You can tell how hard the steam engine is working if you listen to the sound of the steam.
The steam engine was puffing away. When it went up hill it would puff harder and harder. When it went down hill it was puffing gently. When it was on the flat it was puffing at a steady and easy rate.
The puffing of the steam engine is the same as your breath in yoga and like the steam engine it tells you how hard you are working in your yoga pose.
To understand the relationship between the Edge and your breath first let’s look at your breath when you do a yoga pose.
What kind of breathing do you do in yoga?
There is a particular kind of breathing that you do when you do yoga. You breathe at a deliberate pace. Neither too fast nor too slow. You breathe with your mouth shut and your throat slightly restricted so that you can hear and feel your breath flowing in and out at the back of your throat.
You have to pay attention to your breath as you breathe in and out during your yoga practice.
Once you become well practised at breathing during your yoga practice you can use the quality of your breath to find out where you are in relation to your Edge. Before we check out your breath during a yoga pose we need to understand what your Edge is.
What is the Edge?
The Edge is the healthy limit of your body’s flexibility.
Coming into a stretch, you subject your muscles to a force that pulls them back into alignment and stretches them. As the stretch reaches its maximum you subject your muscles tissue to a healthy stress that releases tension in the muscles and stimulates the body to expand its range of motion. It is at this point that you feel comfortable with the stretch and at the same time challenged by the stretch.
This is your Edge.
If you go beyond the Edge then tension and pain start to build in the body and you can possibly injure yourself. It now becomes an uncomfortable place to be and you do not want to stay in the stretch for very long.
If you stay away from the Edge and do not come close to it then you are feeling completely relaxed and while there will little possibility of injury in this position there will be no increase in flexibility either. This is a very comfortable place to be but no improvement is happening.
The interesting thing about the Edge is that it moves. Gradually over time the longer you hold yourself at the Edge in a yoga pose you will become slightly more flexible and your Edge will have moved a little further away.
With the steam engine you can tell by the sound of the steam how easy or hard it is working, it is the same with your breath when you do a yoga pose.
Your breathing can tell you how close you are to your Edge
If you check your breath you can easily tell where you are compared to your Edge.
Is your breathing too hard, too soft or just right.
If you check your breath you can easily tell where you are compared to your Edge. Is your breathing too hard, too soft or just right.
Too Hard
If you are holding your breath or your breath is harsh or you are breathing rapidly and shallowly then you have gone too far into the pose. Your breath is telling you that you have gone beyond your Edge and that your muscles and joints are in danger of being injured. You are like the steam engine pulling the freight train up a steep hill. You are trying too hard.
Too Soft
If you are breathing easily and freely then you have not gone far enough into the pose. Your breath is telling you that you are too far away from the edge. You are like the steam engine when it is coasting down hill. Everything is well within its control and there is no challenge.
Just Right
If there is a challenge to your breath but it has the same smooth qualities as when you are at rest then you are approaching your edge. You are like the steam engine that is going up a moderate incline. There is a challenge here but you are not at risk of injuring yourself.
By using your breath to help you find your Edge you will discover a couple of things about your yoga practice.
Why find your edge?
Once you find your Edge and practise your yoga poses at the Edge and not beyond it you will achieve a couple of things.
Avoid Injury
You will avoid injuring yourself by staying at the Edge and not going beyond it. It is at the Edge that you can safely place maximum stress on your muscles and joints without injuring them. You can also stay in the pose for an extended period of time without risk of injury as well.
Advance your practice
By using your breath to help you find your Edge, you are able to rapidly improve your flexibility. Once you reach your Edge you can use your breath to help determine when it is safe to move a little further with your stretching. As your breathing becomes easier, you can move a little deeper into the pose and stretch some more.
Summary
Like the steam engine you can use your breath to find out where you are relative to your Edge. By monitoring your breath you can hold yourself at your Edge in the yoga pose and avoid injury while increasing your flexibility.
Next Step
Check your breath out the next time you do your yoga practice. Are you a steam engine struggling up hill or are you approaching your Edge comfortably and with control.
Additional Reading
To find out more about the Edge read Goldilocks and the three bears find the edge
To find out more about your breath read How the Ujjayi breath improves your yoga practice
