Dog breathing (eyes closed)
Vajrasana
- Sit back on the heels, keeping them apart and well tucked in under the buttocks.
- Keep the head, shoulders and buttocks in a straight line.
- Place your palms on the respective thighs.
- Breathe normally.
- It may be practised for maximum feasible duration, especially after meals for 5- minutes atleast.
I.Starting position (Sthiti): Vajrasana
- Now, place your hands before your knees, palms resting on the ground with fingers facing forward.
- Keep the arms straight.
- Lower the spine to a concave arch so that the line of your vision is parallel to the ground.
- Open the mouth wide and stretch out your tongue as much as is possible.
- Close your eyes.
II.Practice
- Start breathing rapidly through the mouth by flapping the abdomen forcefully. The belly (abdomen) is drawn in while breathing out and bulge it out while breathing in making a panting sound, like a dog after a run.. Hence the name , ” Dog breathing”.
- Keep the face and neck muscles relaxed.
- Feel the movement of the belly and the sensation of the air going in and out of your lungs. Feel the tingling sensation in your throat and neck.
- Practise for at least nine times initially. Over the next few days (about a week) you may increase it gradually. But it should not be beyond your capacity.
- Relax in shashankasana with your forehead and elbows on the ground, arms stretched outwards. Observe the sensations in the throat and the abdomen.
NOTE:
- Feel the free smooth flow of air, in and out through the throat and the air passages.
- Breathe uniformly and as rapidly as possible.