Yoga does this through both posture and breathing. A slumping posture pushes the bottom ribs into the abdomen, restricting rib movement and further limiting the amount of air taken in. If you don’t bring a good amount of air to the base of the lungs, you compromise the ability to replenish this blood-rich area with oxygen and remove gaseous waste products. The better posture that yoga encourages will open the region of the lower ribs, and learning to use the abdominal muscles to exhale more fully will allow you to take in more air on the subsequent breath. (Source Timothy McCall, M.D.)
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Resources
Reading Room
- Autobiography of a Yogi
- Bikram Yoga, Bikram Choudhury's Book
- Bringing Yoga To Life – The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living – by Donna Farhi
- Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
- Foundation
- Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, Symbols, Secrets & Metaphors
- In An Unspoken Voice – How The Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness – by Peter Levine
- Intuition, Knowing Beyond Logic by Osho
- Live in a Better Way by Dalai Lama
- Living, Loving & Learning by Leo Buscaglia
- Striking Thoughts – Wisdom for Daily Living – by Bruce Lee
- The Deeper Dimension of Yoga by George Feuerstein
- The Four Agreements
- The Four Elements of Change
- The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikarchar
- The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
- The Reflective Life by Ken Gire
- The Sacred Yes
- The Seeker's Guide – Making Your Life A Spiritual Adventure
- The Untethered Soul
- The Way We're Working Isn't Working by Tony Schwartz
- The Wisdom of Insecurity
- Yoga & Ayurveda, Self-Healing & Self-Realization by David Frawley
- Yoga Gems by Georg Feuerstein
Movies