How To Breathe in Yoga - Science & the Philosophy

✍️ Science of Breathing – Course Overview In the yoga world, everyone talks about the breath. We cue it. We script it. We even claim it “leads the practice.” But how many of us actually understand it? This course isn’t just a refresher on anatomy. It’s a reintroduction to yoga. We begin where ancient yogis began — not with scientific diagrams, but with the breath as a sacred force. We look at why movement should follow breath (not the other way around), why nasal breathing is the forgotten foundation of yoga, and why the pause between inhale and exhale may be the most yogic moment of all. You’ll revisit your understanding of pranayama — not as a set of tricks or ratios, but as a nervous system practice grounded in both ancient wisdom and modern evidence. But this isn’t just philosophy. We’ll dive deep into the mechanics of breathing — from the diaphragm and intercostals to the role of carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, and oxygen’s cellular role in healing. You’ll learn how breathing affects the brain, the vagus nerve, trauma, sleep, posture, digestion, and emotional regulation. You’ll also learn to teach coherent breathing, box breathing, alternate nostril breath, lion’s breath, and breath-holding (kumbhaka) in a way that’s sensitive to the student in front of you — not just the syllabus you memorised. This course is for yoga teachers ready to teach beyond performance. It’s for teachers who quietly suspect they’ve been faking the breath cues. And it’s for those who want to help their students not just move better — but feel safer, sleep deeper, and breathe like they were designed to. If you’ve ever told a student to “just breathe deeply,” this course is for you.