Pranayama – Pranayama is a very difficult concept to define. Pranayama is made up of two words prana meaning life force or vital energy and ayama which is understood to mean extension or expansion.
For those who have not delved into the philosophy of yoga in more detail, it is easy to think that the basic breathing exercises that we learn through yoga practice such as the yogic three part breath are classed as Pranayama. This is not so because Pranayama is much more than breathing deeply. Pranayama is more about the quality of the life force prana in the body and how we can use different methods to improve and regulate the life force to take the self to beyond our normal expectations and limitations with the ultimate aim of obtaining a higher state of being.
A main component of pranayama is kumbhaka or breath retention. The majority of us are not used to being aware of and using the inhalation and exhalation of the breath other than as an automatic function let alone be aware of and using breath retention. Therefore before anyone goes onto explore methods of pranayama, it is very important that we use the breath awareness of the inhalation and exhalation to develop and strengthen the lungs, to work on balancing the nervous system and become aware of the pranic systems. This is essential preparation for the mind and body to then enable us to take our first steps and start working with kumbhaka – breath retention. The preparation will help the flow of prana by firstly getting rid of any impurities in the nadis, regulating the flow and thereby allowing the energy to flow throughout the body. This in turn will allow both body and the mind to become more stable.
Kapalbhati pranayama – Kapal means skull/cranium, bhati means light/knowledge. Often referred to as frontal brain cleansing breath. Can be practiced any time of the day but should only be with an empty stomach,
3 – 4 hrs after a meal.
Technique: Sit in comfortable position, hands resting on knees. Close eyes, relax body – keeping the spine straight and inhale deeply thru both nostrils. Expand abdo as you inhale and rapidly exhale through the nose with a contraction of abdo muscles drawing the muscles back sharply towards spine but do not strain. Allow inhalation to occur naturally with no effort.
Breathing: The rapid breath should come be from the abdo not the chest. Soften the shoulders.
Duration: Perform 10 respirations to begin with counting each respiration mentally then inhale and exhale deeply. This is 1 round. Build up slowly - can repeat up to 5 times.
Awareness: When completed rounds, maintain awareness in the space between the eyebrows, allowing breath to return to normal and experience the feeling.
Precautions: If pain or dizziness is experienced, stop the practice and sit quietly for a while. When the sensations have passed, try again with more awareness and less force. If problem continues, let me know.
Contra indications: Do not practice if you suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, vertigo, epilepsy, stroke, hernia or gastric ulcer.
Benefits: Used to energize the mind for mental work, to remove sleepiness and to prepare the mind for meditation. Balances and strengthens the nervous system and tones the digestive organs. Very good for asthmatics and those suffering from bronchitis.
Ujjayi pranayama – means victorious. Translated from Sanskrit this is known as the ‘psychic breath’ because of the effect it can have on the mind. Ujjayi promotes internalization of the senses and Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses).
Technique: Inhale and exhale thru the nose partially closing the glottis at the back of the throat, making a light snoring sound like a sleeping baby. Sound should come from the throat not the nose! Noise produced is not very loud, only just audible to yourself.
Breathing: Keep inhalation and exhalation long, deep and controlled thru the nostrils not the mouth.
Duration: Can be used during your asana practice or for 10 to 20 minutes if just sitting.
Awareness: Keep the movement of the breath slow and steady.
Precautions: If you do feel dizzy, stop and sit quietly for a while. When the sensations have passed, try again with more awareness and less force. If problem continues, let me know.
Contra indications: Can sometimes leave you feeling slightly light headed or dizzy, but generally safe for anyone to practice. If you have heart disease do not combine with bandhas or breath retention.
Benefits: Unlike other pranayama techniques that are practiced in a lying or seated posture, ujjayi is mainly used during your asana practice. The steadiness, sound and depth of your breath help you link your mind, body and spirit and work consciously with your physical practice. Regular practice of ujjayi breathing can help you release pent-up emotions. The extra oxygen and deep exhalations invigorate and strengthen your physical practice. Ujjayi is particularly beneficial for calming the mind. It is known to be beneficial for those suffering from stress, insomnia, and mental tension.
Nadi shodhana – alternate nostril breathing. Nadi translates to channel or flow of energy and shodhana means purification. So Nadi shodhana refers to the purifications of the nadis. Ida nadi – left nostril, represents the moon and has a cooling effect on the body. Pingala nadi – right nostril, represents the sun and has a warming effect on the body.
Technique: Sit in a comfortable position with head, neck and spine in a straight line. Allow your breathe to flow.
Bring the right hand to the nose, fold the index finger and middle finger (or place them gently on the eyebrow centre) so that the right thumb can be used to close the right nostril and the right ring finger can be used to close the left nostril.
Close the right nostril, inhale slowly and fully through the left, Close off the left nostril, Release the right nostril, exhale through the right, Inhale through the right nostril, close off the right nostril, open the left and exhale through the left. This is one round.
Can move onto include ratio breathing and retention. Counting mentally during the inhalation and exhalation and pausing the breath as move from inhalation to exhalation.
Breathing: Keep the breath slow and steady, do not strain or force, especially during ratio and retention practices.
Duration: Can be practiced any time of day. Can be repeated for up to 10 rounds or 10 to 15 minutes.
Awareness: Keep your focus on the movement of the breath and the counting.
Precautions: Do not let the breath be forced or breath thru the mouth. If you feel any discomfort, reduce the duration of inhalation/exhalation/retention and if necessary, discontinue the practice for the day.
Contra indications: Do not practice after eating.
Benefits: Helps to purify the nadis, so prana can travel freely and consciousness is awakened. It also induces a sense of calmness, increases clarity of thoughts and levels of concentration, recommended when need extra help for mental work.
Ratio breathing – can be used on its own or in tandem with other pranayama’s.
Technique: Establish a breathing rhythm that is comfortable. Become aware of your breath, how it feels, keeping it slow and steady. Then mentally count the length of the inhalation and the exhalation. There are several steps with ratio breathing.
For those who have not delved into the philosophy of yoga in more detail, it is easy to think that the basic breathing exercises that we learn through yoga practice such as the yogic three part breath are classed as Pranayama. This is not so because Pranayama is much more than breathing deeply. Pranayama is more about the quality of the life force prana in the body and how we can use different methods to improve and regulate the life force to take the self to beyond our normal expectations and limitations with the ultimate aim of obtaining a higher state of being.
A main component of pranayama is kumbhaka or breath retention. The majority of us are not used to being aware of and using the inhalation and exhalation of the breath other than as an automatic function let alone be aware of and using breath retention. Therefore before anyone goes onto explore methods of pranayama, it is very important that we use the breath awareness of the inhalation and exhalation to develop and strengthen the lungs, to work on balancing the nervous system and become aware of the pranic systems. This is essential preparation for the mind and body to then enable us to take our first steps and start working with kumbhaka – breath retention. The preparation will help the flow of prana by firstly getting rid of any impurities in the nadis, regulating the flow and thereby allowing the energy to flow throughout the body. This in turn will allow both body and the mind to become more stable.
Kapalbhati pranayama – Kapal means skull/cranium, bhati means light/knowledge. Often referred to as frontal brain cleansing breath. Can be practiced any time of the day but should only be with an empty stomach,
3 – 4 hrs after a meal.
Technique: Sit in comfortable position, hands resting on knees. Close eyes, relax body – keeping the spine straight and inhale deeply thru both nostrils. Expand abdo as you inhale and rapidly exhale through the nose with a contraction of abdo muscles drawing the muscles back sharply towards spine but do not strain. Allow inhalation to occur naturally with no effort.
Breathing: The rapid breath should come be from the abdo not the chest. Soften the shoulders.
Duration: Perform 10 respirations to begin with counting each respiration mentally then inhale and exhale deeply. This is 1 round. Build up slowly - can repeat up to 5 times.
Awareness: When completed rounds, maintain awareness in the space between the eyebrows, allowing breath to return to normal and experience the feeling.
Precautions: If pain or dizziness is experienced, stop the practice and sit quietly for a while. When the sensations have passed, try again with more awareness and less force. If problem continues, let me know.
Contra indications: Do not practice if you suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, vertigo, epilepsy, stroke, hernia or gastric ulcer.
Benefits: Used to energize the mind for mental work, to remove sleepiness and to prepare the mind for meditation. Balances and strengthens the nervous system and tones the digestive organs. Very good for asthmatics and those suffering from bronchitis.
Ujjayi pranayama – means victorious. Translated from Sanskrit this is known as the ‘psychic breath’ because of the effect it can have on the mind. Ujjayi promotes internalization of the senses and Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses).
Technique: Inhale and exhale thru the nose partially closing the glottis at the back of the throat, making a light snoring sound like a sleeping baby. Sound should come from the throat not the nose! Noise produced is not very loud, only just audible to yourself.
Breathing: Keep inhalation and exhalation long, deep and controlled thru the nostrils not the mouth.
Duration: Can be used during your asana practice or for 10 to 20 minutes if just sitting.
Awareness: Keep the movement of the breath slow and steady.
Precautions: If you do feel dizzy, stop and sit quietly for a while. When the sensations have passed, try again with more awareness and less force. If problem continues, let me know.
Contra indications: Can sometimes leave you feeling slightly light headed or dizzy, but generally safe for anyone to practice. If you have heart disease do not combine with bandhas or breath retention.
Benefits: Unlike other pranayama techniques that are practiced in a lying or seated posture, ujjayi is mainly used during your asana practice. The steadiness, sound and depth of your breath help you link your mind, body and spirit and work consciously with your physical practice. Regular practice of ujjayi breathing can help you release pent-up emotions. The extra oxygen and deep exhalations invigorate and strengthen your physical practice. Ujjayi is particularly beneficial for calming the mind. It is known to be beneficial for those suffering from stress, insomnia, and mental tension.
Nadi shodhana – alternate nostril breathing. Nadi translates to channel or flow of energy and shodhana means purification. So Nadi shodhana refers to the purifications of the nadis. Ida nadi – left nostril, represents the moon and has a cooling effect on the body. Pingala nadi – right nostril, represents the sun and has a warming effect on the body.
Technique: Sit in a comfortable position with head, neck and spine in a straight line. Allow your breathe to flow.
Bring the right hand to the nose, fold the index finger and middle finger (or place them gently on the eyebrow centre) so that the right thumb can be used to close the right nostril and the right ring finger can be used to close the left nostril.
Close the right nostril, inhale slowly and fully through the left, Close off the left nostril, Release the right nostril, exhale through the right, Inhale through the right nostril, close off the right nostril, open the left and exhale through the left. This is one round.
Can move onto include ratio breathing and retention. Counting mentally during the inhalation and exhalation and pausing the breath as move from inhalation to exhalation.
Breathing: Keep the breath slow and steady, do not strain or force, especially during ratio and retention practices.
Duration: Can be practiced any time of day. Can be repeated for up to 10 rounds or 10 to 15 minutes.
Awareness: Keep your focus on the movement of the breath and the counting.
Precautions: Do not let the breath be forced or breath thru the mouth. If you feel any discomfort, reduce the duration of inhalation/exhalation/retention and if necessary, discontinue the practice for the day.
Contra indications: Do not practice after eating.
Benefits: Helps to purify the nadis, so prana can travel freely and consciousness is awakened. It also induces a sense of calmness, increases clarity of thoughts and levels of concentration, recommended when need extra help for mental work.
Ratio breathing – can be used on its own or in tandem with other pranayama’s.
Technique: Establish a breathing rhythm that is comfortable. Become aware of your breath, how it feels, keeping it slow and steady. Then mentally count the length of the inhalation and the exhalation. There are several steps with ratio breathing.
- increase the length of the inhalation
- increase the length of the exhalation
- increase the length of both the exhalation ‘ex’ and the inhalation ‘in’
- keep the ‘ex’ and ‘in’ the same length but longer than normal
- then gradually increasing the length but ensure that the breath remain steady and not strained
- increase the ‘ex’ to be twice as long as the ‘in’
- become aware of the pause between ‘in’ and ‘ex’
- increase the length of the pause