Rising Tide Yoga

Awareness, control and movement of the breath are elements that sets yoga apart. The mind, the body, the breath each impacts the other. An easy flow of breath calms the mind and steadies the body.

In yoga the breath MOVES the body. It’s not a matter of coordinating your breath with your body—your breath MOVES your body.

Let’s try a quieting breath: Sit up straight, close your eyes. With your eyes closed look at your feet. Take a deep inhalation through your nose and on the exhalation open your mouth and sigh. Do it again. OK, one more time.

Now we’re ready to breath. Take a slow inhale through your nose. Notice the coolness in your nostrils and at the back of your throat. Exhale through the nose.

Inhale through the nose. Exhale.

Inhale and move the breath to your jaw. Exhale.

Inhale and move the breath to the back of your neck. Just watch the breath. Exhale. Rest.

Now move the breath to that spot where you hold your tension. On an inhale watch that space “open up.” On a slow exhale, relax, just fall into that space you made on the expansion. Do it again. One more time.

There–you took two minutes to breathe. Your diaphragm flattened and descended with the inhale; it lifted and domed up with the exhale. With the inhale your belly distended, with the exhale it softened. With the inhale, the collarbone lifted, with the exhale it descended. The breath moved the body. The mind was focused.

Just breathe.

To continue with Schiffman’s book, he offers several breathing exercises that can be done by a novice. These exercises are meant for meditation and self-awareness. (I don’ know where or what the difference is.)

He writes:
“In this exercise you will be counting backward from fifty to zero. You’ll count the even numbers as you exhale and the odd numbers as you inhale . . . Begin breathing gently, fully. As you exhale say 50 to yourself, as you inhale say 49 to yourself.

“Count backwards until you reach 20, then count the exhales only

“When you reach zero, stop counting but stay aware of the natural flow of breath in exactly the same way as when you were counting. . . .

“As you do this exercise, breathe normally. Do not deep breathe or control the breath in any way. This is important. You are learning not to be in control. You are learning to get out of your own way.

“As you count you may be more aware of your mind darting rapidly from one to another. . . None of this matters. All of these things are evidence that the technique is working. You are becoming more aware.

“The counting is not only a centering device, it is a way of training your mind to focus. It also acts as a backdrop on which your thoughts become more apparent.

“With each attempt you will improve–you will experience an unexpected satisfying sense of contentment and ease. Feel the peace.”

Simple Breathing Exercise

I am going to guide you through a simple breathing exercise to increase your awareness of your breathing so that you will be able to influence your breath and take advantage of it any time you need to.

To do this:
Either lie in savasana or sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight. You don’t have to be in a lotus pose. Sit comfortably, but keep your spine straight.

Yoga emphasizes keeping your spine straight during breathing.

Keep your head in a comfortable position over your neck. Keep your chin parallel to the ground. Your eyes are closed; your jaw is slack. With your eyes closed, look down. Now swallow.

Follow the noises you hear. Start with the noises at a distance. Focus on each, identify it, and let it go.
Then go to the middle distant sounds, then the sounds nearest you. Identify them and let them go.

Now focus on the sound of your breath. Just listen.

Don’t try to make any attempt to influence your breath. Just watch, observe, and follow your breath.

Don’t try to regulate the speed, or the depth, or the rhythm of your breath. Just watch it. Follow it. Notice that the breath just flows of its own.

When your mind begins to wander to different thoughts, call it back gently to the breath.
Notice the inhale and the exhale, notice that point between the inhale and exhale.
Just watch.

Do this for several cycles of breathing. Just watch. (30 seconds)

Keep attention on the breath cycle. Notice the movement of air in your body.

Notice the coolness of the breath in your nostrils, in your mouth. Notice the passage of air in your throat.

This is the essence of meditation: to focus on an object. In this case the object is the breath.

Breath is a natural object of meditation. Just watch.

Continue with this breath cycle for as long as is comfortable for you.

When you are ready to return to your day, take in a few deep breaths. Inhale and exhale through your nose. Then inhale deeply and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this a few times making a sigh when you exhale.

Slowly open your eyes and return to normal breathing. When you are fully aware of your surroundings, sit up, take a few more breaths before standing and returning to your activities.

This article is a repost of Aura Wellness Center’s post. Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA is the studio and learning center of Dr. Paul Jerrard III. Since I’ve been working on breathing with students, I offer this, with Dr. Jerard’s permission. His website is: www.AuraWellnessCenter.com

Teaching Yoga Students: Pranayama
Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

By Shahid Mishra

When teaching yoga classes there are times when you are the translator of ancient practices. It is always important to do your research, confirm it, use it, apply it and then teach your students about your findings and some of the history about the yogic technique you are teaching. Most students expect you to know everything, but one, two or three yoga teacher certification courses are not the end all of yogic knowledge. The pure truth is a yoga instructor or a student’s path never ends, when considering the pursuit of yogic knowledge.

Pranayama is commonly known as the breathing portion of yoga. Most yoga practices incorporate some type of pranayama, either while performing postures, while meditating or both. In its simplest form pranayma is breathing, however it goes a bit deeper than that. The word “Prana,” means “life force,” and “yama” means “discipline.” Together, then, the word loosely means controlling the life force within yourself. It is intended to not only expand the breath but also to reach a deeper place of spiritual enlightenment.

Stages of Pranayama

This subject isn’t often mentioned in many yoga teacher trainings and it is not to be confused with the four stages of breathing There are four stages of pranayama: Arambha, Ghata, Parichay and Nispatti. The first stage, Arambha, is the most basic understanding of pranayama where one realizes that deeper breathing can result in numerous benefits. The second stage, Ghata, is where the three Sarira, or Buddhist relics, unite. The third stage, Parichay, involves a deeper and fuller knowing of pranayama. The final stage of pranayama, Nispatti, allows one to go outside of their physical body to become enlightened.

Stages of Breathing

There are also four stages of breathing which are integral to practicing pranayama. The first stage is the inhalation, or Puraka. Ideally, the inhalation should be a continuous and smooth drawing in of breath. The second stage of the breath is a pause after the initial inhale, or Abhyantara Kumbhaka. The idea is to hold the air in the lungs for a moment without any movement at all. The next stage of breathing is the exhale, or Rechaka. The exhale should be as smooth and continuous as the inhale. A perfect exhale will not use the muscles to force the air out but rather let the air out smoothly by being totally relaxed. The final stage of breathing is another pause, or Bahya Kumbhaka. This final pause before the next inhale marks the end of one breath and the start of the next.

Benefits of Pranayama

Whether you have a deep understanding of pranayma or a more basic idea, pranayama can still provide amazing benefits. Deep breathing releases the toxins from our blood and body by improving circulation. It can help with digestion and prevent disease. Breathing exercises help develop focus and concentration while providing a healthy way to relieve stress and anxiety. It is a wonderful tool to have to employ when life gets overwhelming or in situations of conflict. Pranayama gives people a healthy way to cope with all of life’s challenges and provides a deeper understanding of one’s self.

Conclusion

Proper breathing applied to real life is the true test. You can teach yoga classes that constantly focus on proper breathing, but it means little if your students do not apply it to life. For instructors, in particular, this is a matter of walking the talk. No matter how many yoga teacher trainings we participate in, we must apply and live what we learn. The instructor who cannot hold his or her tongue is an example of one who knows, but does not practice or apply.