Inhaling Exhaling and Holding of Breath While Doing Asanas

by Jayashree
(India)

My heart was slightly affected during my sons delivery i.e I have mitral valve prolapse problem plus cervical extra rib and cervical spondylytis. So is it o.k. to hold the breathe after inhaling while doing asanas and what are the exact asanas which will help me.

My personal detail:
Age 42, neither thin nor fat only have little bit of fat in abdomen side, have regular menstrual cycle. As for eating habits I avoid eating oily food and heavy meals. I walk a lot and work from morning 6:00 a.m. till night 10:00 p.m. as I am working.

Answer

Hi Jayashree

Yoga exercises for you will depend on severity of your mitral valve prolapse problem. I will recommend consult your doctor before starting your yoga exercises. I understand that you need to keep your blood pressure in check as well as avoid stress in life.

Inhaling Exhaling and holding of Breath during Asanas. While doing asanas, yoga breathing technique is specific for each asana. As a general rule, breathe out as you bend forward, breathe in as you bend backward or stretch, and breathe normally at other times. For some postures, while holding an asana, holding of breath is required. In your case, it is not recommended to hold breath. Therefore, instead of holding an asana, repeat the asana more number of times.

You can do some simple asanas like Tadasana, Trikonasana, Parvatanasana, Shalabhasana, Padotanasana, Makarasana, Bhujangasana, Gomukhasana and Vajrasana.

For complete relaxation, after asanas do Deep Breathing and Alom Vilom Pranayama followed by Yoga Nidra and Shavasana.

Deep Breathing. Carry out deep breathing with equal time for inhaling and exhaling with no holding of breath. You can do deep breathing as and when you find time, sitting in office, watching TV, waiting for a meeting etc. For this you can sit on a chair with back bone straight or lie down in Shavasana.

Alom Vilom. Do not hold breath.You can do this for 5 minutes and gradually increase the duration to 10 or 15 minutes.

You must be having a busy schedule throughout the day,relax in Shavasana for 10 to 15 minutes 2 to 3 times whenever you get time. Shavasana helps to lower blood pressure, provides adequate rest and releives tension.

Stop doing any Asana or Pranayama if you suffer from palpitation or run out of breath. Come to initial position and breathe normally. Try to get in touch with a yoga instructor locally who can perfect your breathing and movements.

Daljit