Abdominal breathing is the most important and basic way of breathing in yoga. It is the basis of learning other breathing methods, which can be accomplished by increasing the activity of diaphragm and reducing the movement of chest.

Abdominal breathing can be divided into forward breathing and reverse breathing. Breathing forward refers to the slight expansion of abdominal muscles when inhaling, inhaling as deeply as possible under the premise of feeling comfortable, and contracting muscles when exhaling. Reverse breathing is the opposite of forward breathing, that is, gently contract the abdominal muscles when inhaling and then relax when exhaling.

Abdominal breathing is mainly diaphragmatic movement, and the upper and lower thoracic diameter increases when inhaling. Normal abdominal breathing takes about 10- 15 seconds, and you can inhale about 500 ml of air. During abdominal breathing, the diaphragm will drop and the abdominal pressure will increase. It feels as if air has entered the abdomen directly. At this time, if you put your hand on your navel, you will feel your hand slightly lifting up and down.

Extended data:

Abdominal breathing can expand vital capacity and improve cardiopulmonary function. It can expand the chest to the maximum extent, make the alveoli in the lower part of the lung expand and contract, let more oxygen enter the lungs, and improve the cardiopulmonary function.

Improve the function of abdominal organs. It can improve the function of spleen and stomach, and is beneficial to soothing the liver and benefiting the gallbladder. Abdominal breathing can reduce blood pressure by reducing abdominal pressure, which is very beneficial to patients with hypertension.

Baidu encyclopedia-abdominal breathing