Exhale on exertion, is the axiom of the weight-lifter. In other words, exhale on the hard part. Take that deep breath, and release the breath as you lift.
For yoga breathing is reversed. You breathe in on the hard part, breathe out on the easy… on the relaxation. Breathing out is for the letting-go. Practice this during your workouts until breathing correctly becomes instinctual.
Either way, you breathe. Don’t hold your breath. If you hold your breath you’re not going to last long, or ever discover greater capacity. But if you breath well you’ll find you can last much much longer, burn more calories, and expand your cardiovascular strength in leaps and bounds.
And! And! It alters your breathing for the better in regular life. You’ve learned to breath more economically. And that knowledge of breathing assists you in averting stress during rush-hour traffic, or when lugging groceries up the stairs….
Come learn to breath at yoga this Friday. And Abs on Saturday. Those are the last 2 classes of the year. The classes start up again with Weight-lifting Tuesday on Jan. 2.
Ciao, Pietro.
petergault.ca