Respiratory Anatomy

Contents of this
Page Breathing Defined
And "Jump To" Links

Breathing Defined
Taking Air Into & Out From The Process of Taking Air Into & Out from Lungs
LungsStarts with
Independent LifeExchange
of Oxygen & Carbon
DioxideAn Interface
Between Organs &
MovementTorso Divided
into CavitiesCaused by
Cavities Changing
ShapeThe Diaphragm's
Key Role
Breathing is the process of taking air into and expelling it from the
lungs... The passage of air into and out of the lungs is movement, one of
Breathing Anatomy the fundamental activities of living things. – Leslie Kaminoff, Yoga
Primary vs Accessory
Anatomy © 2007 p 4
Muscles
The Nose Starts with Independent Life & Ends When Life
The Lungs Ceases
The Diaphragm
Intercostals
The Abdominals

Anatomy of
Breathing in Yoga
Increasing Respiratory
Efficiency
Conscious Exhalation
Clavicular, Thoracic & Respiration is essential for sustaining all forms of animal life—from the
Diaphragmatic single-celled amoeba to man. It is possible to live without food or water
Iyengar's Classifications for a few days, but when respiration ceases, so does life...
Erich Schiffman on
Breathing starts with independent life outside the mother and ends
Breathing
when life ceases... During most of one's life, the depth and rate of
Diaphragm Can Also
Expand Rib Cage breathing are self-regulated through the nervous system to meet the
Beginner vs Advanced purposes of breathing: to supply in a regulated and controlled way the
Practitioners fresh oxygen which is constantly needed by the cells, and to discharge
Improper Breathing the carbon dioxide accumulated in them. – B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on
Symptoms Prãnãyãma © 2010 pgs 18 & 20
Breath Rates Cellular Respiration is the Exchange of Oxygen
Practices & Teachings and Carbon Dioxide

Sources & Resources

More Resources

Perspectives
& More
Resources

Every cell in the body needs to breathe—taking up oxygen, burning fuel,

generating energy, and giving off carbon dioxide. This process, known
as cellular respiration, depends on an exchange—moving oxygen all the
way from the atmosphere to lungs, to blood, and to cells, and at the
same time moving carbon dioxide from cells to blood, to lungs, to
atmosphere. – H. David Coulter, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga © 2001 p 68

***
There are numerous
perspectives from The unchanging and constant goal of respiration is the oxygenation of
which to consider the blood. The cells in the tissues need oxygen to function properly, and
pranayama teachings, it is brought to them via the arterial blood, which comes from the lungs
including: and the heart. This mechanism produces a waste product, carbon
dioxide, which is carried in the venous blood back to the heart and
The Breath lungs... Since oxygen cannot be stored in the body, respiration is
Physical process of required without cease, day and night. However, the act of breathing
breathing does not always strictly depend on the oxygen needs of the body. [It]
Impact of breath on may also serve other purposes, and be dependent on other
nervous system circumstances. – Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of Breathing ©
Fundamentals of 2006 pgs 15 & 16
natural breathing
Breathing is an Interface Between Organs and
Breathing in Yoga Movement
Breath awareness
Basic breathing
practices/techniques

Prana & Pranayama

Prana as life energy
and the relationship
between prana and
breath
Energy concepts and
 anatomy from yoga
philosophy
Pranayama as one of
the 8 Limbs and a
yogic technique to
access, stabilize,
refine and direct prana
Pranayama cautions
Pranayama techniques

While all of the above

considerations are
relevant and related,
we offer these
distinctions in order to Breathing is the movement that is performed in respiration. This may
assist you in organizing seem obvious, but it is largely a hidden movement which is so intimately
your own study as well linked to our lives that we often don't even recognize it... Breathing
as choosing teachings occurs on the level of the internal organs, just like the beating of the
for different situations. heart; but in contrast to the heart, it also involves muscles, certain parts
See these sections as of the skeleton and joint articulations. It cannot be separated from
needed: these. Breathing thus becomes an interface between two levels: the
level of the organs and the level of movement. It can therefore be
Cautions
controlled, albeit with limitations, by the nervous systems' management
Prana & The Breath
of either one of these two levels. – Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of
Breathing
Breathing © 2006 p 13
Fundamentals
About Pranayama Torso Divided into Thoracic & Abdominal Cavities
Pranayama Practices
Respiratory Anatomy
Nervous System +
Stress
8 Limbs: Pranayama
Energy Concepts in
Yoga Philosophy

Our torso is divided into two main sections: the thoracic cavity and the
abdominal cavity. The thoracic cavity includes everything contained in
the rib cage which extends from the base of the neck to a few inches
above the navel. Essentially, it is a sealed-off container for the lungs,
with the heart resting in between. The abdominal cavity consist of the
part of the trunk that begins at the lower border of the rib cage and fills
the space down into the pelvis. This sack contains the digestive organs.
The two cavities are separated by a thin strong muscle called the
diaphragm. – Irene Dowd, Taking Root to Fly © 2007 pgs 13-14

Breathing is Caused by the Cavities Changing

Shape

Although both the abdominal and thoracic cavities change shape, there
is an important structural difference in how they do so. The abdominal
cavity changes shape like a... water balloon. When you squeeze one end
of a water balloon, the other end bulges... Your hand's action only
moves the fixed volume of water from one end of the flexible container
to the other. The same principle applies when the abdominal cavity is
compressed by the movements of breathing; a squeeze in one region
produces a bulge in another. That is because in the context of breathing
the abdominal cavity changes shape, but not volume. In life processes
other than breathing... the abdominal cavity does change volume. If you
drink a gallon of liquid or eat a big meal, the overall volume of the
abdominal cavity will increase as a result of expanded abdominal organs
(stomach, intestines, bladder)...
In contrast to the abdominal cavity, the thoracic cavity changes both
shape and volume; it behaves... similar to an accordion bellows. When
you squeeze an accordion, you create a reduction in the volume of the
bellows and air is forced out. When you pull the bellow open, its volume
increases and the air is pulled in. The thoracic cavity can change its
shape and volume.

Breathing, the process of taking air into and expelling it from the lungs,
is caused by a three-dimensional changing of shape in the thoracic and
abdominal cavities. – Leslie Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy © 2007 pgs 4-5 & 7

Thoracic Cavity
Heart
Lungs
When breathing, this cavity changes shape and volume
Respiratory muscles increase the dimension of the thoracic cavity,
lowering air pressure in the lungs (i.e. creating a vacuum); air is
received into the lungs
When the muscles relax and the diaphragm billows back up, the air in
the chest is compressed, allowing it to move out

Abdominal Cavity
Stomach
Liver
Gall Bladder
Spleen
Pancreas
Small and large intestines
Kidneys
Bladder
When breathing, this cavity changes shape but not volume
To be precise when speaking of abdominal changes during normal
breathing, anatomy experts use terms such as "bulge," "swell" or "puff
out." This is because the belly is not actually "expanding" as noted in
the previous point about volume.
 The Diaphragm's Key Role in Normal Breathing

The diaphragm is the principal muscle that causes three-dimensional

shape change in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. – Leslie Kaminoff,
Yoga Anatomy © 2007 p 7

***

Most regular breathing occurs because of the diaphragm. It acts like a

pump at the base of the lungs. – Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of
Breathing © 2006 p 80

During relaxed breathing, the diaphragm contracts (moves down)

during inhalation, causing the belly to swell slightly.
On exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, drawing back up and the belly
releases back.

Breathing Anatomy
Primary vs Accessory Respiratory
Muscles
The way in which the muscles of respiration accomplish breathing is
more complex than the relatively simple way a muscle creates
movements around a joint. Three main sets of muscles are active when
you breathe normally: the intercostal muscles, the abdominal muscles,
and the respiratory diaphragm. – H. David Coulter, Anatomy of Hatha
Yoga © 2001 p 74
Primary Respiratory Muscles*
Diaphragm – responsible for 75% of all respiratory effort
Intercostals (muscles between the ribs)
See note below regarding how some sources classify abdominals as
primary and some as accessory

Accessory Muscles for Inspiration

The accessory muscles for inhalation are helpers intended to be used for
short periods of time. These muscles tire more easily. See Leslie
Kaminoff's video of a person whose diaphragm is paralyzed and
therefore uses accessory muscles to breathe.

Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) – prominent muscle at front of neck; moves

rib cage by pulling it upward at top of sternum
Scalenes – these muscles in neck are attached to cervical vertebrae;
can raise top ribs
Pectoralis Minor – when it contracts, it lifts ribs forward; moves when
inhaling & raising top part of chest
Pectoralis Major – lifts ribs mostly via lower muscle fibers at ribs 4
through 8; raises sternum by opening lower ribs outward
Serratus Anterior – pulls ribs back & out, raising ribs in larger, lateral
movement

Muscles for Expiration (Whether Termed Primary

or Accessory)*
Rectus Abdominis
Transversus Abdominis
Internal Obliques
External Obliques
Pelvic Floor
Quadratus Lumborum
*Some sources, including Donna Farhi in The Breathing Book © 1996 classify the
abdominals as primary muscles of respiration (p 51). In the Anatomy of Breathing ©
2006 Calais-Germain describes the diaphragm as the "primary inspiratory muscle" (p
80) but doesn't distinguish between primary and accessory muscles of expiration (p
96). In Anatomy of Hatha Yoga © 2001, H. David Coulter doesn't use the terms
primary and accessory but in the quote above he includes abdominals in the "main
sets of muscles" along with intercostals and diaphragm (p 74).

The Nose
The Nose Warms, Humidifies & Cleans Air Before
it Reaches Lungs

Both ways of breathing—through the nose and through the mouth—are

possible, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. When you
breathe through the nose, the air is warmed up and humidified; cleaned
of dust particles; and cleaned of bacteria. Thus, the air that reaches the
lungs is warm, purified, and of good quality. From this point of view, it
is better to breathe through the nose... It's easier to do deeper
breathing through the mouth... When inhaling or exhaling through the
mouth, you can also vary the airflow more easily than when you breathe
through the nose. – Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of Breathing ©
2006 p 77

Nasal Cycle
Ancient yogis detected what scientists now refer to as the nasal cycle.
Humans (and other animals) cycle alternately from breathing through
one nostril to breathing through the other, for periods ranging from a
few minutes to a few hours. This pattern continues even during sleep. In
one area of investigation, yogis compared the effects of left-nostril
breathing, right-nostril breathing, and breathing through both
simultanesously... More and more scientific research is supporting th
notion that breathing through different nostrils has very different
effects on the body. – Timothy McCall, Yoga as Medicine © 2007 p 62

Tubes in the nose moisten air from the in-breath and fine hairs filter it.
People from hot, moist climates tend to have shorter noses with large
nostrils as the air needs little preparation; people from cold regions tend
to have long, wide noses to warm the air.
The right nostril corresponds to the left side of the brain (which governs
thinking, intellect, and reason) and is connected to the sympathetic
nervous system.
The left nostril corresponds to the right side of the brain (responsible for
feelings and intuition) and triggers the parasympathetic nervous
system.
See Nadi Sodana/Anuloma Viloma Pranayama for more information.

The Lungs

Lungs have five lobes: three in the right lung (upper, middle & lower
lobes) and two in the left (upper & lower lobes).
Because lungs are pear-shaped, the fill capacity of the upper lungs is
less than the lower.
With a full inhalation, air reaches the lower lungs where, according to
one source, there is more blood available for oxygen exchange.
(Mukunda Stiles quoting John Douillard)

The Diaphragm

Irregular Dome Shape; Top Higher than Bottom; More Developed

at Back
The diaphragm is a large muscular and fibrous wall which
simultaneously separates and connects the thorax and the abdomen....
It is shaped like a large, irregular dome, which is very thin and more
developed at the back than at the front... Its edges are attached to the
internal outline of the rib cage. The top of the dome is situated... slightly
higher than the xiphoid process... The base... corresponds to the level of
the waist. As you can see, the levels at which the diaphragm attach to
the trunk are very different. – Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of
Breathing © 2006 p 80

Nipple to Navel; Shaped by Organs it Encloses, Right Dome

Higher from Liver Pushing Up, Left Lower from Heart Pushing
Down
Its structure extends through a wide section of the body—the
uppermost part reaches the space between the third and fourth ribs,
and its lowest fibers attach to the front of the third lumbar vertebra;
"nipple to navel" is one way to describe it. The deeply domed shape of
the diaphragm has evoked many images. Some of the most common are
a mushroom, a jellyfish, a parachute, and a helmet. It's important to
note that the shape of the diaphragm is created by the organs it
encloses and supports. Deprived of its relationship with those organs,
its dome would collapse, much like a stocking cap without a head in it.
It also has an asymmetrical double-dome shape, with the right dome
rising higher than the left because the liver pushes up from below the
right dome, and the heart pushes down form the left dome. – Leslie
Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy © 2007 p 7

In Normal Breathing, Diaphragm's Movement Causes Belly to

Puff Out & Move Back In
In a normal, healthy breath, the abdomen tends to puff out as you
inhale. As the diaphragm moves down to allow more room for the lungs
to fill, the abdominal organs get gently compressed and the belly tends
to move out. Then when you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and moves
back up and the belly tends to move in a bit. – Timothy McCall, Yoga as
Medicine © 2007 p 55

How the Diaphragm & Lungs Work

When relaxed, the diaphragm curves upward like a dome. When it

contracts, it shortens and flattens, pushing on the digestive organs
below and lengthening the chest cavity above. This expansion of the
chest cavity draws air into the lungs. The lungs have no capacity to
expand or contract on their own. They simply respond to the size and
shape of their container, the chest cavity. When it expands, the lungs
inflate and air rushes in to fill the vacuum. When the container shrinks,
the lungs are compressed and air is pushed out. – Julie Gudmestad,
Yoga Journal, Breathing Room

The diaphragm is a muscle. As with other muscles, the diaphragm can

become tight or weak.
It is a dome-shaped muscle that separates the thoracic & abdominal
cavities.
Like the heart, the diaphragm works without break.
When the diaphragm moves fully with the breath, Donna Farhi notes
that nearby organs are "massaged, rolled, churned, and bathed in new
blood, fluids, and oxygen." These organs that move with the diaphragm
include the heart, lungs, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, small
intestine, liver and spleen. (The Breathing Book © 1996 pg. 53)
When the abdomen is chronically tightened, the diaphragm is unable to
move downward and secondary muscles are recruited. Using the
secondary muscles – designed for short-term use – for regular deep
breathing is tiring and ineffective.
If the diaphragm is tight, weak, or unable to move freely, it can affect
stress level, circulation, emotions, digestion & spinal stability. (Building
a Courageous Embody Map Starring the Diaphragm)

Intercostals
The external intercostal muscles run between the ribs in the same
direction as the most external sheet of abdominal muscles; they lift and
expand the rib cage for inhalation, like the movement of an old-
fashioned pump handle as it is lifted up from its resting position. The
internal intercostal muscles run at right angles to the external layer;
they pull the ribs closer together as well as down and in for exhalation
(usually a forced exhalation). – H. David Coulter, Anatomy of Hatha
Yoga © 2001 p 75

Rib movement is caused by muscles between the ribs, called the

internal and external intercostals.
With an inhalation, the intercostals open to expand the ribs and
increase space for the lungs.
They contract during an exhalation.
When these muscles are tight, movement of the rib cage is restricted,
and therefore so is the breath.Elongating the intercostal muscles
improves breathing.

The Abdominals
The [abdominal] muscles shorten concentrically, pressing the abdominal
wall inward, which in turn pushes the abdominal organs up against the
relaxed (or relaxing) diaphragm. In combination with the action of the
internal intercostal muscles, this forcibly decreases the size of the chest
cavity and pushes air out of the lungs... In yoga the abdominal muscles
are important for what yogis refer to as even breathing, and they are
also key elements for many breathing exercises. – H. David Coulter,
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga © 2001 p 76

See Conscious Exhalation: Progressively Contracting Abdominals below for more

information.

Anatomy of Breathing in
Yoga
Increasing Respiratory Efficiency

The practices of working with the breath to strengthen and extend

respiration are the preliminary methods of yoga breathing culminating
in pranayama. These exercises begin with simple breathing methods
such as those a respiratory therapist might use for the alleviation of
symptoms of shortness of breath or to develop a greater vital capacity in
the lungs. These are quite powerful practices, given that most people
breath with as little as 25 percent of their respiratory capacity. Just to
increase respiratory efficiency can give a tremendous relief to the vital
organs, which have been starved for oxygen and pervaded with the
waste gas, carbon dioxide. It's no wonder that just learning how to take
deeper, fuller breaths efficiently and on a regular basis can have an
uplifting effect on all the physiological systems. – Mukunda Stiles,
Structural Yoga Therapy © 2000 p 48

Conscious Exhalation: Contracting Abdominals

Progressively
Like all movement in the body, the mechanics of breathing are related
to muscular contraction; and inhalation is specifically initiated as a
result of the contraction of the intercostal muscles (the muscles
between the ribs) and the diaphragm... Where inhalation is a function of
muscular contraction, the normal unconscious exhalation is the result of
the relaxation of the muscles responsible for inhalation... Conscious use
of exhalation in asana practice does not follow this natural process.
Instead, rather than simply relaxing the muscles contracted to create
the inhalation, we intentionally contract the abdominal muscles
progressively from the public bone to the navel. This contraction is
initiated at the rectus abdominis, and then engages both the obliques
and transverse abdominis. In certain circumstances, we may also
intentionally contract the superficial and deep musculature of the
perineal floor... This action stabilizes the pelvic- lumbar relationship,
creates more structural stability, helps in flattening of lumbar lordosis,
and, when there is contraction of all the muscles [of the perineal floor],
it also supports the organs of the pelvis and lower abdomen – Gary
Kraftsow, Yoga for Wellness © 1999 pgs 8 & 10

Strengthening Primary Muscles + Deepening into

the Back
With yoga training, the contractions [of abdominal muscles
during exhalation] will be felt like a reverse wave from the
bottom of the abdomen toward the chest. This action is made
possible by toning the centrally located rectus abdominis
muscles. It is assisted in breathing by the tone of the lateral
abdominals, the abdominus oblique internus and externus,
and the abdominus lateralis. During full expiration, the
diaphragm relaxes back to a dome shape, mildly compressing
the lungs and heart, while narrowing the rib cage. The rib
movements are caused by two sets of muscles between the
ribs: the internal and external intercostals...

During normal breath training these set of muscles—the

diaphragm, rectus abdominis, and the two sets of
intercostals—are strengthened and trained to move more air
in and out. This increases the quantity of circulating air within
the body (called the tidal volume) and diminishes the number
of breaths per minute...

It requires both practice and heightened awareness to train

your respiratory motions to reach your back. With persistence,
the breath can stimulate circulation to the kidneys, spleen,
and the adrenal glands located in the middle back... By
deepening your breath to your back, the diaphragm is
encouraged to extend downward, which, in turn, can facilitate
the opening of the lower lobes of the lung. – Mukunda Stiles,
Structural Yoga Therapy © 2000 p 50
Related to the teaching Mukunda Stiles shares above about expanding breath
movement into the back of the body, you may wish to view this 6-minute video
whereLeslie Kaminoff gives visual and sensory guidance regarding the anatomy in
the back of the body, guiding students toward feeling the backs of ribs and lungs.

Clavicular, Thoracic & Diaphragmatic Breathing

It surprises many people to learn that the lungs are not muscles.
Without help, they cannot move air in and out of the body. This fact lies
at the heart of breath instruction: Questions about how to breathe are
really questions about which muscles to use in order to expand the
lungs and draw air into them...The muscles of the neck and upper torso,
by themselves, have a relatively minor effect on breathing... The
isolated use of these muscles for breathing, called clavicular breathing,
is most commonly seen in people who have lung illnesses, such as
emphysema, that limit their ability to draw a deep breath.

The bands of muscle (the intercostal muscles) that lie between the ribs
account for about 20% of normal breathing...

After strenuous exercise nothing is more satisfying than to breathe

deeply with the mouth open and the chest heaving... Although there is a
certain logic to breathing with the chest muscles —that is where the
lungs are, after all—it is not helpful to use these muscles as the primary
tool for everyday breathing. Breathing primarily with the chest muscles
(thoracic breathing) makes breathing too labored. The effect is to
arouse the sympathetic nervous system and to maintain levels of tension
that sap energy and dramatically increase your susceptibility to
emotional disturbances. Overusing the chest muscles for breathing is a
subtle but major cause of physical and emotional distress.

Elements of both clavicular and thoracic breathing are found in normal

breathing, but the muscle naturally intended for expanding the lungs is
the diaphragm. – Rolf Sovik, Yoga International, Diaphragmatic
Breathing in 3 Key Yoga Poses

B.K.S. Iyengar: "Total or Pranayamic Breathing"

The sadhaka must first direct his awareness specifically at the lower
anterior abdominal wall just above the pelvis. To accomplish this, move
the lower abdominal wall towards the spine and against the diaphragm
as if massaging from the skin to the muscles and muscles to the inner
organs. This sense of active conscious contraction is associated with
visible movements of the abdominal wall from the surface skin to its
deepest layers and can be directed at will. After that, direct your
attention to expand the lateral and posterior regions of the chest.
Elevate the lower chest wall, simultaneously expanding the top chest
wall with its skin and muscles. The diaphragm gradually and smoothly
resumes its domed shape as it starts to relax towards the end of
inspiration. During exhalation the dome moves up again. It is active at
the start of expiration to encourage a smooth slow start to the elastic
recoil of the lungs. – B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Prãnãyãma © 2010 p 25

Erich Schiffman on Breathing

The inhalation starts with the gentle swelling forward of the abdomen
and then moves upward to expand the rib cage fully. The breastbone
rises and swells forward as the shoulder blades slide down your back.
These actions increase the distance between the top of the thighs and
the bottom of the ribs—the area of the your waist—and it is this
increased space that gives the diaphragm freedom to move. As you
exhale, allow the ribs to relax and come back to center without losing
the spinal length you achieved with the inhalation, and then gently pull
the abdomen inward. Breathe like this in all the poses throughout the
practice. – Erich Schiffman, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving
into Stillness © 1996 pg 56

Diaphragmatic Contraction Bulges Belly But Can

Also Expand Rib Cage

Just as you can think of the psoas as either a "leg mover" or a "trunk
mover," you can think of the diaphragm as either a "belly bulger" or a
"rib cage lifter." The muscular action of the diaphragm is most often
associated with a bulging movement in the upper abdomen, which is
commonly referred to as a "belly breath," but this is only the case if the
diaphragm's origin (the base of the rib cage) is stable and its insertion
(the central tendon) is mobile. If the central tendon is stabilized and the
ribs are free to move, a diaphragmatic contraction will cause an
expansion of the rib cage. This is a "chest breath," which many people
believe must be caused by the action of muscles other than the
diaphragm. – Leslie Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy © 2007 p 7

Diaphragmatic Breathing Distinctions: Beginner

vs Advanced

Many of us come to yoga as “chest breathers,” meaning we’re

accustomed to an unhealthy pattern of initiating the breath from the
chest, which can be agitating. When you fall into a pattern of isolated
upper-chest breathing, you grossly overuse muscles in the neck and
upper body (known as the accessory muscles of inspiration) and under-
use the diaphragm...

One type of breathing, however, strongly activates the upper torso yet
creates a full, deep pattern of breath. We’ll call it diaphragmatic rib
cage breathing, because it uses the diaphragm to lift and spread the
ribs on inhalation and ease them back down on exhalation, while
keeping the belly relatively still. Belly breathing, which massages the
abdominal organs more than rib cage breathing, often feels more
natural and soothing and is easier to learn. It’s an excellent introduction
to breath awareness for beginners and a good way to teach people to
calm themselves quickly, especially during an anxiety attack, because it
strongly discourages use of the accessory muscles of inspiration.

Diaphragmatic rib cage breathing is harder to learn, and it can stray

into inefficient, anxiety-promoting upper-chest breathing if done
incorrectly. But if performed properly, it is calming and much more
powerful for strengthening the diaphragm, deepening the inhalation,
stretching the lungs, and more effectively aerating all parts of the
lungs. It can even improve your backbends. – Roger Cole, Yoga Journal,
Your Best Breath for an Advanced Practice

Symptoms of Improper Breathing

 How Do You Know When You are Breathing Improperly?

In general, you'll feel a great deal of tension in your upper body. You'll
tend to accumulate tension in your neck and shoulders and between
your shoulder blades in your upper back. You may feel tension in your
jaw, facial muscles, and around your eyes, possibly in the form of a
headache. These are but a few of the symptoms of poor breathing,
which can be as extreme as the sensation of having a heart attack. No
passive massage or physical therapy will remedy this chronic tension for
it will be recapitulated the moment you continue breathing poorly. –
Donna Farhi, The Breathing Book © 1996 p 58

See Breathing Fundamentals for more information on Constricted

Breathing Patterns.

Breath Rates
The average unconscious resting or "normal" breath rate is 12 to 16
breaths per minute
At the average rate of 15 breaths per minute, we breathe over 20,000
times per day.
Simply instructing students to be aware of their breath will tend to
lower this rate to around 6 times per minute while advanced yogis drop
their breath rate to 4 or fewer per minute.
Another way awareness affects the breath, as noted by B.K.S. Iyengar
(Light on Pranayama © 2010), is that when we take a consciously deep
inhalation, we take in six times the amount of air than during average
respiration.
 Breathing Practices & Teachings
See Breathing Fundamentals for more information.
See the green bar on the upper left-side of page for a more complete
list of categories for study and teaching.

Sources & Resources

Briggs, Tony, Yoga Journal, Breathing Lessons
Calais-Germain, Blandine, Anatomy of Breathing
Cole, Roger, Yoga Journal, This is Your Body on Stress
Cole, Roger, Yoga Journal, Your Best Breath for an Advanced Practice
Coulter, H. David, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students,
Teachers, and Practitioners
Devi, Nischala Joy, The Healing Path of Yoga: © 2000, chapter 4
Dowd, Irene, Taking Root to Fly: Articles on Functional Anatomy
Farhi, Donna, The Breathing Book © 1996
Gudmestad, Julie, Yoga Journal, Breathing Room
Iyengar, BKS, Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing © 2010
Kaminoff, Leslie, Yoga Anatomy
Maehle, Gregor, Pranayama The Breath of Yoga © 2012
Mohan, A.G., Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind © 1993, chapter 6
O'Leary, Randall, YogiTimes, Ujjai Breath
Powers, Sarah, Insight Yoga © 2008, chapters 15 & 18
Rosen, Richad, Yoga Journal, Inhale, Exhale, Relax and Energize
Rosen, Richard, The Yoga of Breath: A Step-by-Step Guide to Pranayama
© 2002
Schiffman, Erich, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness ©
1996, chapter 6
Sovik, Rolf, Yoga International, Diaphragmatic Breathing in 3 Key Yoga
Poses
Sovik, Rolf, Yoga International, Diaphragmatic Breath Training (10 min
video)
Stephens, Mark, Teaching Yoga © 2010, chapter 8

See More Resources for topics related to breathing, prana and

pranayama that are beyond anatomy.