Archive for March, 2009
Yoga and Nutrition
Posted on our facebook site by Naomi Nina Silove on March 31, 2009 at 4:39pm
Dear Bianca, Simon and others involved in the creation of this group,
Thank you so much for putting time into this wonderful resource.
I am wondering whether you advocate particular nutritional principles that you find complementary to yoga (specifically, not just in terms of general health and well-being)?
Best wishes,
Nina
Posted on our facebook site by Ruth Weeks on April 1, 2009 at 11:27am
I’m interested to read more about this too, as I know that Simon has just finished a 56 day fast.
Posted on our facebook site by Vitoria Borg-Olivier on May 3, 2009 at 10:39pm
While Simon is busy having a coconut or 10 (actually it’s his busiest time ever with writing the updated Anatomy and Phyisology of Yoga Book ) I’ll make a comment about nutrition in this yogi-day-and-age! Obvious best choices are OrGaNic!! Then wholefoods and anything made by hand (preferably your own) and the tip of the controversial iceberg would be to keep it vegetarian if at all possible. Have a yummy day!! 
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier on June 25, 2009 at 8:36pm
I am very passionate about nutrition, but its relationship to yoga and especially breath control is essential.
The following article was written by John McWhorter in 2007 after he interviewed me and a number of Australia’s leading Yoga authorities on the relationship between yoga and fasting.
John interviewed me after I had just completed a 35 day juice fast around the time of the birth of my son in 2007. Earlier this year I completed a 56 day juice fast. I cannot emphasise enough the value of a properly performed fast or modified fast to your mental and physical health as well as to your yoga practice. However, it is also important to state that you should not attempt any sort of fast unless you have been properly instructed by a respected authority on yoga, physiology, diet and fasting. Any sort of diet especially a fasting diet, including a diet of just fruit and vegetables is potentially dangerous unless it is balanced with a correct breathing practice, which ideally involves a relatively advanced practice of pranayama (breath control) and meditation where the total amount of breathing (minute ventilation) is reduced. We will be presenting more on fasting and diet at a later date. In the mean time a whole chapter of yogic nutrition and the relationship to breathing is in our book ‘Applied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga’, which is available for purchase as a downloadable pdf file (2009 edition) or as a hardcopy book (2007 version) at www.anatomy.yogasynergy.com .
John McWhorter is a regular practitioner of YogaSynergy. He is also a yoga teacher and an accomplished writer. Thank you John for letting us publish your article. It is our great pleasure to present it on the YogaSynergy website.
You can read the article at http://tinyurl.com/fastingandyoga
Posted on our facebook site by Anonymous on June 28, 2009 at 8:39am
Great article and topic. Do you offer yoga & nutrition/cleansing workshops sharing with people your experience of what a ‘properly performed fast’ might look like not only from a nutrition perspective but your personal experience and yogic viewpoint? Also how a fast can be combined with everyday living (maintaining sufficient vitality and energy to continue to work and practice yoga)?
My father completed a 45 day juice fast a few years ago when diagnosed with prostrate cancer which proved very helpful. Whilst the fast drastically helped with improving health (both with cancer and also clarity of skin, eye colour from blue/grey back to clear blue) energy levels were reduced considerably and my father stopped working during that period (primarily due to energy and vitality reasons). The fast was not supported by any yogic practices such as pranayama or meditation which I am sure would have helped a great deal and probably would have provided much needed vitality and energy.
It would be interesting to hear about your perspective Simon, how you maintained energy and vitality and in completing a fast from a health perspective. A yoga & fasting/nutrition workshop would be great!
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier on September 3, 2009 at 2:26pm
Hi – sorry to take so long to respond – i will try and answer your post in more detail soon but in the mean time i want to tell you i am giving another talk on nutrtion. Read my next post or contact me re details
Best wishes, simon
Posted on our facebook site by Anonymous on September 3, 2009 at 6:02pm
Hi Simon,
Use of props – useful? a tool for bettering the foundation of a pose? a way to avoid injury?
Posted on our facebook site by Danielle Anagnostaras on March 17, 2009 at 9:33pm
What are thoughts, theories and beliefs about straps, blocks, bolsters, blankets?
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier March 18, 2009 at 9:34pm
Hi Danielle, Thank you for your question. It is a good one.
Props can be very useful tools indeed. However, I very rarely use any props in my classes. Props have to be used intelligently and specifically for each student. When I teach people on a one to one basis I am happy to suggest the use of a prop if it seems appropriate, but I give clear instructions on its specific use for that person in their situation. For example a block under the back in some sort of bridge position (setu bandhasana) can be of tremendous benefit if it is placed in exactly the correct position in the back, but to tell every person in a mixed class to place a block in the same part of their back would be a mistake because everyone has a different back and what feels good for one person may cause pain and/or injury in someone else’s back.
In addition some people may only be able to benefit from a block if specific instructions are given activate one group of muscles while other muscles are left completely relaxed. For example, someone who has a stiff middle back and a weak lower back can be given relief for their stiffness by placing a block under their middle back and letting their spine and trunk relax onto the block while they are in a bridge position (setu bandhasana – feet and shoulders of the floor and hips and spine off the floor). However, if they relax completely they often tend to collapse into their weaker more flexible lower back. To prevent this collapse one solution is to use the knee extensors (the muscles at the front of the thigh that straighten the knee) to lift the hips up without using hip or spinal muscles (which if used would also tense the back and prevent the release of the stiff part of the spine). Not only is this hard to instruct specifically for a group, but most people simply do not have this level of control. Hence, I find it best not to use blocks under the back in group situations.
In a class where dynamic meditation is of interest then I find that every time a prop is used it takes people out of their yoga state, and instead of a flowing meditative state there ends up being a series of yoga moments with lots of interruptions. For example, to have a belt to hold the feet in forward bends can be useful for stiff people but it takes quite a few moments to put use and this can take people out of a meditative state and tends to make some stiffer people feel quite inadequate. Also belt is best held against the heel of the foot, but often beginners place the belt against the ball of the foot and they pull the feet towards their trunk causing a potentially dangerous stretch of the sciatic nerve.
A belt is rarely necessary in seated forward bends. The needs of a forward bend will be satisfied for a stiff person if they simply start with the hands on the floor behind the body in order to have the spine slightly arched backwards and the legs straight before they bend forward, and then simply bend the knees in order to take the spine forward to bring the head closer towards the knee and the ribs away from the thigh if possible. Many people make the mistake of never bending the spine forward and only ever keeping the spine either straight or bent backwards. Many people place far too much emphasis on stretching the back of the legs. It is much more important to lengthen the spine than the back of the legs, but an important caution is that you must not stretch the spine in a forward bend if you are feeling a hamstring stretch or you can damage the spine or the nervous system. This type of forward bend actually prepares people for shoulder-stand and plough pose because it lengthens the spine whereas a forward bend a back will not do this unless you are overstretching hamstrings and spine which can cause physical damage if you remain too relaxed or physiological damage if you become too tense.
Many people use blankets under the neck for shoulderstand. This is fine if you wish to stay a long time in the pose and otherwise cant do a shoulderstand at all, but i have found that many people often put the blankets on the wrong part of their neck or use too many blankets or put their neck on the floor and their head on the blankets (should be the other way!). This type of incorrect blanket placement may cause tremendous damage to people’s neck, and if the class is large it is very hard to control. I prefer using ‘legs up the wall’ passive postures or the half shoulder-stand with no blankets for most groups. These are quick easy and safe. Often a person has to be lifted into a shoulderstand as they cannot do it by themselves. This will mean that there is no internal support for the pose. Lack of internal support is a major problem in most postures using props which often leads to instability and overstretching in postures.
In fact, if i am teaching a mixed group of non-regular people I will not even give shoulderstand at all because of the inherent dangers of incorrect practice. Even sticking the legs up the wall passively (which incidentally is the only propped pose I teach reasonably frequently – the wall being the prop) can be problematic if people put their hips to close to wall, which can make their knees want to bend to their chest and fall away from the wall which is not relaxing. Or, if they come too far away from the wall with their hips then the back of the knees can hyperextend and they can over-stretch the back of their knees. So, even the wall is a prop that requires special skills to instruct the use of to actually master the use of.
I have lots more to say on this but i have to go to bed to get up in few hours! Maybe more later if what i have explained is of interest to anyone!
Posted on our facebook site by Danielle Anagnostaras on March 18, 2009 at 10:13pm
Thank you! These are the thoughts I was so interested in hearing.
Posted on our facebook site by Mikela Gabrielides on March 19, 2009 at 5:28am
Hi Danielle & Simon
Someone once told me that use of a bolster under the knees in savasana at the end of class is good if your lower back is hurting…
However my thinking is that, in theory, the lower back should not be hurting at all after your practice if you have been moving into, during and out of the poses correctly?
What do you think Simon?
Do you think that if people are regularly instructed to use a bolster at the end they will never really acquire the knowledge to move safely for their own bodies during a practise? Instead of just using a bolster to relieve any strain at the end?
Posted on our facebook site by Genevieve Godwin on March 22, 2009 at 6:01am
“…to tell every person in a mixed class to place a block in the same part of their back would be a mistake because everyone has a different back and what feels good for one person may cause pain and/or injury in someone else’s back.”
I occurs to me that the same can be said for chairs in daily life!
Posted on our facebook site by Bianca Machliss on March 24, 2009 at 7:23am
Its an interesting question – I think if use of a bolster under the knees helps someone who is a beginner to relax in Savasana – then it is appropriate. However if it is being used to aleviate pain as a result of practice then this needs to be addressed in the actual practice. I personally had a lot of pain lying down on my back when i started yoga, just due to stiffness in the spine – no-one suggested using a bolster which would have been a good idea, as i hated the end of class cause it was so painful.
So like all props – used appropriately they are fantastic. The intention is never to use them forever, but as a tool when appropriate.
I do find many of my students find it helpful to use a belt for forward bends, and once i have shown them how to work with it, it is not too distracting for them and very helpful.
Posted on our facebook site by Mikela Gabrielides on March 25, 2009 at 4:16am
Thanks Bianca
I guess the reason for the use of the prop is the main thing – and having a good teacher to instruct its use!
I’ve seen some of your students use belts and it seems to work wonders for them – so there’s a perfect example.
x
Dangerous yoga
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier on March 13, 2009 at 5:14pm
I write this post in respons to Rick Bull’s post below – it is an interesting topic that I hope will generate discussion. I actually tried to pos it but facebook said the wall was unavailable to post – so that is another good reason to post a new topic on the subject.
First Ricks initial comments then my response – if you are interested or agree or disagree please comment:
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier on March 13, 2009 at 5:20pm
Rick Bull wrote at 3:06pm on March 11th, 2009 : The techno/yoga tour continues. Just did a class in Seattle. Interesting. Basic ashtanga, but I thought waaaay too fast, with no real ‘releases’ of key postures, which was weird. Also back-bends without suggestion it may be unhelpful for some. And the meditation lasted around…2 minutes. Good, but I felt I could see the potential dangers in a hasty practice, writ large…x
My response:
hi Rick – interesting comments you make on your travels – i see and hear about a lot of this type of class when i travel to teach yoga. It seems to me that the western world is trying to imitate the essence of traditional yoga without appreciating that most westerners do not have traditional Indian bodies. Traditional Indian people have squatted all their life, they routinely sit cross legged and they often carry large weights on their heads. So it means they have very strong knees, flexible hips and a very strong neck. Hence many yoga postures Westerners think of as strong stretching of strength work Traditional Indians think of as just natural body movements. So yoga in the west is taught assuming it can be taught as it is in india and this means many people end up with many injuries. It saddens me that because of this i find myself (as a physiotherapist yoga teacher) defending the efficacy of yoga and my passion for it to many other therapists including doctors who think that yoga is dangerous and stupid, because it is generally so badly taught with little understanding of the nature of the physical body, let alone the deeper sheaths of the body. They of course think this because so many of their clients are actually yoga casualties. Sad isn’t it – honestly i see this where ever i travel in the world with only minor exceptions. If you find good teaching elsewhere do please let know so we can recommend it – you seem to know what is safe and what is not. Best wishes and have fun – keep on dancing! Simon
Posted on our facebook site by Ruth Weeks on March 14, 2009 at 6:01am
What you write is so true!
I think there’s also the fact that many of us are quite competitive in our lives, so it’s hard not to back off and admit a pose is not suitable. Before discovering synergy I practised Iyengar and Astanga Vinyasa. I sustained a couple of injuries practising Astanga that were partly the fault of the teacher, but also partly my fault for allowing my ego to take over!
I am so happy that I discovered yoga synergy before I had more injuries!
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier on March 14, 2009 at 12:43pm
Hi Ruth, it is such a pleasure having in class. There is such a change in your approach to practice that has been happening over the years. But especially in the last year it is like you have taken everything in your yoga to another level. I think the most important factor in this is as you say real adoption of a non competitive approach. Please understand me here. i never saw you compete with others, but it is a fine line we all play when trying to balance ahimsa (non-violence) in our practice with tapas (doing our best attempt) and still not become competitive with ourselves either from past attempts or from future desires. Yoga really is finding a balance isn’t it.
Posted on our facebook site by Peter Satitpunwaycha on March 15, 2009 at 5:50am
When I began my yoga practice 2 years ago I looked around for teachers around my area and settled for the best I could for my circumstances. And I think this is how most people find and approach yoga nowadays: affordability, accessibility (close to work & home), with reasonably knowledgeable teachers. And I think for 90% of all practitioners this is the end of the road because as far as I/we/they know yoga is a mature product packaged and repackaged to be sold by this and that system. So what if there are some injuries? Injuries are common in all physical activies, so why not yoga? No pain no gain, as they say.
(A good documentary to watch is ‘Yoga, Inc.’ for the marketing and corporatization of yoga. There are brief segments available on youtube.)
Because for every need – stress reduction, need to sweat, spirituality, what have you – there is a packaged form of yoga JUST FOR YOU, most yogis/yoginis are not taught to dig deeper and explore the very large system of yoga and find one that works for them as an individual.
It may have been sheer luck that I met Simon during his & my travels last year and was introduced to the synergy style, which is the hatha yoga form I continue to practice on my own to this day because travel to a YS studio is still a little bit cost prohibitive 
I still attend this and that yoga class just to try different things and to satisfy my curiosity and there’s always something to be learned. Because as much as I hate prepackaged food, I hate a prepackaged way of life.
Good on you Rick for trying all the different yoga classes in your travels. Keep the good bits, discard the rest.
Cheers,
Peter
Posted on our facebook site by Mikela Gabrielides on March 16, 2009 at 3:12pm
Hi Simon, Ricardino and Ruth – and nice to e-meet you Peter..
honest post inserted below:
Something happened to me in class the other day with Simon that made me deepen my realisation of how subtle yoga actually is…
Simon was teaching us particular ways to turn both correctly and deeply in twists. Now, genetics have it that I have a pretty flexible and twisty spine so I always felt I could twist pretty far anyway and maybe never listened to instructions properly in this regard. But that day, I twisted with absolute AWARENESS. Difference, big difference. It might have even looked the same from the outside but believe me it felt different. I ran to my dear teacher and friend at the end of class going “I get it!! I get it now!!”. Simon waggled his head a little and said, “Mikela, I’ve been saying this for years”.
Which is true! And we both laughed. But the actual simplicity in the instructions that day sunk in… (Don’t worry Simon, I ahve leanred other things along the way, promise – and I do listen… most of the time..
But what gets me most is how much we (all) RESIST teachings sometimes. It’s ego stuff. It’s in our unenlightened nature. But little by little if we can strip away the resistance we might actually learn something!
I feel like I learn something new everyday in my practice. And this will never, ever stop. I love this.
Also, I think that the fact that injuries can not only occur immediately but also over a period of time is very dangerous. If I was without YogaSynergy Ma only knows where my bendy back would end up!
I spent a good chunk of last year doing simple versions of postures only. And re-enrolled in classes I had already done years before. It changed my practise and my focus. An Aries and a Firery hearted Greek/Gypsy girl that I am it was HARD for me at first. I love a challenge. And I always thought the challenge was in the “hard” stuff. Now, don’t get me wrong, the “hard” stuff is amazing and great and we get there when we’re ready and I’m definitely not saying not to ever challenge or push oneself, that’s a part of it all too – but to pull-back and feel contentment in doing more simple versions, to be aware in my postures instead of just blindly doing things because i can, next to my fellow students doing the advanced postures was, in fact, liberating.
Yoga is certainly a journey. Hang on!!!
Love.
xx
Posted on our facebook site by Ruth Weeks on March 16, 2009 at 3:25pm
Great post, Mikela!!! You and I are similar in some ways, I think
I love a challenge too, and you’re right, it is very hard to back off and do the simple poses when our egos are in the way.
Thank you Simon for your kind words. Like Mikela, I have finally ‘got’ some of your instructions this year after almost 10 years of coming to your classes – all due to my inability to listen properly.
I am so excited to see what I learn in the next 10 years!!
Posted on our facebook site by Simon Borg-Olivier on March 16, 2009 at 7:48pm
Mikela and Ruth thank you both for great posts. Dont feel it is only you that has trouble listening. I am also a student and i know i am no different with my own teachers. While alive i guess we all are students learning to be better students. Every day I am so excited to learn more and when I learn more I try to be a good teacher and share it with my students. But my understanding is still not perfect and neither is my communication. This is also what i realised and still realise in my teachers. Sri Desikarchar once said to me that yoga is the communication between teacher and student. I guess since the ultimate guru is the one inside you this will always be true. So we are all helping each other. I am so happy we have the space to discuss stuff like this. We are together making yoga. X S
Posted on our facebook site by Ellie Coats on March 16, 2009 at 9:10pm
Hi everyone,
This is such a great discussion, and so relevant to me and my body. I practised a little Synergy when I was in Sydney, but for the most part my experience of yoga has been as you others describe above. Also interesting that it can take so long for us to truly hear instructions. Often too, if you are naturally flexible, you are encouraged to get more and more and more flexible to the point of injury with no thought that this might not be the best thing for your body. I am a teacher myself and now train with Elena Voyce in London whose extraordinary body knowledge and philosophy is wonderfully similar to that of Synergy. I hope to make it back to Sydney in the not too distant future and come to class!!
Lovely to meet you all, Ellie x.
Posted on our facebook site by Mikela Gabrielides on March 17, 2009 at 4:36am
Simon, I love the way you always refer to yourself as a student and a beginner… Some people would watch your practice and dispute this, I am sure. But I really do agree with you and feel that in yoga we are the eternal student – to the Guru inside, the Guru that is the universe itself. And when we are fortunate enough to find a Guru or Teacher that can guide us into new places that we may have been fearful to tread in, that is such a beautiful blessing.
I actually think these days as yoga grows and grows into a more popular fad that some “teachers” don’t feel they are students anymore and neglect their own practice. Therefore, how can they possibly serve their students who come to them for knowledge and wisdom? I think we are all teachers and students every day in our lives in some respect. And if the certified yoga teachers of the world don’t continue their own path of practice and learning then what will beome of yoga as we know it? This is dangerous yoga, to me. Blind and arrogant teaching. It’s sad. Patanjali said – don’t just believe my words! Test them! Practice them! and HONOUR them! Live them! And then decide for yourself.
I feel blessed to be at Synergy with you and Bianca. For it’s a place where yoga is not just a word, a term, but an ACTION..
xx
Posted on our facebook site by Anonymous on June 18, 2009 at 6:09pm
Great topic and conversation!
I tried my first synergy class last week with my gf’s who practice at synergy. I learnt many great new things and like the verbal cues on technique as well which I think leads to a much safer practice.
I am still a yoga newbie, having fallen in love with the practice that is yoga just over a year ago and now practice ashtanga yoga. It’s a great physical practice although the mysore style generally doesn’t have any verbal cues which I think go a long way to fostering a safe practice. I am fortunate that I have a great teacher and I feel that this makes all the difference to having a safe practice.
Like Rick, when I travel I like to drop into different yoga schools and am always curious to see different approaches and styles. I have enjoyed a great range of classes across sydney, right through to Byron, Gold Coast and Singapore. Being curious and having an open mind I enjoy learning new approaches and techniques from different perspectives and have enjoyed my experiences in dropping into the different classes.
I have however also come across a few classes where the practice was not taught safely, with sufficient guidance or an appreciation for the level of experience or understanding amongst the students.
What really impressed me about Yoga Synergy is that the teachers take the time to speak to each new student, to discuss their experience and background with injuries or otherwise before the class (providing options where necessary or beneficial to the student). This attention and care is invaluable and not only promotes a safe and great practice, but adds a nice personal touch which is rare to find. great work
What comes through in the conversation above, and what I have also found in my own practice over the past year, is that there are so many layers to the practice, so many layers to our own journey of inquiry and self discovery within the practice and beyond, that we are always growing, evolving and learning new things. Whether it’s the joy of having a totally new experience because we have experienced a pose with new awareness like Mikela, or whether it is in finding that fine balance between ahimsa and tapas, trying your best but always practising with mindfulness and safety.
In my travels/various yoga school visits, I have found that this may mean sitting out of poses and not following the instruction of the teacher or the rest of the class (which can be counter intuitive on a logical level, for example I am often inclined to follow the rules and ‘do as the teacher says,’ so I have had an interesting journey in learning to listen to my own inner wisdom and have learned to sit out of practices or poses that do not support my ability to practice safely). This can seem daunting at times and takes confidence, to sit out (in spite of what the teacher might say) but sometimes it is the right thing to do….and ahimsa in practice.
Learning to tune into and listen to inner wisdom is one of the great qualities which yoga fosters. So many things to learn and so many opportunities to grow.
It is very inspiring to come across such great conversation, thank you for sharing.
Namaste,
Anonymous
A day in the life of a yoga mum – A balancing act
Vanita Connery interviewed me for Australian Natural Health Magazine – maybe some of you can relate to the balancing act of having munchkins and working!
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A YOGA MUM – A Balancing Act
Written by Vanita Connery, Published in Australian Natural Health Magazine Feb 2009 A co-director of YogaSynergy,
Bianca Machliss manages to run a successful business, practise Hatha yoga and take care of her 10-month old son. We asked Bianca to describe a typical day and let us in on her secrets for juggling work and motherhood while maintaining a sense of inner peace and harmony.
6.30am – Rise and shine Wake up to the sound of my son Lorenzo chortling in his cot. I pick him up and give him a quick nuzzle – like all babies, he smells delicious. He plays beside me while I do my morning yoga practice. After an interrupted night’s sleep, it feels great to limber up ready for the day. I feed Lorenzo, give the house a quick tidy and log on to my laptop. While scrolling through this morning’s emails, I tuck into a bowl of Bircher muesli topped with yogurt and fresh fruit. It’s a combination I’ve found satisfies me till at least mid-morning, even while breastfeeding!
To see the rest of this article, click here.
How to use simple yoga to compensate for the negative effects of smoking without actually trying to give up.
Written by Simon Borg-Olivier, 10th March 2009
If you are smoker and don’t want to actually give up right now here are some simple things you can do to address some of the negative effects of smoking.
The essence of yoga is ‘balance’ and ‘mental flexibility’. I feel that in the beginning at least it better to adapt your exercise or yoga to your life, rather than trying to change your life in order to do exercise or yoga. So let me suggest some ways you can balance the effects of smoking by minimising some of the harmful effects. You don’t have to give up smoking to do these exercises but if you practice regularly people often find it much easier to choose to give it up.
Smoking puts poisonous acidic chemicals into your body that have specific effects. Mild acidity can actually makes you feel calm and it can reduce pain, which is one of the reasons why smoking can feel so good. However, the poisonous acids have negative effects on your system such as leaching calcium from your bones (to neutralise the acidity) and causing cell death.
There are two things you can address to counter some of the negative effects of poisonous acidity come into the body from smoking, while still maintaining the feeling good component. The first thing to address is your breathing. You can learn to breathe in such a way that gets rid of the acidic poisons out of your system. The second thing to address is a simple addition to your diet.
Instead of taking calcium from your bones and teeth to neutralise the poisonous acids from smoking, you can simply increase the amount of alkaline containing food in your diet. Adding more alkaline foods to your diet such as fresh fruits and vegetables can neutralise the poisonous acids from smoking and help to minimise their negative effects. The breathing exercises that are the most useful to practice first are simple deep breathing exercises. Never force and breathing exercises but if comfortable try the following:
- Sit comfortably up straight on a chair with your hands gently pressed against your thighs.
- Prepare for the exericse by gently exhaling all of the air in your lungs.
- Relax your face and abdomen before you begin.
- Breathe in about one third to one half of your lungs into your abdomen till the abdomen expands and relaxes.
- Then breathe up to another third to one half of the lungs to fill your chest.
- If comfortable hold the breath in for a few seconds.
- Then slowly exhale all the way out by gently tensing first your abdomen then your chest.
- If comfortable hold the breath out for a few seconds.
- Then repeat this breath 5 to 10 times over the next few minutes.
- If you get dizzy, then simply stop and go back to breathing normally for a few minutes.
This deep breathing actually removes some of the poisonous acid from your system by making your lungs slightly more alkaline. If you enjoy this exercise then practice it several times a day. You will find that it becomes easier to hold the breath in and out for longer periods as you practice more regularly. Provided you do not force your breathing you will find that after some time not only will your find that you will start to feel better because you have less poisonous acids inside you but you may even find that the exercise itself can replace smoking and that instead of having a cigarette you can do this exercise in its stead. This can be because as you learn to hold the breath in for longer periods of time the body retains more carbon dioxide which becomes a good clean acid called carbonic acid. Mild levels of carbonic acid in your blood that develop through prolonged breath-holding can have the same positive effects that people often smoke for such as calming of the nerves and the reduction of physical pain. My father, George Borg-Olivier, who was an avid freediver (‘underwater yogi’), taught me this exercise when I was 6 years old as a preparation for freediving. He also used to be a heavy smoker when he was young and I believe that exercises like this one have kept him reasonably fit and healthy till now and were part of the mental and physiological approach that allowed him to give up smoking.
Addendum: Another thing to do is to address the lungs in general. Some ideas can be obtained from our article writen for the relief of asthma in our Blog – Interest Articles section. You can click the following link to take you there: http://www.yogasynergy.com.au/main/content/hatha-yoga-children-asthma