In this first lesson in the program, you will: Practice Chest Breathing 1 every day Practice Abdominal Lifts every day Continue practicing Abdominal Breathing This is a good time to review the Discovery Exercise you did with in Lesson 1. Lie back for a few minutes and notice your breathing. Which parts of your body do you use now when you breathe? That s probably changed since you started your Breathing Course. No doubt, your abdominals are more fully engaged. What about your chest? Which parts easily flow open as you breathe in? Which parts readily drop and relax when you breathe out? Use this time to notice what is natural and normal for you, today. Don t worry about fixing it yet. In Lesson 1, you and your abdominals formed a new breathing alliance. Yet as you breathe, there are more muscles sitting on the sidelines which can be conscripted into breathing service. Such as the muscles in the front of your chest. Chances are, when you re going about your day, you have been breathing with only the top section of your chest, (and of course, with your abdominals now.) Yet, all the muscles in your rib cage can also be used for good, full breathing - from your collar bones, down to your belly. To more fully use the front of your chest when you breathe, you re going to need to redevelop the muscles there and you need to gain control of those muscles. There are some good stretches and a breathing exercise to train these skills. First Step - Redeveloping your Chest Muscles As with abdominal breathing, you need to get your chest muscles into shape in order to have good, full breathing. Be sure to include one or more of these in your yoga routine. No matter what your physical ability, there are stretches that can help build these muscles. My favourites are the Bust Expansion, Chest Expansion and various Back Bends. Camel Other poses that are great for your chest include: Chest Expansion Or Wood Chopper Bow Cobra Incline Plane
Second Step Learning and Practicing Chest Breathing 1 Set aside a few minutes today to learn the actions of Chest Breathing 1 Start Sitting, standing or lying down. Have your neck and spine lined up with each other; chin pointing forward. Put your finger tips of your right hand on the bump in the middle of your right collar bone. Put your finger tips of your left hand on the bump in the middle of your left collar bone. Slide your fingers down, off your collar bone, to the hollow spots just under the collar bone bumps. Leave your fingers resting there for this exercise. Discovery For 1 3 minutes As you breathe in an out, notice the rise and fall of your rib cage around your finger tips. You don t need to exaggerate the motion or work at this in any way. Just notice which muscles are working, stretching open, to what degree they re feeling loose, where they re tight, etc. Notice how the motion starts at the sternum and radiates outward from there. Next For 1 3 minutes Breathe in, stretching your rib cage toward your fingers. Take full, deep breaths. Feel the rib cage really stretching toward the fingers. See how many muscles you can feel stretching. Keep breathing and stretching, until you can notice the entire front of the rib cage stretching open. Until you have a really deep breath! Breathing out, let the rib cage collapse away from your fingers. Feel the shoulders collapsing with them. Feel the sternum collapsing inward. Pause and repeat for 1 3 minutes. Tip If you get dizzy, pause longer after breathing in or after breathing out. Or take a break in between breaths, and breathe normally, until you re ready to do this again. 2
Daily Exercises Abdominal Lifts Every Morning Practice the Abdominal Lifts first thing in the morning, (before you've eaten). Do at least three rounds. Remember to pause and relax in between each round. Yoga Snacks Do one of these exercises whenever you have a minute. (Alternate which you do.) Chest Breathing 1 and Abdominal Breathing Serenity Yoga Breathing Course Routines Card for Week 1 Start your day with Abdominal Lifts Do 3 rounds of each, alternating between each round. With Abdominal Lifts, make sure they are deep and have the up and back feeling like a hiccup. Yoga Snack 1 Whenever you have a moment, practice Abdominal Breathing. Yoga Snack 2 Whenever you can find a stolen moment, practice Chest Breathing 1. 3
Your Yoga Routine When you do have time to do a yoga routine, (and it doesn t have to be a long one), be sure to include Chest Breathing 1 practice at the beginning or end of your session. It can made a good meditation at the end of your routine. Be sure to include one of the following pose combinations in your yoga routine. The pose on the left is the pose that will develop your chest muscles for better breathing. You should alternate repetitions of the pose on the left with its complementary partner on the right hand side of the table. For reach repetition of the Main Pose, (except for Cow Pose, Chest Expansion and Wood Chopper: Hold the Main Pose for several breaths Notice how your body will naturally go deeper into the pose with each breath in. Then do the Compensating Pose briefly as you breathe out. For Chest Expansion and Wood Chopper Hold the back bend for several breaths. Feel your body naturally extending more deeply into the pose with each breath in as you do the back bend. As you do the forward bend, feel your body sinking down and letting go as you breathe out. Hold the forward bend for several breaths. For Cow Pose, pull up as you Breathe In. Pull down as you breathe out. Bust Expansion Hug or Eagle s Wings Any of the Bow poses Puppy Camel Puppy 4
Cow Pose Hug or Eagle s Wings Incline Plane Back Stretch Pelvic Lift (Bridge Pose) Leg Fold Wheel Leg Fold Chest Expansion Wood Chopper 5
Abdominal Breathing Level 1 / Posture 1 Chest Breathing 1 Level 1 / Posture 19 Put your finger tips into the center of your chest, at the middle of your sternum, on the breast bone over your heart area. Push belly Out to breathe in Squeeze belly to breathe out No Hold as such. I recommend you continue Only the for belly 1-3 minutes. is moving. Then go faster! Half a dozen times. Then go faster! Chest is still Breathe in, toward your fingertips, (allowing the your chest to blossom open from the center) After breathing in, pause. Then breath out, allowing your chest to collapse toward your fingertips. Common Errors Not lining up the head, body, hips & legs in a straight line before starting. Allowing the chest to do some of the breathing. Body Parts Used: Abdominals Try Warming up with: Abdominal Lifts This Posture is Good Before: Yoga Sessions; relaxation; bed Good After: Yoga Sessions Builds you up for: Breathing with the whole body; postures that require abdominal strength Energy Center Used Belly Center (Navel) Tip Rest your hands on your belly. This gives you something to aim toward as you push your belly up. But don t push your belly in with your hands to breath out. Have the muscles in your belly do all the work. Imagine that breathing out is like squeezing air out of a balloon. Yoga Snack Waiting in traffic, standing in an elevator, standing in bank line ups, waiting on hold on the phone, washing the dishes. You can do this exercise anywhere, any time! 2002 Corinne Friesen www.audioyoga.com This is one of the most important yoga breathing exercises. It makes your breathing fuller, (even when you re not doing the exercise) which is healthier and more relaxing; it makes you aware of your breathing and more in control of it; it builds your abdominal muscles; and it helps you focus your energy toward your navel. And, it s easy to do! If you do no other exercises in yoga, this and the abdominal lifts will take you far! 6 Discovery For 1 3 minutes As you breathe in an out, notice the rise and fall of your rib cage around your finger tips. You don t need to exaggerate the motion or work at this in any way. Just notice which muscles are working, stretching open, to what degree they re feeling loose, where they re tight, etc. Notice how the motion starts at the sternum and radiates outward from there. Next For 1 3 minutes Breathe in, stretching your rib cage toward your fingers. Take full, deep breaths. Feel the rib cage really stretching toward the fingers. See how many muscles you can feel stretching. Keep breathing and stretching, until you can notice the entire front of the rib cage stretching open. Until you have a really deep breath! Breathing out, let the rib cage collapse away from your fingers. Feel the shoulders collapsing with them. Feel the sternum collapsing inward. Pause and repeat for 1 3 minutes. Most people breathe shallowly and quickly, using only their upper chest. To take a really deep breath, you need to open up the entire rib cage, including all the muscles at the front of the rib cage, right down to the last rib before your belly. This exercise will help you become more aware of the entire front of your rib cage and will develop the muscles there, which, by now, may have become sluggish and weakened from lack of use. It will also give you more control so that you will be able to pace your breathing and slow it down by the time you get to Yellow Level. Yoga Snack Try this exercise any time you re stuck in traffic; waiting for buses or elevators; do this next time you re in a bank line up; try during lunch breaks, or while you re on hold on the phone.
Mini-Routine 1 Level 2 1. Bust Expansion 3 times 2. Chest Breathing 1 1 3 minutes. Mini-Routine 2 Level 1 1. Cat 5 10 repetitions in continuous motion 2. Puppy, one repetition 2. Chest Breathing 1 1 3 minutes. Mini-Routine 3 Level 2 3 1. & 2. Back Bend 2 or 3 alternating with Puppy. 3 times. 2. Chest Breathing 1. 1 3 mins. 7
Mini-Routine 4 to Build Breathing Muscles in the Front & Back of Your Chest Level 2 1. & 2. Back Bend Primer alternating with Back Stretch or with Wide Angle Pose. 3 repetitions. 3. Chest Breathing 1 1 3 mins. Mini-Routine 5 Level 5 1. Cobra alternating with Puppy 3 5 times 2. Chest Breathing 1 1 3 mins. Mini-Routine 6 Level 7 1a. Half Bow Primer for your first round or for all three rounds. 1b. Optional Half Bow for the second or third round. (Level 2/3 difficulty) 1c. Further Option, Full Bow for final round. (Level 7 difficulty) Puppy after each round of Bow Do once, holding for 4 10 breaths. 2. Chest Breathing 1 1 3 minutes 8