Yoga, training and health inspiration for you

This blog post is your update to what is going on at Yogobe HQ since our servers were attacked in the morning of February 1. If you are a member or visitor and want to know more, this is the place to find information.

Dear Member, (Update 2020-03-03, at 22:20)

We are now back on track and while we wait to hear back from Amazon AWS in detail about what happened to our servers on February 1, 2020, when we had to go live with a backup of Yogobe.com, which affected some January data and some on page imagery. If you are merely curious or find yourself affected, please read this post. 

If you would like this update in either Swedish, Finnish or Norwegian, do not hesitate to connect with me personally.

Current situation - payments, access time, etc.
User data between January 11-31 was affected. We have succeeded in recreating user accounts, payments, access-times and receipts from the period although we have identified that a few members might lack some access time and there are a few members who cancelled their subscriptions in this period which we cannot track. If this applies to you, do not worry! <3 Please just connect with us and we will help you! If a payment seems to be missing from your receipt page, please send us a copy/printscreen of your bank statement (so that we can see amount and time stamp) or confirmation email and your payment will be manually processed and receipt generated. Email: help@yogobe.com. 
THANK YOU for your understanding!

General issues / Upplever du att Yogobe inte fungerar?
1. A few of you have been experiencing cache-issues in your browser. An example of this could be that pages only show a "loading-icon". Please attempt to empty the cache in your own web browser. If you don't know how, just google: "empty cache", your device name and the web browser you are on. In Swedish an example of this could be: "Tömma cache safari IOS". If your experience persists, please email help@yogobe.com with your email, what web browser you are using and what device you are on, and we'll see what can be done.

2. We are missing images on several pages on Yogobe. We are working on this and ask for your understanding if things look less than perfect when you click around.

Thank you for taking the time to read this through. If there is anything you believe that I have missed to mention in this post, please do not hesitate to connect with me straight away to my personal email: peter@yogobe.com or via phone.

Sincere regards,

Peter Munteanu
Founder and CEO
peter@yogobe.com
+46709400602

Authentic Flow is built on intuition, embodiment and exploration. We asked Satu Tuomela – founder of Authentic Flow, senior yoga teacher and member of Team Yogobe – three questions on the topic authenticity.  And this is truly a yoga style channeling her entire life philosophy. Get inspired to explore authenticity in movement!

Three questions on authentitcity – with Satu Tuomela

1) What has changed in you - the persona "Satu Tuomela"– pre-yoga, vs. post-yoga?
I think the biggest change, if comparing me before discovering yoga and now, is that I truly care about what happens in this world, and that I believe that everything we do as people have an effect – positive or negative. I mean, I started yoga pretty early on and if I look back, I was way more self-absorbed then, than now. Gradually my practice changed everything: from eating meat to not, from drinking in clubs to not, from obsessing over material things to not.

Yoga forced me to get “in me”, if that makes sense. It was a total involusion, and it became loud and clear what was good for me and what was not. As I started to feel this, I also started to sense and be emotional about what was happening outside of me too. My practice really made me an activist.

2) What inspired you to create Authentic flow?
What didn’t!? Let me tell you. At that time, I had been kind of forced into teaching a set series of asanas (yoga poses) for some years and my inspiration for teaching was just dying inside of me. My dance background, even my basketball loving soul, just wanted to break free and start moving and teaching more intuitively. So I did. I started to devour somatic teachings, free movement and non-dual Tantra. The embodiment process of all that was channelling through me as a practitioner and a teacher was intense. It took me some years to get grounded with all of it and start teaching it to others fully. I am so glad I did though, now after 10+ years, our school is ever more a delight for me.

3) What values do you try to live by, for your children and for generations to come?
I have been thinking of this a lot lately as I just had my third child, my first daughter. I feel so responsible and excited at the same time. Responsible, as it is so important for me to raise my children to think for themselves and to feel responsible over the state of this planet and our communities, but also to let things shift and live through them freely as well. I am trying to be an example of that. I feel also excited, as this generation will be epic! I am so privileged to see how it all unfolds as a mother, and how they will teach us so much.

Authentic Flow classes online

Check out the new Authentic Flow-classes with Satu – enjoy!

Yogobe Video: 6gx9 Yogobe Video: 6xk8 Yogobe Video: t6d9 Yogobe Video: 5sh3

To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free during 14 days – click here to get started!

Further reading

• Learn more about Authentic Flow here!
• Find your inner motivation, by Satu Tuomela
• Cut yourself some slack, by Satu Tuomela

Yoga can be a great tool to improve physical and psychological symptoms as well as emotional health – learn more here! 

This is the second blog post in a series on living with cancer that I'll be writing the coming months. The introduction to these blog posts, and to me, can be found in the first one; To live with, after and next to cancer.

Ease the process with yoga

“I learned that, having been hit by the hammer of Western medicine to save my life, I needed complementary therapies like yoga to regain my health” – Pauline Fray, Yoga teacher and acute myeloid leukemia patient

No matter what your experience with cancer is, there is no denying that being diagnosed with cancer and going through treatment is tough, both physically and psychologically. It often means great physical suffering combined with an emotional roller coaster of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, depression, and loss of security and control.

Being a cancer patient, it’s easy to feel like a passenger in one’s own life. Life is put on hold when treatment takes all focus and behind the steering wheel are the doctors who decide what will happen to you and your body. Sometimes it’s like you’re not even in a car seat, but rather lying in the trunk of the car.

Yoga for body and mind

While the tough treatments breaking you down are necessary for survival, there are things you can do to ease the process. To cope with cancer and its treatment-related side effects and toxicities, the use of yoga is increasingly popular. It’s proving to be very beneficial. Studies show that yoga improve physical and psychological symptoms and improve emotional health and quality of life in cancer patients.

The great thing about yoga is that it offers a way for you to take part in your own treatment. The moving, breathing, and meditating that YOU do are what make you better equipped to deal with symptoms and side effects. Cancer patients are used to having things done to them and for them all the time. To actively do something for your own wellbeing is empowering and gives a sense of participation. You step out of the car’s trunk and go riding shotgun instead. With your own actions you can make yourself feel better and create conditions for body and mind to handle the tough treatments better.

You can affect your everyday life. Studies show that yoga not only increases quality of life, but relieves side effects, increases stress resilience, helps with depression and anxiety, and decreases pain. Yoga strengthens both body and mind since it focuses both on physical activity and have space for recovery and stress reduction through breathing- and relaxation practices.

Exercises for balance and strength

Below I have listed some classes and exercises directed to find more balance and strength in body and mind. While you sometimes notice an immediate effect, it’s often good to create a routine and repeat the exercises often to really reap the benefits. If you find a favorite, weave it into life. Yoga doesn’t only happen on the mat. Use the exercises in those moments where you need the effects they bring – like slow breathing while in chemo if that is a stressful situation for you, or the body scan while anxiously waiting for a test result.

Most of the suggested videos are in Swedish, for videos in English, check out the video library. 

MOVE

Doing physical yoga poses and sequences has many benefits. One is to reconnect with your body and gain better body awareness. When cancer is a fact so is changes in body and energy. Enter fatigue; loss of flexibility and strength; scars; loss of bodily functions; neuropathy; dizziness; the list is long. The mindfulness in yoga makes you aware of your body, how it feels, and how to move with respect of your current state and energy level.

After surgery, radiation or chemo, appropriate poses can realign scar tissue’s collagen strands and help the body to regain lost strength and flexibility and thus improve stability and balance. Yoga can also relieve joint and muscle aches that are common side effects from medications.

While some find breathing or seated meditation the perfect antidote to their anxiety, others find that stillness simply too agitating. The chatter in the mind is amplified. There is a need to get out of the head and onto the feet and feel the ground beneath. Here yoga poses and movement is great - not as a means of escape but as a way to calmly return to center.

Try one of our classes
Let Josefin Wikström guide you through a sequence that moves your whole body and brings you back to your body to regain stability and centeredness.

Yogobe Video: k46w

During this class Milla shows how you can practice the same poses free on the mat or with a chair. That gives you a nice opportunity to adjust movements day to day depending on where in treatment you are and your energy levels.

Yogobe Video: 9h7d

BREATHE

“Cancer took my breath away. Yoga gave it back” – Tari Prinster, founder of Yoga4Cancer and breast cancer survivor

The breath is said to be a mirror of our internal state. When the mind is calm the breath is calm, and when the mind gets agitated our breath follows. What’s awesome is that it’s a two-way street - changing the breath changes our internal landscape. Your breath is one of the best tools you have to work with your mental state.

Stressful events make us hold our breath and force it high up in the chest. Like a viscous cycle this kind of breath tells our bodies that we are under a threat, keeping the breath short and high up creating even more stress. Taking control of your breath, making it even and slow, puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to dealing with stress and agitated emotions (you’re not even riding shotgun anymore!)

One reason for breathing practices’ effectiveness is its adaptability: Breathing practices can be done anywhere, anytime – in hospital beds; in treatment rooms; and during long, anxious periods of waiting for test results. And it can be done by people in all stages of illness or health.

Try one of our classes
Practice to slow down your breath to become resilient to stress.

Yogobe Video: 47ha

Use this breathing and mindfulness practice to find center, focus, and calm when you feel overwhelmed.

Yogobe Video: 3r4k

PAUSE

Just relax. Sounds easy enough, right? But we all know that’s not the case. Relaxation is something we might need to practice. A restful state doesn’t just appear on its own. It is many times a result of the modern way of living – always on the go; always online, reachable; always performing and achieving, doing something. It is for sure a result of the trauma of being diagnosed with cancer.

With stress levels being high, and being high for a prolonged period, resting and relaxation can be a challenge – but very important to practice. Learning how to pause and rest is vital to improve both physical, mental, and emotional health. Worry, anxiety, and fear thrive when the body is full of stress hormones. When we practice, and learn, how to enter a relaxed state, these emotions can’t get the same grip around us. It will lead to a calmer state of mind, and also improve sleep, which is often compromised in the presence of cancer.

Try one of our classes
This kind of relaxation, and other body scans, helped my boyfriend find calm when he had cancer, and has greatly helped me with my insomnia.

Yogobe Video: sc62

Use this soft and easy sequence as a bedtime routine to help with relaxation and sleep.

Yogobe Video: 3ad5 Yogobe Video: 2t6a

To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free during 14 days – click here to get started!

Photo cred: Mikael Björk

Burn out on ollut esillä vahvasti viime aikoina. Yhä useampi lähipiirissä uupuu ja se on huolestuttavaa. Yleinen elämän tahti kiihtyy koko ajan ja pitäisi aina vaan jaksaa enemmän ja enemmän. Vaikka normaali stressi kuuluu elämään ja auttaa meitä selviytymään haastavista tilanteista, voi se kroonistuessaan muuttua todella myrkylliseksi.

Usein burn out hiipii vähitellen kuukausia tai jopa vuosia kestäneen pitkittyneen kroonisen stressin myötä. Huomaamattaan saattaakin tipahtaa yhtäkkiä syvään uupumuksen kuoppaan, josta palautuminen voi kestää kauan. Ennaltaehkäisy on aina paljon helpompaa kuin uupumuksen hoitaminen.

Burn outin kokevilla voi aluksi olla vaikeuksia ymmärtää mitä heille tapahtuu, koska burn out on niin kokonaisvaltainen kokemus. Joillain uupumus ilmenee ajatuksen takkuiluna ja aivosumuna, kun taas toisilla loppuva fyysiset voimat kuin seinään. Burn outin oireet ovat todella moninaisia ja sen vuoksi se on terveydenhuollon puolellakin vielä vaikea tunnistaa. Uupumuksen ei katsota olevan itsenäinen sairaus, mutta siihen liittyy riski sairastua mm. masennukseen, unihäiriöihin ja stressiperäisiin somaattisiin sairauksiin. Sen on myös todettu lisäävän tapaturmien ja työkyvyttömyyden riskiä.

Kaikki uupumukseen liittyvä on siis todella epämääräistä, häilyvää ja vaikeasti määriteltävää, joten ei ole ihme, jos on haastavaa saada kiinni siitä, mitä burn outissa tapahtuu. Usein voi tuntua myös siltä, että jää yksin koko kokemuksen kanssa.

Uupumusta on vaikea ymmärtää jos sitä ei ole kokenut itse. Se kuitenkin koskettaa usein voimakkaasti lähipiirinkin ihmisiä ja voi laukaista myös väsymystä, masennusta tai muun kriisin. Usein läheisten kanssa voi olla vaikeaa keskustella koko ilmiöstä tai sanoittaa omia tuntemuksia.

Vertaistuki on todella tärkeää ja merkityksellistä toipumisen kannalta. Uupunut pääsee peilaamaan omaa kokemustaan samassa elämäntilanteessa olevien kanssa. Parhaimmillaan vertaistuki tuo avaimia toipumiseen, lohtua, ymmärrystä ja voimaa. Keskustelu muiden samassa tilanteessa olevien kanssa voi auttaa ymmärtämään, ettei ole yksin ja että tilanne on aivan inhimillinen ja normaali. Syy – seuraus suhde löytyy aina.

Meidän olisi hyvä kokoontua enemmän yhteen, jakaa avoimesti ja rehellisesti erilaisista teemoista keskenämme. Usein kun elämme siinä harhaluulossa, että vain meille tapahtuu ”jotain”, vaikka todellisuudessa moni muukin käy samanlaisia elämänkokemuksia läpi samaan aikaan. Usein silloin kun asiat saa sanoitettua ääneen turvallisessa tilassa, tulee nähdyksi ja kuulluksi – jolloin tilanteeseen saa erilaista perspektiiviä ja suhteellisuutta.

Kirjoittajat Marina ja Raakel ovat vetäneet burn out –vertaistukiryhmiä helmikuusta 2019 lähtien ja jokainen ryhmä on kokenut vertaistuen voiman - samoin niiden vetäjät. Marina ja Raakel ovat ymmärtäneet ryhmän kautta miten tärkeää on jakaa ja tulla kuulluksi, ja olisivat itse kaivanneet vertaistukea omien burn out prosessiensa aikana. Tämän takia he haluavat nyt jakaa tukea muille. Seuraava vertaistukiryhmä alkaa helmikuussa 2020 ja siitä voit lukea lisää tai ilmoittautua mukaan: https://www.burnouthelsinki.com/vertaistuki

Tule mukaan Yogoben keväthaasteeseen

• Lue lisää haasteesta
  • Elvy ja heleydy
  • Lempeä liike

Videovinkit

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Sen sijaan, että tänä jouluna koko perhe lojuisi sohvalla vatsa kirrillään, keksittäisiinkö jotakin muuta? Joogamatot esiin tai yksikin riittää tietysti – sopu antaa sijaa, kun koko konkkaronkka nauttii hetken rentoutuen, liikkuen ja vapaasti hengitellen. Parasta on, että kaikki voivat joogata perheen pienimmistä aina niihin vanhimpiin ja viisamipiin asti.

Monta joulua on kulunut reissaten, loikoillen ja hiukan liikaa jouluruokaa nautiskellen. Haluaisimmekin nyt inspiroida sinua pysähtymään hetkeksi, suoristamaan selän, vapauttamaan samalla verenkierron ja  antamaan ruoansulatukselle hetken aikaa rauhoittua.

Unohdetaan hetkeksi ne omat henkilökohtaiset tarpeet ja keskitytään siihen, mitä perheenne yhdessä kaipaa. Ehkä tarvitsisitte muutaman yhteisen hengitysharjoituksen tai yinjoogaa vähentämään joulunpyhien aiheuttamaa stressiä ja hälinää?

Voi myös olla, että kaipaatte muutamia rentoutusharjoituksia lasten kanssa, tuolilla tehtäviä harjoituksia, jotta mummokin pääsee mukaan ja innokkaimmat ystävykset voisivat kokeilla parin kanssa tehtävää akrojoogaa. Valinnanvaraa löytyy!

Tärkeintä kuitenkin on pitää hauskaa! Naurakaa, halikaa ja nauttikaa toistenne seurasta – liikkuen tai rentoutuen.

Videosuosituksia:

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With the support of yogic breathing you can make small changes that lead to big ones. One breath at a time. Learn more about how the yogic practice of pranayama can work as an alternative method to cultivate well-being!

The health benefits of pranayama

Psychological distress and mental health difficulties
According to the World Health Organisation, mental health difficulties are a global issue. Studies conducted in the U.K., the U.S and in the Nordic countries, demonstrate that mental health difficulties and sources of psychological distress such as depression, anxiety and chronic stress are on the rise.

Adolescents and young adults seem to be suffering the most from these disorders, with suicide being the second leading cause of death in those aged 15-29. This matter needs to be taken seriously and acted upon. One way of doing this is to offer people in need the appropriate support through a variety of channels such as the national health care system, therapy work, community support groups, educational sources and self-care practices.

In recent years, alternative complementary therapies have been increasingly employed with people who are living with mental health difficulties. An example of this has been the integration of psychosomatic techniques such as yoga, dance and mindfulness meditation into therapy programmes, with the aim of improving people’s well-being. Studies show that people who are living with psychological difficulties can, in an attempt to support their healing process, draw from practices like yoga and mindfulness meditation to help improve their well-being. Furthermore, the findings of a ground-breaking journal article published in 2015 showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is equally effective as antidepressants in the prevention of depressive relapse.

With yoga- and mindfulness-based therapies as our central focus, this article will introduce the yogic practice of pranayama as an alternative method to cultivate well-being, and will discuss its potential health benefits for a person’s overall health.

What is pranayama?

Without breath, we cannot live. The flow of breath regulates the movement of the life force i.e. prana in our bodies; our breath thus keeps us alive and vibrant. According to yoga philosophy, prana brings movement to the mind and by altering the flow of prana, we can alter the state of our mind. In part 1 of this article series, I discussed how the breath functions and how one can establish more free and harmonious breathing. Pranayama is different in that it does not refer to our natural breathing. Rather, it refers to particular breathing exercises whereby you consciously alter your natural breathing pattern in a controlled manner. Pranayama can thus be used as a tool to regulate prana and is described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as follows:

• Pranayama is the conscious, deliberate regulation of the breath, replacing unconscious patterns of breathing (2.49).
• The regular practice of pranayama reduces the obstacles that inhibit clear perception.
• And the mind is now prepared for the process of direction toward a chosen goal (2.53).
  The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Desikashar, 1995: 181-182)

Dos and don’ts when practicing pranayama

Pranayama can have a strong effect on the body and mind. Therefore, all breathing exercises should be practiced purposefully and carefully. I recommend that you practice pranayama with the guidance of an experienced teacher. Best is to practice on an empty stomach. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks before or after the practice. Make sure to include a couple of minutes of supine rest after practicing pranayama, to relax your nervous system.

Each breathing exercise has a certain effect on the body and mind. The effect will differ from person to person. Some pranayamas are more challenging than others, as they can involve breath retention and quicker inhalations, and exhalations. Deep fast breathing, and/or holding the breath for a long time can be triggering for some people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or have experienced panic attacks or psychosis in the past. Therefore, pranayama should be practiced with great care.

If you experience discomfort, dizziness, or a lack of breath, stop immediately and return to your own natural breath. Less is more when practicing pranayama. If you live with a medical condition of some kind, then make sure you consult your doctor before trying these exercises.

Exploring the practice of pranayama

Pranayama is an experiential practice. For the purposes of this article, I will introduce two basic pranayama exercises that are suitable for both beginners, as well as advanced students. I will include a brief instruction video and describe the benefits associated with each exercise.

Brahmari – the humming bee breath
This exercise is appropriate for beginners, as there is no breath retention, alternation between nostrils, or counting of breaths. The practitioner goes at their own pace. The sound makes it easier to give the practitioner something to focus on and they can further assess their breathing more easily by evaluating the quality and evenness of the sound.

Instruction video, for free:

Benefits: Brahmari changes your normal breathing rhythm by shortening the inhalation and prolonging the exhalation through the “hmmm” sound. This can have a significant impact on our physiological system. Research demonstrates that brahmari can help decrease heart rate and lower blood pressure. It is also associated with enhanced cognitive control and response inhibition. Brahmari can help to balance the autonomic nervous system, and induce the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us to calm down. It can be practiced for mental relaxation and stress reduction.

Nadi Shodana – alternate nostril breathing
Alternate nostril breathing is a gentle exercise for the beginner, as well as the advanced student. Clear the nostrils before starting the exercise to ensure good airflow. The synchronisation of hand movements with the breath can be confusing at first. Give it a bit of time and practice to master.

Instruction video, for free:

Benefits: This exercise has shown to have a balancing effect on the activity of the two cerebral hemispheres, providing a more balanced state of mind and an improved attention span. Additionally, nadi shodana has shown to increase the amplitude of P300 – a brain wave that concerns cognitive function in decision making processes, helps one to discriminate between different stimuli, and affects attention and memory.

Our P300 is affected by our emotions and can decline in amplitude if we experience emotional distress. Alternate nostril breathing can reduce autonomic arousal and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure rates, as well as increase one’s vital capacity, which improves overall wellbeing. With lower levels of arousals and anxiety, one can assume that this supports participants in feeling more relaxed, thus also increasing the amplitude of P300. Therefore, alternate nostril breathing helps one to concentrate better and to improve one’s performance in tasks requiring attention.

Contribute to your own healing and well-being
Our body has an innate capacity to heal and re-balance itself. Through the support of yogic breathing, conducted in a safe and responsible way, we can consciously contribute to this healing through our own initiative. Follow these videos on a daily basis and take note of how they make you feel. Small changes can lead to big ones. One breath at a time.

A social mission as well as an individual one
I wish to acknowledge that supporting the healing of people living with mental illness is a societal mission, as well as an individual commitment. It is not sufficient to put the sole responsibility on the person who is suffering, expecting them to be able to deal with their mental health difficulties by themselves.

Mental illness is a social issue that needs to be addressed not only by the individual person, but also within larger social structures, such as workplaces, schools, social and natural environments, social media, and so forth. Yoga can be a great tool to support us in coping with different stressors, and to help us improve our immune system. However, it alone is not a panacea for the characterisation and treatment of mental illness. Rather, we must work together to develop more comprehensive and tailor-made interventions for each individual, whilst addressing the roots of mental distress, which lie in an unequal social system, and its corresponding stigmas.

Read more

• Exploring the breath – part 1, by Eleonora Ramsby Herrera.
• Learn more about Pranayma through the online course The Art of Breathing!
• Prāṇa - does it really exist? by Simon Krohn.

References

• WHO, 2018
• Mental Health Foundation UK, 2018
• American Psychological Association, 2019
• Nordic Council of Ministries, 2018
• Pilkington et al. 2005
• Van der Kolk, 2015
• Van der Kolk et al. 2014: Rhodes, 2015: Price et al. 2017
• Kuyken et al. 2015
• Kuppusamy et al. 2018
• Telles, Singh, & Puthige, 2013
• Singh, Gaurav, & Parkash, 2011

Tässä tekstissä Therese Lögdahl antaa vinkkejä hengitysharjoituksista, joita voit helposti kokeilla kotona. Tule tietoisemmaksi hengityksestäsi ja nauti niiden hyödyistä. Lue ja kokeile!​

Joogaoppilaani pyytävät usein ohjeita siitä miten hengitetään ”oikein”. Valitettavasti tähän ei ole olemassa yhtä helppoa vastausta, sillä optimaalinen hengitystapa riippuu siitä millaista harjoitusta olet tekemässä. Aluksi tärkeintä olisi kuitenkin vain tiedostaa hengitys sekä tarkkailla sitä miten hengität ja miten hengityksesi muuttuu tai käyttäytyy erilaisissa tilanteissa.

Theresen vinkit

1. Liikuta vatsaa hengityksen tahdissa
Kun hengitämme rauhallisesti, on pallea hengityksen ensisijainen moottori. Sisäänhengityksen aikana nämä kupolia muistuttavat lihakset laskeutuvat kohti vatsaa ja vatsalihaksia sivuun työntäessään saavat vatsan kohoamaan. Uloshengitys taas nostaa pallean takaisin kohti sydäntä, joka saa vatsan jälleen laskeutumaan kohti selkärankaa.

2. Pidä yläkroppa paikallaan
Stressaavassa tilanteessa on tavallista, että hengitys tapahtuu vain keuhkojen yläosassa kun rinta, hartiat ja kaula ovat jännittyneenä. Levossa nämä alueet rentoutuvat ja pehmenevät, jolloin hengitys ulottuu ihan rintakehän alaosiin asti. Edistääksesi tämäntyyppistä hengitystä, rentouta tietoisesti leukaperiä, kaulaa, niskaa sekä hartioita. Kuvittele mielessäsi, miten hengitys ensin virtaa sisään syvälle keuhkoihisi ja sitten ulos.

3. Hengitä kevyesti
Vaikka osa hengenvedoista on syvempiä ja osa pinnallisempia, voi hengitysrytmiä ajatella ikään kuin kehon lauluna – lainehtivana, sileänä, pehmeänä ja jatkuvana. Tietoisesti aaltomaista, valtameren rauhallista hengitystä ajattelemalla voi syventää vapauden ja keveyden tunnetta.

4. Pidennä uloshengitystä
Stressaantuneina meillä on taipumus hengittää lyhyesti ja katkonaisesti. Rentoutuneina taas uloshengityksestä tulee usein pidempi kuin sisäänhengityksestä. Jotkut opettajat opettavat jopa, että syvärentoutuksessa uloshengityksen tulisi olla kaksi kertaa pidempi kestoltaan kuin sisäänhengityksen. Tätä harjoitellaksesi lähde varovasti pidentämään jokaista uloshengitystä yhdellä tai kahdella sekunnilla.

5. Tauko jokaisen uloshengityksen jälkeen
Hetki, jolloin olemme kaikkein rennoimmassa tilassa, on jokaisen uloshengityksen lopussa olevassa pienessä tauossa. Pidentämällä tätä ihanaa hetkeä ja tutkimalla sitä, voit päästä syvään tyytyväisyyden olotilaan ja kokea tunteita, kuten syvää rauhaa ja tyyneyttä.

6. Hengitä koko keholla
Kun olemme tyytyväisiä ja rentoja, koko kehomme osallistuu hengitykseen. Kuvittele nukkuvaa vauvaa: vauvan maha laajenee ja vapautuu hengityksen tahdissa. Lantio keinuu eteen ja taakse, hartiat liikkuvat ja selkäranka liikehtii pehmeästi. Tämä on kuin koko kehon minihierontaa lihaksille ja sisäelimille samalla, kun jokainen hengenveto muuttuu rauhoittavaksi melodiaksi, joka edelleen rauhoittaa ja hiljentää jokaista kehomme solua.

Anna itsellesi aikaa hengittää ja tiedosta jokainen hengenvetosi. Tarkastele ja tunnustele. Mitä oikeastaan tapahtuu, kun hengität? Miten hengität ja miten taas haluaisit hengittää?

Therese Lögdahl
Therese on erikoistunut joogaan työkaluna stressin- ja kivunhallinnassa. Lue lisää Theresestä täältä.

Videosuositukset:

https://yogobe.com/videos/vm3h

https://yogobe.com/videos/582r

https://yogobe.com/videos/9ym2

Lue lisää

• Kapalabhati - Puhdistava hengitysharjoitus
• Hengitysharjoituksia henkiseen tasapainoon
• Hengityksen fysiologiasta

How does your diaphragm work – and how does your posture affect your breathing? This first article of two about the breath – explains how the breath functions works and how to breathe in a more easeful way.

Exploring the breath: A two-part article series by Eleonora Ramsby Herrera

This series consists of two articles, which discuss the practice of breathing in yoga, and its effects on our overall well-being. The first article introduces the Sanskrit word Prana and the connection between Prana and the breath. It explains how the breath functions and how to breathe in a more easeful way that is in accordance with the body’s natural function. The second article is a continuation that explains the practice of pranayama and its effects on mental health. 

Exploring the breath: Part 1

Learning how to breathe – Introduction
In yoga philosophy, our breath can be seen as the physical manifestation of prana. Prana can be considered the life force of the universe and can be translated as “to breathe forth” (Rosen, 2017). Through the breath we receive the force of energy that brings life to our being; without the breath, there can be no life. This article highlights the function of the breath and how to cultivate a healthy breath that is in harmony with the physical body, both in everyday life and during yoga practice.

The diaphragm: The conductor of breath

Our main breathing muscle is called the diaphragm. What follows is an explanation of where the diaphragm is located in the body, how it works and why. It is important to be aware of the positioning of the diaphragm and its movement in order to understand how the breath moves and what happens in our body as we breathe. This awareness also informs us how our posture can affect our breath and how we can improve both our breath and our posture, to cultivate freer breathing.

The diaphragm is the muscle that drives our breath. Imagine the diaphragm as a thin circular mushroom-like cap that sits between the thoracic and the abdominal cavity. It is attached along the inner rim of the ribcage (cartilage of the bottom six ribs) and the front of the spine (anterior part of vertebrae L1-L3), where it contracts and relaxes continually to keep the breath flowing in and out of the lungs.

On an inhalation the diaphragm contracts downwards, causing the lungs to expand as they fill with air. The expansion of the lungs results in the expansion of the ribcage. The downward pressure of the diaphragm simultaneously causes the abdomen to relax and bulge out. On an exhalation, the diaphragm lifts upwards towards the base of the lungs, causing the abdomen to subtly engage and draw back in the direction of the spine and, as air leaves the lungs, the thoracic cavity to decrease in volume.

Good to know about the diaphragm

• The circular shape of the diaphragm causes the breath to move three-dimensionally across the front, side, and back of the chest and abdomen. The breath does not just happen at the frontside of the body.

• The position of the diaphragm causes the movement of a natural and uncontrolled breath, both in the chest and abdominal cavity. The breath does not just happen in one place.

• When we inhale, the diaphragm moves down, causing the abdomen to relax and bulge out. We do not keep our abdominals tight and “sucked in” on a constant basis. If we do, it will restrict the breath.

• When we exhale, the diaphragm moves up, causing the abdomen to slightly contract and draw inwards; the spine lengthens and lifts while receiving support from the abdominals. Emphasising this movement helps you to “grow taller” on the exhale.

• The breath can be seen as a shape-changing movement (Kaminoff and Matthews, 2012). Thus, the breath can be understood, seen and felt as a rhythmically pulsating force of energy. The breath moves the body. Thus, the body is never stagnant or kept in a fixed shape.

The posture’s influence on breathing

The movement of the body also impacts the breath. If our shoulders and chest slouch forward, it causes tension in the surrounding muscles, while compressing the ribcage forward and down, causing tension in the muscles in between the ribs. A shortened and rounded spine compresses the diaphragm and the abdomen, which limits the movement of the diaphragm and inhibits our capacity to breathe with ease.

If the diaphragm is not able to do its job properly, the surrounding muscles around the chest and shoulders start to “take over”, causing the breath to become superficial, which can create tension in the neck, shoulders and chest. This can trigger the sympathetic nervous system, leaving you in a state of stress.

Good to know about the breath

• You can re-train and improve your breathing pattern by improving your posture.

• Stretching the muscles surrounding the neck, shoulders, chest and ribcage can help “free up your breath” so that you can breathe with more ease.

• Strengthening the postural muscles around your back can help you maintain a long spine and an upright posture.

• The breath is not constant, it changes all the time depending on the body’s activity and your emotional state.

• A common misconception, especially in yoga classes, is that the breath should be kept at a similar pace at all times i.e. that if we can keep our breath constant, no matter how strenuous our yoga practice is, then we are “doing it right”. This is not the case. A healthy breath adapts to the body’s metabolic needs. This means that your breath will adapt depending on what physical movements and activities that you do. If you are resting in the couch reading a book, your breath will be quiet and hardly noticeable. If you have just finished a massive sprint, then you will naturally be gasping for air, taking quick shallow breaths. Your breath does not remain the same.

• Your breath also changes depending on how you move your body, and this becomes apparent when practising yoga movements.

Good to know about breathing and different movements

• When practising deep twists where the abdomen is compressed to a great degree, your breath will become restricted, causing the breath to shorten and become shallower.

• When practising backbends, the pull of the spine on the diaphragm, and the deep stretch of the muscles of the chest and ribcage makes it harder to take deep breaths. Shorter shallow breaths are therefore necessary.

• If you’re resting on your back, your postural muscles can relax making it easier to take deeper slower breath with less effort.

• If you are sitting upright on the floor, your postural muscles are required to engage more to resist gravity and keep the spine upright. This makes it more effortful to breathe.

• If you do abdominal work such as planks or sit-ups, you allow the inhalation to release the contraction in the abdomen, and contract the abdominals on the exhalation.

Easy body – easy breath, and vice versa

We now know that our breath moves our body, and that the movement of our body affects how we breathe, as well as the sensation of the breath. If we can approach our breath and movement as two co-existing forces, we will start to notice that they both always work together. Thus, the key is to cultivate a harmonious relationship between breath and body, to experience greater freedom and ease in ourselves as a whole. One breath at a time.

In my next article, Exploring the breath: part 2, I will introduce the practice of pranayama and its effects on mental health.

Read more

• Creating a space for the wild birds to settle down, by Eleonora Ramsby Herrera.
• Breathe life into your life – part 1, by Ulrica Norberg.
• In Swedish: Andas i harmoni, av Linus Johansson.

References

• Intelligent Yoga: Listening to the body’s innate wisdom.
• Yoga Anatomy.
• Yoga FAQ: Almost everything you need to know about yoga – from asanas to yamas.
• Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Diaphragm.

Videos on breathing

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