Why breathe through your nose in yoga?

Caution : You must consult your doctor for your health. This page presents only a personal and alternative point of view which should not be considered as an attempt to prescribe medicine.

In yoga, the teacher usually invites his students, especially new ones to be aware of their breath.

The main emphasis is on breathing through the nose, which places the practitioner in a quality of attention.

If this practice, also called pranayama, is a pillar of yoga, what are the real reasons?

We are talking about it.

Understanding pranayama to better understand its benefits

Pranayama means control or mastery of the breath.

In yoga, the air that circulates in the body passes through various subtle and physical channels called nâdîs.

Among these nâdis, there are 3 main ones which are essential all the more so as they contribute to the balance of breathing.

These are Ida, Pingala and Shushumna.

It is both energy and physical balancing.

Symbolizing the awakening of Kundalini, the Shushuma is at the center of the body (spine) while the other two channels go to the nostrils.

Explicitly, the Shushumna runs along the entire spine from the top of the head to the anus.

This is the central channel where the activated energy is more vital and dense.

As for Ida, it starts from the far right of the spine and stops in the right nostril.

The air that circulates in this channel is "cool" (cold nature yin).

Unlike Ida, the Pingala starts from the far left of the spine and ends in the left nostril.

The air which circulates there is "hot" (hot nature yang).

The benefits of nose breathing in yoga

The benefits of nose breathing in yoga are diverse.

The benefits on the body

In yoga, as in general, the fact of breathing through your nose rather than through your mouth promotes better oxidation of your blood.

The advantage: increased blood circulation to the heart and lungs.

In addition, nasal breathing promotes circulation in the blood vessels located in the nostrils in addition to the entire respiratory system.

Apart from these positive points, breathing through the nose not only warms the air, but also moistens it before filtering it.

This has the effect of facilitating the 02 / CO2 exchange.

In addition, it helps in the irrigation of the brain while stimulating the nervous system.

Some yoga practitioners attest that breathing through the nose eliminates toxins and promotes the optimization of certain vital functions.

Finally, it should be noted that breathing through the nose activates the three main nâdîs in yoga (Ida, Pingala and Shushumna).

The benefits for the mind

It is obvious that a good nasal breathing decreases the stress level considerably.

At the same time, it increases your ability to concentrate as well as to analyze.

Some yoga initiates will even say that breathing through the nose increases motivation.

Because of the large amplitude it promotes in the lungs, nasal breathing creates space in your rib cage.

As a result, it contributes to the reduction of blood pressure.

In addition, it can lessen the feeling of oppression that you may feel especially during a time of mental and physical turmoil.

The practice of nasal breathing in yoga

Now that you have an idea of ​​the benefits of nasal breathing in yoga, let's see what it looks like in practice.

To train yourself to breathe well through your nose in yoga, you should logically settle in a quiet place.

After you are settled down with your back straight, place your hands on your knees, keeping your palms open upwards.

By dropping your shoulders to the floor.

After that, close your eyes and try to release the tension in your body.

Keeping this position, breathe in deeply for about 6 seconds, keeping your mouth closed.

Then hold that inhale for just one second.

Keeping your mouth still closed, breathe out making the sound “Hmm” in the throat in the throat for about 12 seconds.

Always make sure that the exhale is longer than the inhalation.

In reality, it has the effect of calming the nervous system.

Resume exercise at least 5 times on the spot once or twice a day.

Ideally, it is recommended to do this in the morning right after waking up or at bedtime.

Here are briefly the benefits of nose breathing in Yoga.

What we remember is that it not only helps regulate our respiratory system, but also our nervous system.

Mouth breathing indicates stress

But the primary reason for nasal breathing in yoga and in everyday life is that mouth breathing is considered stress breathing.

In fact, observe people in panic, stressed and anxious, they all breathe through their mouths.

Switching to nasal breathing allows you to stop stress quickly.

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