Yesterday we concluded the 3rd 21-day Yoga Challenge program successfully. There were a total of 15 participants. It is truly heartening to see everyone committed to come in every morning at 6 AM for these sessions. I would like to congratulate and thank all the students for their enthusiastic participation. For many of the students this was the first ever exposure to yoga. Over the course of the 21 days everyone reported improvement in their flexibility, range of motion, strength and endurance.
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The next 10-day intensive on Pranayama and Meditation is scheduled as given below:
This is the third such program in a series that I plan to continue to offer in upcoming months as well. The motivation to continue these programs comes from the very positive and encouraging response and feedback that I have received from those who participated in the previous sessions. In the pranayama and meditation intensive, I introduce the students to various breathing techniques that are given in the traditional yoga texts. In the last few posts on pranayama, I introduced the concepts of breath retention (kumbhaka) and the energy locks (bandhas). Essentially, these techniques can be used in conjunction with any of the pranayama techniques that I have talked about in previous posts. I will be covering some of these variations in future blog posts. In today’s post, I would like to introduce you to two breathing techniques which are jointly labeled "cooling pranayama". They provide cooling not only at the physical level but also at the nervous and mental levels. They are highly effective in cooling the system during summer time. However, they can be practiced even during winter months as they calm the nerves down and also help release mental tension and stress. These pranayama techniques also help reduce blood pressure. Seetkari PranayamaThe word "seetkari" (सीत्कारी) literally means the breathing technique that "produces the ‘seee’ or the ‘seet’ sound". In English, it is usually translated as the "hissing cooling breath". In this post and a few of the upcoming posts, I will be describing pranayama techniques which involve breath retention (kumbhaka). Some of these techniques also involve application of the three bandhas, as appropriate. Samavritti PranayamaThe word "sama" means equal or same number and "vritti" means rotation or simply action. If you recall, in a previous post, we talked about four phases of a breathing cycle:
Yes, we are getting ready for this big event once again. Are you ready for this exciting and one of the most memorable yoga experiences of your life? Take the challenge and be transformed. Here are the particulars:
Please contact me if you would like to participate.
A few years ago, while having breakfast at a friend’s house, he served us freshly baked home-made bread. I really enjoyed the bread and asked my friend how he made it. He pointed me to his bread-making machine. That was motivation enough for me to buy a bread-making machine for myself. So, it was almost four years ago that I bought my first bread machine (Sunbeam brand). I was really excited about the possibility of baking my own bread using ingredients that I could experiment with. For the first few breads, I used the exact recipes that were in the recipe book that came with the machine. Despite using exact measurements given in the recipe, it still took some experimentation to get the quantity right. I always had to add either more flour or more liquid to get the consistency right. Over a period of time, I learnt how to test the consistency of the dough with my finger. After baking a few breads, I decided to experiment with different ingredients. Over time, I have experimented with several different kinds of grain as well as different fluids and other items. I am giving here a generic sample recipe that I use for most of the breads. I will also let you know all the different variations that I have tried. In the last blog post, I talked about the concept of Kumbhaka – कुम्भक – (breath retention). A natural extension of Kumbhaka is the concept of the Bandhas – बन्ध – (energy locks). The bandhas are a very important part of the pranayama techniques as they help balance out the prana (the vital life force) in the system. As per the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, bandhas help us cleanse the chakras and allow the Kundalini Shakti (the dormant creative power) to awaken. The kundalini can then start its journey toward its final destination- the Sahasrara Chakra (thousand petal lotus) – abode of the supreme consciousness represented by Lord Shiva, at the crown of the head. There are three bandhas which are practiced as a part of the pranayama routine:
These bandhas are normally applied while holding the breath, either at the end of inhalation or at the end of exhalation. The root lock and the chin lock can be applied both at the end of inhalation as well as after exhalation. However, the navel lock can be effectively applied only after a complete exhalation. These locks are maintained as long as the breath is being retained. The locks should be released before resuming the breathing cycle. When all the three locks are applied together at the end of exhalation, it is called "Maha Bandha" or the Great Lock. Mula Bandha (Root Lock)To apply the root lock, squeeze the perineum area inward from all sides and then lift the anus muscles upward. The awareness during the root lock is focused at the Muladhara Chakra (the root chakra), located at the spot which as about the width of two fingers above the anus. Jalandhara Bandha (Chin Lock)The chin lock is applied by lowering the chin to the chest while lifting the sternum upward. While holding the lock, a gentle pressure should be maintained with the chin against the chest. Uddiyana Bandha (Navel Lock)As mentioned above, the navel lock is effectively applied only after a complete exhalation. At the end of exhalation, try to suck the belly all the way back toward the spine. While holding the navel lock, the chin lock is simultaneously applied. Ujjayi PranayamaThe application of the three bandhas can be practiced by practicing a simple breathing technique called the Ujjayi Pranayama. In an earlier blog post, I talked about the Ujjayi breathing technique, the ocean-wave sounding breath which is done by constricting the passage of air at the epiglottis area. Ujjayi Pranayama is done while using the ujjayi breathing technique. Step-by-step
As always, I would love to receive any comments or feedback that you might have. Please use the form below to enter your comments. SoundsClick on the play button to listen to the audio recording of some of the Sanskrit sounds in this post
I would like to start this discussion by quoting two of the yoga sutras which lay down the foundation and guidelines for the breathing practices (pranayama). "After mastering posture, one must practice control of the prana (pranayama) by stopping the motions of inhalation and exhalation" – Sutra 2.49 "The modifications of the life-breath are either external, internal or stationary. They are to be regulated by space, time and number and are either long or short" – Sutra 2.50 Let us try to understand the meaning and significance of these two sutras. Sutra 2.49"tasmin sati shvaasaprashvaasayorgativichChedaH praaNaayaamaH" In this sutra, the term "vichCheda" has been interpreted and translated differently by various authors. Some of the terms used to translate it are "control", "stoppage", "cessation", "management", "regulation" etc. I personally prefer to go with "stoppage" or "cessation" which basically implies that pranayama means not only to control the flow of inhalation and exhalation but also to control the retention of the breath both after inhalation and exhalation. Sutra 2.50"baahyaabhyantarastambhavRuttirdeshakaalasaMkhyaabhiH paridRuShTo dIrghasUkShmaH " This sutra expands upon the concept mentioned in sutra 2.49. Here, in addition to controlling the inhalation, exhalation and breath retention, a few other parameters that can be controlled have been added – space, time, number, long, short. Let us look at these terms briefly: "Space" has been interpreted in two different ways:
"Time" refers to the duration of each inhalation, exhalation and retention. "Number" refers to the number of rotations of each of the pranayama cycles. For example, while practicing "kapalabhati" you may go for 50 expulsions of air or, if you are more experienced, you may go for up to 100 or even more number of breaths in each round. Long and short signify if the breath is deep or shallow. For example, in ‘alternate nostril breath’ pranayama, each breath is very deep and soft. On the other hand, in kapalabhati, the breath is brisk and short. Based on these guidelines provided by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, a large number of breathing techniques have been developed. One of the main sources of information on various pranayama techniques is the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika", a classic yoga text which was written by Swatma Ram about a thousand or so years ago. This contains a complete section on Pranayama techniques. In most of the pranayama techniques, breath retention (kumbhaka – कुम्भक) plays a very major role. In essence, we can look at the breathing cycle as composed of four components:
In the two sutras quoted above, the words "gativichCheda" (sutra 2.49) and "stambha-vRuttiH" (sutra 2.50) have both been translated as ‘breath retention’ by most commentators. Thus breath retention (Kumbhaka) becomes an integral part of a pranayama practice. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP), eight pranayama practices involving kumbhaka have been given:
I plan to cover several of these kumbhaka-based practices in future blog posts. Also known by the names "Naadi Shodhanam" or "Anuloma-Viloma", Naadi Shuddhi (नाडी शुद्धि) is one of the most commonly practiced pranayama techniques in yoga. The word "naadi" means "nerves". In fact, in yoga the term naadi is applied to psychic channels associated with the flow of prana (vital life force). According to some ancient texts, there are 72,000 such naadis in a human system. The words "shuddhi" or "shodhanam" both mean "cleansing" or "purification". So the term "naadi shuddhi" literally means cleansing of the subtle nervous system. A clean naadi system allows free flow of prana which helps bring more vitality and energy to the system. In this breathing technique, we use deep, soft (almost soundless) ujjayi breaths for each inhalation and exhalation. Step-by-stepStage 1
Stage 2Once you become comfortable with the basic breathing pattern for naadi shuddhi, you can introduce a count into your breathing. You can use a mental count of ‘OM 1’, ‘OM 2’ etc, each being approximately one second, to determine the duration of inhalation and exhalation. The effort in this breathing technique is to make the duration of exhalation longer than that of inhalation. Over a period of time, with practice, you want to achieve a ratio of 1:2 between inhalation and exhalation. So, for example, if your count for inhalation is 5 seconds, then try to extend the exhalation to up to 10 seconds. As your practice deepens, you may be able to extend the duration of each breath, maintaining the same 1:2 ratio. Try to build up your capacity to a count of 10:20 – 10 seconds of inhalation and 20 seconds of exhalation. I will introduce more advanced stages of naadi shuddhi involving breath retention and ‘bandhas’ in a subsequent post. Benefits
ContraindicationsNone! If you can breathe, you can practice Naadi Shuddhi. In an earlier post, we talked about the deep sectional breathing sequence. In the sectional breathing, we try to engage three different areas – top, middle and bottom – of the lungs in a deep breathing pattern. In the deep, full yogic breathing we combine the three sectional breaths into one single breath involving deep inhalation and exhalation. For each inhalation and exhalation, we use deep and soft Ujjayi breaths. We also employ the movement of the arms synchronized with the flow of breath. This helps deepen our awareness of the breathing cycle and how the breathing is impacting different parts of the lungs. Duration of each inhalation and exhalation depends upon individual capacity. This capacity will improve over time with constant practice. Over a period of time, try to develop a ration of 1:2 between the durations of inhalation and exhalation. Step-by-step
Benefits
ContraindicationsNone! If you can breathe, you can practice deep, three-part breathing and derive all the benefits mentioned above. |
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