How to Properly Breathe During Balasana

Many yoga teachers (myself included) often find that Balasana is the hardest move for their students to master. It is difficult because the knee joints are held in a straight position for a very long time. This forces your body to open up, breath better and become more flexible and mobile.

There are three major variations of Balasana. In the half-moon, the knee is raised up towards the head with the legs as well. In the full-moon, the knee is lifted up and down in an up-and-down motion. Finally, the full-hip Balasana is when the knees are outwards, but not fully extended.

As you can see, the variation does help improve your mobility, but it does not address the problem of proper breathing. I have seen many beginners struggle to breathe during this pose. The most important thing you need to know is how to breathe correctly so that you do not choke or hyperventilate during Balasana.

I like to start by getting my student in a comfortable position, which requires good flexibility. Next, I focus on their alignment and loosen up their shoulder blades. With the shoulders on a level with the feet, I turn my face away from the body so that I am looking at the sky.

I breathe slowly through my nose (using the lower diaphragm) and out my mouth (using the upper diaphragm). The idea is to get my entire body relaxed so that my upper body will collapse to the lower body and I will be able to release my tension. I am sure there are many variations of Balasana, but the one I use the most is the half-moon position.

I then turn my back to the ceiling, sit up and look at my head and shoulders beforeI inhale. I inhale through my mouth and feel my stomach expand slightly. The breath fills my belly and gives me a good feeling from my lower belly down to my groin.

When I exhale, my chest area and shoulders are held up. The movement in the direction of the sky flows naturally through my body, because I was forced to use my lower abdomen muscles to hold my shoulder blades up and open my chest. Once I am in this position, I then take a few breaths.

Once I exhale, I naturally have to close my eyes. I have to maintain my breath so that my diaphragm cannot go back. Once I get used to this, I can safely focus on my breath and open my eyes at the end of the pose.