Agreeable Posture for Breath Practice
1. Agreeable posture for breath practice is an important element, and mindfulness should be applied during the entire activity to avoid discomfort.
2. Sitting comfortably in an agreeable posture, meaning to avoid slouching of the shoulders and heavy curving of the spine. Simply put, sit in a comfortable upright position.
3. Slouching inhibits the range of movement and sets limitations on one's ability to breathe deeply.
4. For an exercise, you may try sitting in a slouched position on a floor/yoga mat or in a chair for a short while and try taking a deep breath in. Most will discover that it's more difficult to complete deep inhalations while in a slouched position. Depending on the extremity of a slouched position, it may almost be impossible to deeply breathe within, so it's beneficial to maintain an agreeable posture.
5. Next, try sitting with an agreeable posture with the back comfortably aligned upright and take a deep breath in. Most, if not all, will discover considerable ease when taking a deep breath while sitting in an agreeable posture.
6. As stated above, an agreeable posture and a comfortably aligned upright back or spine are paramount.
7. When conducting breath practice while sitting, allow the shoulders to naturally relax and the hands can rest in the lap.
8. Not all breath practice is conducted while sitting, sometimes one may conduct practice lying down during meditation, but usually, many breath practices are conducted while the body is upright because reclining of some sort may induce sleepiness in an individual.
9. Before this post ends, let's mention paradoxical breathing. This type of breathing movement is considered abnormal in its function, signifying the chest wall moving inward during inspiration and outward during expiration. There are different factors why this movement may occur. In breath practice, the occurrence may be because of a tight or tense abdominal wall. If there are no other underlying or existing occurrences, this type of breathing movement may be assisted through certain practices where an individual is encouraged to activate more use of their diaphragm by being asked to lie down on their floor/yoga mat to breathe. This relatively stabilizes the stillness of an individual's chest, so they can focus on expanding the abdomen outwardly as they breathe in. It's beneficial for this type of practice to be initially conducted with a breath practice guide with extensive training in which an individual is comfortable following their guidance. Additional Article, Paradoxical Breathing: An Overview of Paradoxical Breathing
10. A guide may place an extremely light item, such as a very small pillow on the abdomen of an individual during the above practice, so the person can witness the actual movement of comfortably expanding the abdomen outwardly while breathing in. Over time, this usually becomes a breathing pattern of the individual, which is the natural process of a normal breath.
11. Overall, please take note if an individual regularly experiences abnormal breathing movement, it should first be discussed with their licensed healthcare provider and not relied upon by breath practice or a guide for determining irregularity or correction of breath.
Reminders
Understand that engagement with the above is of sole discretion. Refer throughout this program for some general considerations regarding breath practice and pranayama. Initially, searching for a local qualified guide may be most beneficial for a more personable monitored experience, especially considering the state of health or condition. Inquire with your licensed healthcare provider if there are any existing conditions that may not be conducive to practice, being that only a few are mentioned in this community or on this site.
This information is provided for general informational purposes and is not a substitute or definitive to replace physicians' care.