The breath should be used to move you from one posture to the other- most attention is paid to the breath during the transitions. When holding a pose it is important to continue breathing normally, the only point where the breath is retained is in plank pose. In combining breathing with the movements, always inhale when you stretch upwards and exhale when stretching downwards. For example, moving from arching back to bending forwards exhales helps to deepen the pose, if you go against the flow and inhale during forwarding bends you will feel unnatural because your chest, diaphragm, and abdomen lifts up and expands during inhalations whereas and you need it to hollow down so you have the space to fold downwards. Thus, the breath not only guides the movements it also helps to ensure that the pose is performed fully bringing together all aspects of the body.
Our fitness booster yoga program is taught in the sequence of sun salutations, we vary the pace and intensity of the poses depending on our clients but this fluid movement helps us increase the heart rate, challenge our stamina and improve our strength and flexibility. We will use the traditional Surya Namaskar to start the class before adding variations to focus on different areas of the body such as the hips, legs, arms and core, all in all, a work out is guaranteed!
