Pranayama : The breathing exercises of yoga
Pranayama-regulated breathing technique or “breath control”
Prana-ayama-”breath liberation” or “expansion of life force”
Prana-refers to “that which is everywhere” or vitality
Ayama-the action of pranayama. To stretch or extend
Either way it is essential in life and essential in a yoga/pilates practice. To be aware of your breathing takes your practice to a much deeper level. It helps you to concentrate, have sthira/sukham, and helps you cultivate a more aware mind/body/spirit wholeness.
Energetically prana flows in the body from the center outwards. But we don’t want it to flow outside the body referring to a sick or restless individual, or they have blocks within their body or mind hindering a healthy flow of energy. A healthy person keeps more prana in the body where it flows freely without hindrance or dispersing. Blocks in the body show up as fear, discontent, sickness and lack of mental clarity. Through the practice of pranayama we can free the mind, blockages in the physical body and become conscious of our breath with its life sustaining properties. Pantanjali states in II.52 that pranayama helps remove the veils that cover the mind so that your inner light can shine. Pranayama also enhances respiratory functions which improves circulation, thereby improving digestion and elimination. With a deeper relaxed state students get into a more refined asana and meditation practice.
Now I feel obligated to tell the physiological aspects of breathing so there is a deep understanding of that aspect as well. Life cannot be sustained without the transfer of O2 for CO2 in the lungs. Each cell in the body needs this process. The arteries deliver oxygenated blood from the lungs and heart and the veins return deoxygenated blood back. The alveoli in the lungs exchange these gases. The alveoli are very elastic and are the primary cause of exhalation. The average person takes 12-15 breaths a minute and doesn’t use the capacity of the lungs which is 4-7 x the 500 milliliters the normally use per breath. One thing I find interesting is that when you expand the thorax the air actually rushes in your lungs through the trachea by atmospheric pressure. Wow..who knew?
In pilates we generally use costal (rib) breathing, and in yoga diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphram does about 75% of the work of respiration. The other help comes from muscles that attach to the rib cage. Although the pelvis, legs and shoulders are involved in respiration ultimately the diaphram should get the most attention. In a cycle of breath the diaphram contracts and lowers down while the lungs fill with air and it relaxes and moves up as the air departs the lungs. It works non-stop like the heart muscle. It is dome shaped and lies under the lungs and heart and above the organs of the abdomen.
Although there are many other muscles involved with breathing we are sticking with the most fundamental for a basic understanding. My daughter has cystic fibrosis so I can attest to knowing a lot about the functions of the lungs and the secondary muscles used for its purpose.
Breathing is involuntary and natural but can also be voluntary which is why pranayama is so important. Breathing varies depending on the health and emotional wellbeing of a person as well as their physical make-up. It can all be compromised by anxiety, depression, tight muscles and of course diseases of the heart and lungs. As Donna Farhi states, “Learning to breathe well is not an additive process in which you learn specific techniques for improving the breath you already have. It is a process of deconstruction where you learn to identify the things you are already doing that restrict the natural emergence of breath.”
The most important part of pranayama is the exhalation which eliminates impurities and reduces avidya. (false knowledge)
The order of importance:
-exhalation
-inhalation
-breath retention
This article could get very long and very deep by getting into the forms of prana or vayus, the agni or fire, then the aspects of pranayama and seated positions for doing them as well as breathing ratios..I will just give you some examples of pranayama instead. But before I do I need to emphasize the importance of not surpassing the bodies natural urges. Also if you suffer from shortness of breath or have any respiratory disorders you should not attempt pranayama until you are ready for it. You can prepare the body for pranayama by doing some asanas to warm up and help you to sit comfortably for extended periods of time.
Ujjayi-Throat breathing by deliberately contracting the larynx slightly narrows the air passage.
Anuloma ujjayi- Breathing in through the throat, then completely close one nostril and breathe out through the other nostril, which is only partly closed.
Viloma ujjayi-Breathing in through the nostril and breathing out through the throat. This lengthens the inhalation. (When we regulate the breath through the nostril, we never breathe the throat at the same time.)
Nadi Sodhana-Breathing alternately through the nostrils and do not use the throat at all to lengthen both the exhalation and inhalation. Nadi-is the passage or vein through which the breath and energy flow; sodhana means cleansing. Normally we work with the ujjayi for a long while before we introduce nadi sodhana to our practice.
Sitali Pranayama-When you curl up the tongue like a tube and breathe in through this tube. You can breathe out through this tube or alternately through the nostrils. If you cannot curl the tongue you can open the teeth and lips a little and put the tongue against the teeth as you breath and it has the same cooling effect.
Kapalabhati-skull shining-To cleanse mucus in the air passages. Deliberately breathe faster and at the same time use only abdominal breathing not chest. Short, rapid and strong. The lungs are the pump, creating so much pressure that the air passages are cleared of mucus and rubbish.
Bhastrika-bellows-The abdomen moves like a pair of bellows. Sharing the same principle as Kapalabhati, one closes one nostril drawing the air in quickly through the open nostril and breathing out strongly through the blocked one.
Focus in Pranayama:
1) Flow of the breath
2) Sound of the breath
3) Place where the most work is occurring. I.e.-During exhalation and in holding the breath following exhalation, our concentration is directed toward the abdomen. Conversely, it is directed toward the chest region when inhaling and holding the breath following inhalation.
