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the
3 part breath or complete breath
calming and relaxing

Dirga Pranayama is called the three part breath because you
are actively breathing into three parts of your abdomen. The
first position is the low belly (on top of or just below the
belly button), the second position is the low chest (lower
half of the rib cage), and the third position is the low throat
(just above the top of the sternum). The breath is continuous,
inhaled and exhaled through the nose. The inhalation starts
in the first position, the low belly; then moves to the second
position, the low chest; then to the third position, the low
throat. The exhalation starts in the low throat, moves to
the low chest, and finishes in the low belly.Rest your hands
on the individual positions to feel the breath rising and
falling through each position. When you start practicing,
you may want to individually isolate the movement in each
position, using the hands. When you have a good feel for the
breath moving in and out of each position, practice without
the hands. Eventually relax the effort of the Pranayama and
breathe into the three positions gently, feeling a wave of
breath move up and down the torso.
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