Pranayama
In yoga, this is the practice of breath control. Access the keys to vital health.
Pranayama translates from Sanskrit to “breath control” and is the work to achieve steadiness and ease. These are the workout reps we practice to reach deeper into Ultimate Reality.
The act of breathing affects the subtle energy channels or nadis, and you begin to wake up. Heat and movement detox stale air (dukkha).
Pranayama is best practiced early in the day, on an empty stomach. We can control how we respond to things with pranayama.
The breath is a main source of Prana (aka Qi), or our vital life force, which makes it clear why pranayama is important to practice regularly as part of a healthy yoga regime.
The quality of our breath determines the quality of our life.
When breathing is mindful, with longer and deeper out breaths, we can live for much longer.
Prana does not only have to do with breath; it is everything that we perceive and feel. The practices become how we allow the environment to “breathe us” without trying to change anything.
With pranayama, we can appreciate and experience life in a profound way, as well as extend life for much longer than average.
It is even possible to reach the utmost capacity of our lungs and to prolong our breath in any situation. An exhalation will almost always last as long as an inhalation. Imagine the natural process of a sneeze. The exhale is complete and much fuller than the inhale. Think of an out-breath as ‘waste removal,’ or Dukkha in Sanskrit, to make room for ‘good space’ or Sukkha. Perhaps we can remember to practice this using the phrase “give more than what you take.”
Pranayama helps us exist, interpret, and act in a state of neutrality, helping balance logic and emotion.
Out breath.
There is no good or bad - it just is what it is.
In breath.
Ujjayi | “The Ocean Breath”
This is diaphragmatic breathing with the lower belly, lower ribs, upper chest, and throat.
Ujjayi automatically engages core muscles to produce heat and is a valuable tool for focus while in a difficult yoga posture, or asana.
Length and speed of breath is controlled by the diaphragm, a thin membrane in between the thoracic and abdominal cavity of the lungs. Move the glottis by creating a slight constriction in the back of your throat.
Ujjayi strengthens the diaphragm and clears the mind. To engage, breathe as though you are trying to fog up a window w your breath.
Imagine your breath as ocean waves, crash to shore. How is your seashore washing up today?