Using Makarasana To Ground The Breath: By Experiencing The Fullness Of The Diaphragm

Today we will discuss how the essence of a pose or asana itself can create the conditions for grounding. Although Part 4 of Alignment Yoga Quadrivium studies the components of 'How To Breathe', the 'How To Ground' principles must also include the attention to the breath. That is Number 1: Are you observing your inhale? Are you observing your exhale? Are you observing the space between the inhalation and the exhalation? The best pose to connect with the observation of breath is Makarasana, or Crocodile pose.
In this prone position reclining pose you lay one hand gently on top of the other hand, widening the elbows like wings as you sink both the 'Third Eye' and stomache into the comfort of the earth. Now, the legs can be internally or externally rotated, but for our purposes, in accordance with the principle of 'Grounding The Breath', we will externally rotate our legs. So the heels and ankles are angled in toward the midline of the body. This allows The Frontal Hip Points; the protrusion points you can touch on both the right and left side of the pelvis, to connect also to the earth. From that point of connection we are able to access the fullness of The Diaphragm. Here, after cue-ing the parts of the body that are touching the earth, and identifying how and where those parts should be touching, the wise teacher then tells the student about the movement of The Diaphragm, so on the Inhale, the C shaped dome descends into the pelvis, opening up a vacuum within the lung cavity for breath to enter. Then, upon exhalation, the C shaped dome ascends, expelling every last drop of breath from the inner cavity of the body. Finally, the feet should be active and flexed in our Grounding version of Makarasana. No floppy feet! Your feet steer even in a reclined position.

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