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even 10-15 breaths, one will immediately get nervous and jumpy, for it gives an immediate jolt of adrenaline causing the fight or flight reaction. It is usually seen only in a state of acute anxiety.
Yogic breathing In daily life one is subjected to a wide variety of situations that demand appropriate physical and mental responses. This can be observed in the changing intensity of the breathing patterns described above. The practice of yogic breathing enables one to experience the complete range of each breathing mode. This increases ventilation, as the lungs are completely filled with air and all the lobes are expanded, and bestows the numerous benefits of deep, fully-controlled breathing. As one exerts more control over the breathing process, it becomes possible to control the finer details of the mental process.
In yogic breathing, while inhaling, the lower lobes of the lungs are filled first, extending the diaphragm downward into the abdominal cavity and pushing the abdominal muscles outward. This is followed by thoracic breathing, which fills the middle lobes of the lungs, and creates an outward and upward movement of the ribcage. The inhalation is completed with clavicular breathing, which fills the upper lobes of the lungs, using the accessory muscles in the neck and shoulder girdle to further lift the ribcage.
The exhalation is the exact reverse of this process, with a combination of diaphragmatic and thoracic compression of the lungs to complete the expulsion of air. Contraction of the intercostals moves the ribcage inwards and relaxation of the abdominal muscles allows the abdominal contents to move upwards against the relaxed diaphragm muscle, producing the final expulsion of air. The lungs are stretched to maximum capacity on both inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation commences in the lower lobes of the lungs and is completed in the upper lobes. In exhalation the process is reversed. All the stale air is expelled with each outgoing
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