In Yoga we are told that breath is the singular most important thing. We’ve all been told by our yoga teachers to breathe deeply, to consciously bring awareness to our breaths, to synchronize breath and movement, and so on. Indeed, I’ve come to learn during this course that the power of our breaths is truly astonishing and far-reaching. Our breath is the key to unlocking our true potential.

Breath is life.
Breathing is the most essential function of the body that can be directly controlled. It not only powers our cardiovascular system (we would die in a matter of minutes if we stopped breathing), but also serves as a critical ingredient in all our body’s electro-chemical processes. As Swami Sivananda said, “A yogi measures the span of life by the number of breaths, not by the number of years.” Thus, learning to control, extend, and maximize each breath we take is the key to longevity.

Conscious breathing heals.
Unconscious breathing is controlled by the medulla oblongata in the brain, while conscious breathing comes from the more evolved areas of the brain in the cerebral cortex which impact emotions and thoughts. This helps promote mental clarity and focus, an inner calm. This also helps removes blockages to allow prana to flow more freely to enable the body to heal and repair more quickly.

Pranayama is a powerful tool.
Prana means life, vitality, or energy, which is inherent in our breath. Ayama means length, expansion, or control. Thus, pranayama is the extension and control of the breath. Using ancient pranayama techniques passed down through Yogic tradition, we can regulate our physical and mental states to achieve homeostasis, i.e. healthy body and mind. Additionally, Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras instructs the use of breath to achieve higher states of consciousness, i.e. spiritual growth.

Asana without proper breath is… not Yoga.
Proper breathing technique during Asana makes a meaningful difference in ability, awareness, safety and comfort. More importantly, not breathing defeats the purpose of practicing Asana in the first place, which is to prepare the body and mind for a meditative state to aid spiritual growth. Without the breath to connect the body and mind, Yoga would just be gymnastic!

Do you love nature? Do you love music? Do you like to meditate?

Yes, I do.

My new found love is this Bhramari pranayama, which calms my mind instantly and prepare me for meditation.

Bhramari means ‘the Goddess of bees’. In Bhramari pranayama the humming sound is produced during exhalation.

The father of modern science, Albert Einstein said – “Everything in life is vibration”. In fact, this pranayama has a soothing effect on the brain and calms the mind.

Practice:

Sit in a comfortable cross legged pose, with spine erect.

• Breathe normally and relax the body.
• Keep your eyes and mouth closed.
• You may choose to close your ears with your hands. Another variation is you can keep your hands in chin mudra, place on your thighs and keep your ears open.
• Concentrate at the center of your forehead.
• Take a slow deep inhalation and fill the lungs fully.
• Then exhale slowly, making a continuous humming sound like the bee. Feel the vibrations in your head.
• Repeat the process 5 times and come back to normal breathing.

Benefits:

• Calms the mind, reduce stress and anxiety.
• Helps to reduce anger.
• Improves concentration and prepare you for meditation

Contradictions:

• Better do this pranayama in empty stomach.
• Stop the practice if you feel dizzy.
• Do not press the ear cartilage too hard.

Hum a happy tune for peace!

Devi

If you haven’t heard about Kapalabhati before, I will tell you what I learned last week in my Yoga Teacher Training. Kapalabhati was the first learning of the entire course and I now understand why. It is a Kriya or cleaning method used by yogis to clear the forehead Nadi and the mind from any thought. It also helps improving your respiratory system, sinus, nostrils as well as increases your energy levels, improving your concentration and even your digestive system. Some people also refer to the Kapalabhati as a pranayama or breathing exercise as I could read in the B.K.S. Iyengar book: Light on Pranayama.

Kapalabhati is a Sanskrit word formed by kapala that means skull and bathi meaning light or shine. It is considered to be beneficial for multiple things, that’s why it’s recommended to be practiced first thing in the morning on a daily basis.

How to practice Kapalabhati:

1. Sit on the floor in cross leg position keeping your back straight and your hands on the knees with the Chin Mudra
2. Keep your mouth and eyes closed during the exercise
3. Inhale through your nostrils
4. Exhale vigorously and quickly contracting  the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to push the air out of your nostrils (let the exhalation make a hissing sound)
5. Keep your body relax, with the chest and shoulders still while doing the practice
6. Inhale again keeping a regular rhythm for every breath  and repeat the cycle 30 times

Note: to make sure you practice Kapalabhati correctly, press your lower abdomen with your hand while exhaling and feel how it moves inward contracting your muscles. You can also start helping yourself pressing with your hand until your muscles understand the movement.

As everything in life this technique, even when it has lots of benefits, also has some contraindications mostly when practised in determined situations or if you have some health issues. So please be aware of them before starting to practice Kapalabhati to prevent any discomfort or injury.

Benefits of Kapalabhati:

• Is beneficial for the respiratory system, treating any sinus problem
• Improves digestion, and strengthen the abdominals muscles
• Increases the focus and concentration
• Boosters the energy so it’s recommended practising it in the morning
• Promotes immune system function
• Warms the body, so it’s a good practice in cold countries
• Cleanses the toxins of the organism

Contraindications to the practice of Kapalabhati:

• Pregnancy
• Hypertension
• Heart conditions
• After any surgery
• Abdominal pain
• Depression or any mental illness
• After eating or drinking (wait at least 2 hours after eating to practice this technique)

So, if you have never tried Kapalabhati before and you don’t have any of the contraindications, why don’t you follow these few steps and experience by yourself the benefits of this Kriya method?

You can start practising the Kapalabhati 3 rounds per day in the morning or afternoons. Remember that nothing is good in excess, so start slowly and increase the pace and strength of your exhalations enjoying all the positive benefits of Kapalabhati.

Adriana Esquivel

The first skill we learnt when we were born was to breathe. Somehow or rather, it came so easily, naturally and effortlessly since our birth that we don’t even consider breathing as a skill. We then start to pay less attention to our breath and took the most important thing in our life for granted.

When I first started practicing Yoga, I am more interested in the end result of the posture than the awareness of the subtle breath I was taking. Even with the constant reminders from the yoga instructor to keep breathing , I was still holding my breath on many occasions to try to get into the challenging yoga postures.  

And then, I was being introduced to Pranayama (practice of controlling the breath, which is the source of our prana, or vital life force) during the Yoga Teacher Training. On that faithful day, I started to pay attention to my breath, so much so, I integrated pranayama into my daily routine.

These are the different pranayama techniques I perform first thing in the morning on a daily basis:

1. Kapalabhati (also called Skull Cleansing)

• I do it with the purpose of clearing my head to keep my mind fresh and to kick start my day with a positive feeling)
• 40 pumps for 3 rounds

2. Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breathing )

• I do it with the purpose of  keeping my mind and body calm,composed and relaxed
• Inhale 6, Hold 12, Exhale 12 for 10 rounds

 3.  Bastrika

• I do it with the purpose of giving me courage and clarity and increasing my Aura
• 20 pumps for 5 rounds

Doing these 3 pranayama will only take 15mins. Im glad to say this worthy 15mins keeps  me sane and balanced.

On the aspect of asana practice, I do make it a point to be aware of my Ujjayi breathing throughout the practice. Our trainer, Paalu, once said, when you can’t hear your breathing during your asana practice, it means that you are not doing the pose correctly. And I come to understand that without breath, there is in fact no yoga.

Now, I  appreciate my Breath so much and breathing will continue to be my lifelong learning skill.

Namaste.

Jeslin (March 2018 Weekend YTT)