Life Force: Yoga relaxation techniques, alternating nasal breathing, and limb stretching

**II. The Breath of Life**

Regular yoga aims to create harmony and unity between mind and body. It calms our chaotic thoughts, like stilling ripples on a lake. It resolves inner conflicts and helps us fully realize our potential.

**Yoga Relaxation**

Whether before or after performing a posture, relaxation exercises must be performed, which should take about 10 minutes. Since different postures require different parts of the body to be relaxed and contracted, it is essential to give the body, mind, and life energy a full chance to circulate at the end.

Lift your right leg about 5 centimeters, tense your muscles, then relax and slowly lower your leg. Repeat with your left leg.

Raise your right hand about 5 centimeters, tighten your arm, then relax and slowly lower your hand. Repeat with your left hand.

Hand practice.

**Starting Action**:

Lie flat on your back with your legs spread about 50 centimeters apart and your toes pointing naturally outwards. Place your arms at your sides at a 45-degree angle to your body, relax your hands, and allow your fingers to curl slightly.

Adjust your breathing, making it slow and rhythmic.

Stand with your feet at least 50 centimeters apart.

Relax your feet.

Toes naturally pointing outwards

**[Self-Suggestion Method]{.underline}**

Start with your toes, imagine a feeling of relaxation rising from there; tell each toe to relax, and then relax your feet.

Move the feeling of relaxation upwards to your calves, knees, thighs, hips, and abdominal organs, telling these areas to relax.

Relax your hips and tell your back muscles to slowly release the tension, as if your whole body is sinking down, without needing to exert any force, relying entirely on the ground for support.

Relaxation comes to your chest; breathe slowly.

Relax your entire hand. The feeling of relaxation should rise up to your wrist, forearm, and upper arm.

Start by relaxing your shoulders, then move on to your neck and head.

Relax your entire face, including your scalp.

Finally, relax your mind and let go of all your worries. Maintain this relaxed state for about 5 minutes.

Lift and tighten your chest, then relax and return to the lying position.

Raise your shoulders and squeeze them together, then relax.

Slowly turn your head to the sides, making sure your ears touch the ground, and repeat 2 to 3 times.

**[Alternating nasal breathing]{.underline}**

The main benefit of this breathing technique is maintaining the health of the respiratory system. When practicing exhalation, the time should be twice that of inhalation to completely expel impurities and waste from the body. It is recommended to practice no more than 10 times per day.

First, you need to make the "Vishnu Mudra" with your right hand, pressing your thumb into your right nostril. When you exhale, try to completely expel the air from your lungs.

Press down on your right nostril, exhale completely through your left nostril, then inhale, counting to 4.

Press down on both nostrils and hold your breath, counting from 1 to 6.

Release your right nostril and slowly exhale, counting to 8 to exhale completely.

Press down on your left nostril and inhale through your right nostril, counting to 4.

Press one nostril closed and hold your breath until you count to 16.

Exhale through your left nostril while counting to 8; the action is complete.

Little finger and ring finger upwards

The middle and index fingers bend towards the palm.

Thumbs up

**Vishnu Mudra**

The index and middle fingers are bent towards the palm, the thumb is used to press the right nostril, and the ring and little fingers are used to press the left nostril.

**Number of Records**

Touch each knuckle in sequence with your left thumb; this can help record the number of repetitions.

Starting with the tip of your little finger, by the 10th repetition, your thumb should just touch the tip of your index finger.

**Limbs** **Body** **Extension** **Stretch**

Interlaced fingers mountain shape

Face down dog stretch

Hands behind the mountain formation 5; Hands behind the ox-face formation

1 1

Stabilize the mountain terrain

Relax facial muscles

Keep your shoulders level

Evenly stretch both sides of the waist

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Help suppress depression

Correcting incorrect posture strengthens the knee joint.

Moving both feet and correcting flat feet can relieve sciatica.

Tighten your kneecaps

**Benefits**:

Helps to combat depression and boost self-confidence

Enhanced stimulation of the abdomen, pelvis, trunk, and back can reduce arthritis.

Strengthen knee joints

stretch the back muscles

Raise the sternum

Raise your quadriceps

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Boosts self-confidence and helps combat depression and alleviate arthritis.

Stretching your shoulders, arms, wrists, and fingers helps strengthen your spine.

Strengthen and stimulate the trunk,

Back, abdomen, and pelvis extend from the heels to the toes

elbows back and down

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Relieve depression

Reduce cervical joint stiffness

Enhance the flexibility of the upper limbs, arms, elbows, and wrists; strengthen the knee joints.

Relieve sciatica

Correcting flat feet

[**Benefits** **Placement** **:**]{.underline}

Boosts self-confidence and helps combat depression and reduce neck stiffness.

Open the chest cavity to improve breathing

Do not hunch your back

Tighten the tailbone

---Keep both legs straight up

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Such regular practice can suppress depression, treat insomnia, and relieve fatigue.

Enhances blood circulation to the brain, soothes brain cells, and regulates blood pressure.

Relieve migraines and stress-induced headaches; strengthen abdominal organs.

Forearm skin rotates upward

palm down

Pressed on the stone

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Strengthens and soothes the nervous system, helping to relieve depression and tension.

Helps relieve chronic constipation, indigestion, and excessive bile secretion.

Relieve arthritis in the shoulders, wrists, and fingers.

Relieve lower back pain

Improve flexibility in the hip, knee, and ankle joints, and strengthen the hamstrings.

Calculate knee cartilage or leg muscle damage caused by jogging, walking, or other sports; strengthen the arch of the foot and protect the heel.

Lift the kneecap

Stretch your heels backward and lift your inner ankles

Press your feet down onto the floor

Make sure your hands and head are in a horizontal line.

Keep the head and neck under stress

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Boosts self-confidence and helps suppress depression, calming the brain and sympathetic nervous system.

Strengthen the heart and lungs

Relieve stress-induced headaches, migraines, and fatigue; reduce lower back pain.

Strengthening the knee joints and softening the hip joints regulates menstrual flow.

Extend your arms from your elbows to your shoulders.

**Benefits** **Functions**:

Strengthen abdominal organs

Stimulates digestion and relieves gastritis, excessive stomach acid, and flatulence.

Strengthen pelvic organs and correct the negative effects of prolonged sitting or incorrect posture.

Relieve back pain

Relieves stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and knees; strengthens ligaments in the arms and legs.

Do not tilt your head.

Open the armpit

Right shoulder supports the body

Stretch and relax your toes

Contract your quadriceps to lift your kneecap