.

How to do it:
1. Sit down comfortably with a straight spine.
2. Take a steady inhale through your nose until your lungs are at full capacity. Feel your spine elongate as your lungs are filled.
3. Hold your breath for a second, consticting the air at the back of your throat as if you are getting ready to whisper.
4. Exhale slowly from the nose, through both nostrils. This will sound a bit like the waves of an ocean, hence the name Ocean Breath. You should feel the air passing over the roof of your mouth as you exhale.
5. Repeat these steps up to 20 times.

Exercise 4: Bellows Breath (Bhastrika)

Bellows breaths is another of the SKY advanced breathing techniques. During bellows breath, air is rapidly cycled through the lungs at roughly 30 breaths per minute. This creates excitation, which is then followed by calmness.

How to do it:
1. Sit down comfortably with a straight spine.
2. Your first inhale can be a natural, slow inhale, to prepare yourself for the exercise.
3. Exhale sharply and forcefully by contracting the muscles in your abdomen. During initial practice, it may help to keep a hand on your abdominal muscles to help with the contraction.
4. Inhale quickly by completely relaxing the abdominal muscles, allowing air to fill up to your diaphragm.
5. Repeat these steps in quick succession for 7 to 10 breaths, of up to 3 rounds. While you are still new to the practice, a deep, steady breath should be taken in between each round.

SKY Breathing Techniques in Practice

Once to get a bit used to the exercises, try to practice Ocean Breath and Bellows Breath together as one cycle. Repeat the Ocean Breath and Bellow Breath exercises in sucession, for 3 to 5 cycles at first. You can increase the number of cycles as you get more comfortable with each exercise. Familiarizing yourself both individual breathing techniques first may ease your transition into the full SKY breathing method. Again, however, remember to keep an empty stomach during the Bellows Breath (fast breathing) exercise in order to avoid nausea.

SKY breathing cycles have many positive effects. Specifically, the slow, deep breathing cycles relieve stress, depression, anxiety and insomnia, amongst other negative states of mind. In addition, the fast breathing cycles mimics a state of exercise, which helps to boost stress tolerance. The combination of these cycles together creates a calm emotional state by reducing excitement. When you practice these cycles, try to make sure you are on an empty stomach. This is especially important during the fast breathing cycle.

Which Breathing Techniques Should I Try?

Now that we’ve gone over each exercise, you may be asking yourself which one would be the best to try first. Here is a brief summary and guide on the desired effects of each exercise. Every advanced breathing technique introduced in this article is a relaxation exercise with unique methods and benefits. See which ones might best suit your needs.

If you’re anxious and nervous before a performance or presentation…
Try the alternative nostril breathing technique. It’s a relatively quick and easy relaxation exercise that you can perform anytime, anywhere, without any prior practice or posing requirements.

If you have experienced emotional shock and want to practice meditation…
Try the Sudarshan Kriya yogic (SKY) breathing cycles. Specifically, incorporate the practice of alternating between ocean breath and bellows breath somewhere in your daily routine. Ideally, you would do this around the same time every day. The cyclic relaxation exercise stimiulates both your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Subsequently, this promotes a more calm state of being in general.

If you want to clear your mind before a good night’s rest…
Try ocean breath, or the alternative nostril breathing technique, whichever you may prefer. Both relaxation exercises have the effects of calming the mind and body, and aiding in anxiety relief. As one recommendation, ocean breath can be practiced before bed. This is because the sounds of your breath can also have a soothing effect on the mind.

If you want to refresh your mind and loosen up your body in the morning…
Try the “lion’s breath” breathing technique. Start your day fresh by relieving the tension in your upper body area. It takes little time, and can be practiced in your bedroom before you get ready for the day. The exercise will help you to begin your day with a clear mind and relaxed body.

Creating a Routine

No matter which relaxation exercise you choose to practice for personal anxiety relief, research shows that the key to increasing its effects are to make a habit out of it. Therefore, the more you practice specific breathing techniques and associate them with stress relief, the more effective it will become in future situations. Try a few of the advanced breathing techniques, so you can see which ones bring you the most positive feelings. Then create a routine of practicing that specific exercise at a certain time every day. If these advanced breathing techniques seem too complex or convoluted for your purposes, try checking out our article on more basic breathing exercises!

References:

American Lung Association. (2020, May 27). Breathing Exercises. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/wellness/breathing-exercises

Gotter, A. (2019, April 22). 8 Breathing Exercises for Anxiety You Can Try Right Now. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/breathing-exercises-for-anxiety

Harvard Health Publishing. (2018, April 13). Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response

Hodge, A. (2018, November 16). The Power of Breathing: 4 Pranayama Techniques Worth Practicing. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://www.onemedical.com/blog/live-well/breathing-pranayama-techniques

Jerath, R., Crawford, M. W., Barnes, V. A., & Harden, K. (2015). Self-Regulation of Breathing as a Primary Treatment for Anxiety. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 40(2), 107-115. doi:10.1007/s10484-015-9279-8

Yoga International. (2015, August 18). Learn Bhastrika Pranayama (Bellows Breath). Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://yogainternational.com/article/view/learn-bhastrika-pranayama-bellows-breath

Zope, S., & Zope, R. (2013). Sudarshan kriya yoga: Breathing for health. International Journal of Yoga, 6(1), 4. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.105935

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