I’ve been teaching Lion’s pose recently and noticed that people were more chatty and energetic after class. This is a seated posture incorporating a powerful breathing technique.

When you look up the benefits of this pose, it says that it helps to improve your communication and bring shy people out of their shell. It certainly gives people more to talk about afterwards, as you make a very expressive face (sticking your tongue out and rolling your eyes back) and make a loud sound!

Other benefits include strengthening the throat, preventing ear problems and even warding off colds! It’s also one of the common exercises used in face yoga as it strengthens the facial muscles and throat. It’s said to maintain your jaw line and prevent sagginess.

Personally, I’ve found that it’s a great for eradicating feeling of lethargy and sluggishness as it’s very stimulating. Due to the use of a strong outbreath with a roaring sound, it’s a great way to release pent up emotion and tension too!

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a classic fifteenth century Sanskrit manual on yoga, says that Simhasana ‘is held in great esteem by the highest yogis. This most excellent asana facilitates the three bandhas’.

The traditional seated position used in Simhasana induces the three major Bandhas or locks. Bandhas are used to control the flow of energy and prevent prana from dissipating. They are therefore sometimes translated as 'seals'. When all three locks are engaged, it’s called ‘Maha Bandha’ or the great lock. In yoga Maha Bandha is highly regarded and recommended.

In a culture where it’s deemed important to look cool and beautiful, this technique might put some people off. It usually sets off some giggling in the class! With this impressive list of the positive benefits of Simhasana, I think it’s worth risking looking a bit strange or foolish.

So next time you’re in need of a little pick me up or feeling a bit stressed, try using your lion/lioness power! I recommend doing this in a private place, not because you might look weird but it might scare people!!

Learning how to breathe properly is an essential part of yoga practice. Breath is often said to be the link between the mind and the body and yogis have always placed a great emphasis on the importance of the breath.

Breathing practice or Pranayama is the fourth limb of the eight limb of yoga called Raja yoga and encompasses the whole aspects of the yoga practice. The book of Hatha Yoga Pradipika demonstrates the essential role that the breath plays on the mental and physical wellbeing of the practitioner:

‘When the breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. When the breath is steady, the mind is steady, and the yogi becomes steady…’.

There are lots of different breathing techniques but you don’t necessarily need to use complicated breathing methods to gain benefit. In fact, if you’re new to breathing practice, it’s best to start by simply noticing the breath and finding out how you tend to breathe. Breathing is a semi-automatic system so it’s possible to breathe in an erratic and even in a stressful way without you noticing.

Due to modern day stress, many people have learnt to breathe in a shallow and fast way all of the time. This way of breathing encourages the sympathetic nervous system to trigger and cause unnecessary stress and tension in the mind and the body. Most noticeably, the secondary breathing muscles, the neck and the shoulders, become chronically tight and cause you to feel stressed and on the edge for no reason.

A simple breathing technique called 'diaphragmatic breathing' can help to re-train the body to breathe from the primary breathing muscles which helps to calm and aid relaxation. If you find it difficult to breathe in this way, try placing your hands on the diaphragm as this is a great way to direct the breath from the right place. Another technique is to concentrate on the exhalation of your breath as it will naturally encourage your inhalation become deeper. Make sure that you gradually lengthen and deepen the breath and try to avoid straining as this will be counter productive.

Spending several minutes preparing the breath before you begin your asana (posture) practice can really help to tune and open your breath. It also encourages you to stay in the present moment and help you to concentrate. If you find it difficult to sit in an upright position, you can always choose to lie down or sit on a chair or a cushion as it’s crucial to have your chest opened and your spine lengthened.

I have personally found that breathing properly has helped me to stay relaxed and grounded, helping me to progress within my yoga practice and provided me an excellent tool to cope with challenges in my everyday life.

If you’re interested in exploring your breathing further, I recommend that you read Donna Farhi’s ‘The Breathing Book’.