Hot Breath!

Q: In Hot 26 class, sometimes you are told to let the belly rise and fall and sometimes told to suck in the stomach. Which is best? - Alan, Hot Yoga practitioner

A: The answer is...both!  It all depends on the Hot 26 Yoga pose you are doing.

The key is to take deep breaths and there are two ways to do that. When your belly rises and falls, you are doing deep abdomino-diaphramgmatic breathing; and yet, you can also breathe deeply with a sucked in stomach.  
 
In abdomino-diaphragmatic breathing, the diaphragm contracts and moves down into the abdominal space, pushing the organs downward. As a result, your belly moves out.
 
At the same time your lungs move with the diaphragm to draw the air in. In abdomino-diaphragmatic breathing there is not much outward expansion of the ribcage. This deep breathing technique is used in Savasana.
  
There is another deep breathing technique in Hot 26 Yoga, where you are told to suck your belly in. Done properly, this breath will expand your chest more fully and improve the tone of your breathing muscles. 

When you suck your tummy in, the abdominal organs push up against the diaphragm exerting hydraulic pressure.  As you inhale, the diaphragm contracts, and instead of it moving down to push out the belly, its outer sides will move up and cause the ribcage to expand. The lungs will expand in an all-round outward direction.  
  
The differences in your diaphragm’s movements create breathing techniques that maximize the benefits of each Hot 26 Yoga pose.
 
For example, in a forward bend, where the belly is compressed, expanding your lungs is most important.  The more you can open the space in your ribcage, the better your breathing, your poses, your practice.

Expanding the ribcage is also important in backbends, where your belly and whole torso are extended, making it impossible to breathe into your belly; so you are moving your ribs outward in all directions.

You can't use one breathing technique for all the Hot 26 all poses. But always aim to move your breath away from the top of the lungs and bring it downward into a calmer, healing space. Listen closely as your Hot 26 Yoga teacher will guide you to the breathing appropriate for the pose, and help you make fine adjustments to expand your breath and your practice.