The Best way to Recover Between Poses

If you have just finished a challenging pose, take headstand for example, adopting childs pose straight after may not be the wisest thing for your body and for recovery. Just because this is the norm in yoga circles and yoga websites, doesn't mean it should be a standard practice. When we view recovery from an exercise point of view, childs pose is not the best option.

After headstand, if you wish to fully recover, you need oxygen. Oxygen works to alleviate peripheral fatigue because oxygen can help your cells remove acid. Simply put, steady breathing begins to replenish the oxygen in your body, which helps to refill the myoglobin oxygen stores in your muscles. Making you ready for the next pose.

What does this all have to do with childs pose? Well for oxygen to travel you need to lift your chest. Or sit up. In childs pose your torso is rounded and your chest flexed. An upright posture allows for slow deeper breathing where the diaphragm gets more space to work. Taking childs pose actually tightens the already over-shortened frontal muscles and this causes restrictions in the ease of breathing. This doesn't mean you wont recover, the process just takes longer.

The ability to maintain a slow, steady breathing pattern enhances core stability, helps improve tolerance to exercise, and reduces the risk of muscle fatigue and injury. So to speed up recovery after headstand (or any other demanding pose) and prepare you for the next pose, just sit up, close your eyes, keep your back straight and breathe slowly. Your body will thank you for it.

Reference:

Image from: http://www.dailybandha.com

http://www.healthline.com The Respiratory System - Kay Manolis

Breathtaking Respiratory System - Dr. Lainna Callentine

DYSFUNCTIONAL BREATHING AND IT’S AFFECTS ON THE KINETIC CHAIN - Scott Lucett, MS, NASM-CPT, PES, CES - Senior Research Director