Ardha Ha: Seated Forward Folds

(waves splashing) So this third technique is called ardha ha jathara bhedana. Ardha is half and ha is now compressive or active and jathara abdomen, bhedana is breathing. So now we little bit changed the technique. Now there's three marmas. There's Kandasthana, means it's the perineum.

And then there is Madhya kanistha amsa, which is the center of the armpit. So energetically when you start breathing, inhale, breathe from the perineum to the armpits. And when you do exhalation, from the armpits back to the perineum, so it's kind of a upside down triangle, your breathing. So let's try a couple of times. So inhale, start energetically breathing from the perineum, breathe to the center of the armpits.

And exhale back to the perineum. Do it couple of times on our own. Inhale, exhale, so what happens now is when you do the inhalation sides of the trunk move up and out. And when you do exhale, sides of the trunk move in and down. So it's kind of lateral breathing.

You're breathing with the sides now. And when you're breathing through the sides, if you offset the movement of the abdomen, it has changed now. So inhale, belly is moving in and up and exhale, it's moving down and out. So movement of the abdomen is now opposite comparing to these two other techniques what we did previously. And because this is ardha ha jathara bhedana, we still control the dome of the diaphragm.

We try to keep that still, so that there's no much movement on the dome of the diaphragm. And this breathing technique is quite good for the postures on the mat. So called sitting postures. So the postures that you do sitting down or lying down. So this is good breathing technique.

Because it's active, but because there's control of the dome of the diaphragm, it's not really that way more intense way active than when you do the standing postures. We're gonna do the paschimottanasana now together. So sit down, dandasana, bring feet, flex the foot pushing your heel forward, ball of the big toe forward, hands next to the hips. Inhale, lift arms up, little fingers side up, and exhale keep the spine long, fall forward, take the shins, or take your feet. You can use the strap also, take the strap put it against the balls of the foot and then take the strap.

Inhale, open chest and exhale, relax shoulders and neck. And now shift the focus on the breathing. So when you start inhalation, start it from the perineum, breathe to your armpits, and exhale from the armpits back to the perineum. Inhale, lower abdomen is moving in and up. Exhale, it's moving down and out.

Inhale, sides of the trunk moving out, and up, and exhale sides moving in and down towards the perineum. And the dome of the diaphragm is still. So try to keep the floating ribs and the space between the diaphragm and lungs keep it a little bit controlled. Hold the breathing in asana. Few times more.

Try to keep the mind connected to the breathing. So mind is observing the breathing, but also try to bring the breathing into the mind. So breathe with your mind along with the physical breathe. Then inhale, look up, arms up, and exhale. Hands down.

This is ardha ha jathara bhedana. Thank you.