Jul 31 2008
Daily practice
Abdominal breathing is a perfect companion to meridian exercises, says Dahn Yoga instructor Alex. After relaxing your body through meridian exercises, perform abdominal breathing for about ten to twenty minutes. It will enhance your health dramatically. Abdominal breathing is related to the movement of the diaphragm, a dome-shaped structure that assists in breathing and acts as a natural partition between our heart and lungs on one side, and our stomach, spleen, pancreas, liver, kidneys, bladder, and small and large intestines on the other.
When we breathe deeply, our diaphragm moves downward as we inhale and upward as we exhale. The more the diaphragm moves, the more our lungs are able to expand, which means more oxygen can be taken in - and more carbon dioxide released - with each breath. Dahn Yoga practice encompasses abdominal breathing.
When we breathe fully and deeply, the belly, lower rib cage, and lower back expand on inhalation, thus pushing the diaphragm down deeper into the abdomen. The same structures retract on exhalation. In deep abdominal breathing, these rhythmic movements help to detoxify our inner organs, promote blood flow and peristalsis, and pump fluid more efficiently through our lymphatic system. Dahn Yoga practice daily exercise.