Written by Aviva Tulasi
I remember the first time I recognized how much yoga changed my breathing. I was teaching a biology unit on respiration and wanted to demonstrate how much carbon dioxide was in our exhale. I started to exhale into a beaker of water with a universal indicator and made bubbles for about a minute until the water turned green. (I had exhaled enough water to make the water acidic.) The students were amazed - not about the color change but that I was blowing bubbles for an entire minute! Many students asked to try it themselves. None of the students could exhale long enough to make the water change color. Although it appeared like I had magical lungs, in reality yoga helped me strengthen my diaphragm and intercostal muscles so I could access my full lung capacity.
Embedded into most yoga practices is pranayama, conscious breath control. Sometimes we do specific exercises to calm the mind and circulate prana (the subtle life force energy similar to the concept of qi from Chinese Medicine) in the subtle body. In most classes, we are asked to become aware of the breath. Studies suggest pranayama practices are linked to improving respiratory function and reducing chronic pain. In a 6 week comparative study, the overall pulmonary function (forced vital capacity , forced expiratory volumes, peak expiratory flow rate and forced expiratory flow 25-75 %) improved after pranayama practices.
The pranayama practice of a full yogic breath (a three part breath that starts below the naval, expands the belly then ribs and up into the chest) is used to ground you into your practice and release emotional and physical tension. It is said that full yogic breathing corrects unhealthy breathing patterns because on a physical level, a full yogic breath strengthens the muscles of the entire torso, engages all three lobes of the lungs, dilates the blood vessels, and activates the dorsal vagal nerve. The more you practice a full yogic breath, the easier it is for you to breathe slowly throughout the day. A BBC article explains some of the health benefits of having six breaths a minute.
Dogwood offers yoga classes that include mindful awareness of your breath and pranayama practices such as three part breath and 9 clearing rounds. Sign-up for a Group Yoga Class Live Online or In Person on our website.
We have our first Karma Class Sunday November 14th at 11am online! Dogwood Studio is proud to start our pay what you can Karma Classes by supporting Healing Pines Respite. I hope you can help us support this community. If you cannot attend and want to donate, please feel free to sign-up and let us know you will not be attending.
If you have a friend you think would benefit from joining us for a class, pass along the coupon code Friend4Free. The coupon code Friend4Free is for a friend to take their first Online or In Person at The Parlor group class for free. To use the code, the friend can sign-up for a class of their choice and at checkout they enter Friend4Free in Apply Discount Code. The price will be discounted to "0" for that class.
To Sign-up for a class: https://dogwoodstudioyoga.com/class-signup
Class Descriptions: https://dogwoodstudioyoga.com/class-descriptions
Dogwood Studios and CPCH are collaborating to offer CPCH's staff, their clients and the public with accessible online yoga. There are 2 more classes to take a $5 dollar Online class: Nov 10th and Nov. 17th, both Mindufl Movement and Yoga classes are at 6:15pm - 7:15pm. Learn more about our collaboration.
Restorative Yin and Yoga Nidra Sundays at 3pm EST online with Leesann. This is a perfect time to practice a nourishing interoceptive practice to support your nervous system through the rest of 2021. You do not have to come to all these sessions to benefit. Sign-up on our website.
If you have any questions about our offerings, please email info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com.
Aviva Chaye Tulasi is a staff member at Dogwood Studios. She has recently completed a IYAT certified 800 hour yoga therapy program. She brings balance to the nervous system using classical yoga adapted to a person’s needs. Email Aviva at yogawithtulasi@gmail.com. She is here to help.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online class in yoga as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.