sun b

[Guest guest]

does anyone have a good tip for getting from down dog to warrior and back down

all in one inhale and exhale?

[Guest guest]

Er, breathe slower?<br><br>Sorry, that's one of

those flippant-but-true answers. It's basically the

answer I got from David Swenson when I asked him the

same question at a workshop. It isn't easy, it comes

with time & practice.<br><br>Alternatively, John Scott

says (I think, I don't have his book in front of me)

that it's ok for beginners to take an extra breath,

which would be inhale foot forward, exhale, inhale

stand up. But if you do it like that you might just

slow down the process of learning to do it properly.

[Guest guest]

I think Alan is right: the advice to breathe

slower may sound flippant, but it's the best way to get

from Downward Dog to Warrior I & back down in 1

inhale/1 exhale.<br><br>You should direct your efforts at

stretching the breath by means of the ujjayi technique. Draw

each breath in from the back of the throat, so that,

as a result, the airflow is increased. Pay attention

at keeping the glottis open at all times during the

inhalation / exhalation cycle: if you close your glottis,

you are in fact holding your breath. Don't upset your

fellow practitioners in class with unsuitable grunting

noises, since this may indicate that you have the glottis

locked closed.<br><br>Aim at equalizing both the length

and the intensity of each inhalation & exhalation. As

a beginner (here's one!) it may be easier for you

to achieve a longer exhalation, rather than an

equally long inhalation. So, your job now is to stretch

the breath by lengthening the inhalation, in order to

match that of the exhalation.<br><br>When doing Sun

Salute B, stretch your exhalation from the point of

coming into Downward Dog until you step the right/left

foot forward between your hands, and ONLY AFTER having

stepped your foot forward, you should start with the

inhalation by coming up into Warrior I.<br><br>According to

John Scott, "the result of stretching the breath is

the stretching of the body". But, you could equally

say that the result of stretching the body is the

stretching of the breath. So, with time & regular Astanga

practice, it might become easier to get that

breath/movement synchronicity right at last.<br><br>Good luck

then.