Sessions lasted an hour and a half and were given by a Yoga
teacher. They began with a warm-up and general stretching
for about 5 min, standing or sitting (neck, shoulder, wrist,
hips and leg regions), rotational movement of the shoulders,
head and hips. Then Pranayama were performed for about
10 min. The initial goal was to identify the diaphragmatic or
abdominal and the standard thorax or intercostal in the first
two weeks. After the third week, the complete pattern was
adopted, that is, the diaphragmatic combination with the
chest associated with a reduction in the breathing rate and
an increase in the inspired volume. During pranayama,
students were asked to observe the breathing movements,
since each region has different degrees of expandability. The
training started with a normal respiratory rate over the
weeks and decreased gradually while the pace and chest
breadth increased.