Pranayama :: the serpent power

Live As You Breathe; Take In and Let Go Swami Rama used to say a person has one thought on inhalation and another on exhalation, so that the rate of breath determines the number of thoughts a person has. Greater number of thoughts (a faster breathing rate) decreases concentration because there are so many thoughts going on. The breath, body and mind are so closely linked, a change in one brings about a change in the other two. By developing control of your breath in certain ways, you can bring beneficial changes to your body and mind. Pranayama acts as a key, it opens the mind, freeing the nervous system of its ordinary patterns and habits. By breathing from the pranayama :: the serpent power padmasana upper third of the respiratory system, pranayama can move blocked pathways to the brain and the nervous system, creating new patterns, roadways to the superhighway of the superconscious. Pranayama revitalizes the body, steadies the emotions, and creates great clarity of mind. Maintain the bandhas during pranayama. Place the mind in the breath. Pranayama, like asana practice, is progressive. You build upon what you’ve already done.
Practice
Pranayama Sit in siddhasana or padmasana. Begin with exhale, retention. We use the example of a water pot. Before you fill it up, you want to bake it until it’s strong, to seal it, especially the bottom of the pot so that it doesn’t leak. This corresponds to the exhale retention, you want to make sure that your pot will hold water before you fill it up. Connect with mula bandha, lifting the pelvic floor and uddiyana bandha, drawing the navel inward and toward the spine. At the top of the pot, you’ll want to have a stopper, so that the water doesn’t spill out. The inhale retention with jalandhara bandha (throat lock) is the stopper. You want to contain and build the prana, life force, with the bandhas, the seals that prevent leakage. With pranayama we are putting the mind in the breath. The idea is to bring the breath up through the sushumna nadi. The exhalation creates stability, grounding. It is the descent of the spirit from the subtle moving into dense movement of energy and down into the perineum. So you’re right in the location for the muladara chakra. If you can learn to follow the movement downward, then you’re there. Same with upward. Opening on the inhale, apana downward. Anchoring on the exhale, prana upward Try to make the period of retention as comfortable as possible. Connect with the base of the spine, creating a straight line from the top of the head to the base of the spine. At first the exhale hold feels very unnatural. You may feel a sense of panic or fear, the emptiness of breath versus the fullness of breath. If you don’t do the bandhas, you won’t be able to do the exhale retention comfortably. Hold the retention as long as you can comfortably, start small and work up from there. A good indicator of capacity is the quality of the subsequent breath. If the inhale is a huge sucking, fast breath, then the exhale hold was too long. You don’t want the breath to have a grasping quality. Pranayama should be soothing for the system.
from : ashtanga yoga manual

Breath Is Life - part 2

This work will take up the Yogi “Science of Breath,” which includes not only all that is known to the Western physiologist and hygienist, but the occult side of the subject as well. It not only points out the way to physical health along the lines of what Western scientists have termed “deep breathing,” etc., but also goes into the less known phases of the subject, and shows how the Hindu Yogi controls his body, increasing his mental capacity, and develops the spiritual side of his nature by the “Science of Breath.” The Yogi practices exercises by which he attains control of his body, and is enabled to send to any organ or part an increased flow of vital force or “prana,” thereby strengthening and invigorating the part or organ. He knows all that his Western scientific brother knows about the physiological effect of correct breathing,
but he also knows that the air contains more than oxygen and hydrogen and nitrogen, and that something more is accomplished than the mere oxygenating of the blood. He knows something about “prana,” of which his Western brother is ignorant, and he is fully aware of the nature and manner of handling that great principle of energy, and is fully informed as to its effect upon the human body and mind. He knows that by rhythmical breathing one may bring himself into harmonious vibration with nature, and aid in the unfoldment of his latent powers. He knows that by controlled breathing he may not only cure disease in himself and others, but also practically do away with fear and worry and the baser emotions. To teach these things is the object of this work. We will give in a few chapters concise explanations and instructions, which might be extended into volumes. We hope to awaken the minds of the Western world to the value of the Yogi “Science of Breath.”
From - The Hindu Yoga

BREATH IS LIFE - part 1

Life is absolutely dependent upon the act of breathing. “Breath is Life.” Differ as they may upon details of theory and terminology, the Oriental and the Occidental agree upon these fundamental principles. To breathe is to live, and without breath there is no life. Not only are the higher animals dependent upon breath for life and health, but even the lower forms of animal life must breathe to live, and plant life is likewise dependent upon the air for continued existence. The infant draws in a long, deep breath, retains it for a moment to extract from it its life-giving properties, and then exhales it in a long wail, and lo! its life upon earth has begun. The old man gives a faint gasp, ceases to breathe, and life is over. From the first faint breath of the infant to the last gasp of the dying man, it is one long story of continued breathing. Life is but a series of breaths. Breathing may be considered the most important of all of the functions of the body, for, indeed, all the other functions depend upon it. Man may exist some time without eating; a shorter time without drinking; but without breathing his existence may be measured by a few minutes. And not only is Man dependent upon Breath for life, but he is largely dependent upon correct habits of breathing for continued vitality and freedom from disease. An intelligent control of our breathing power will lengthen our days upon earth by giving us increased vitality and powers of resistance, and, on the other hand, unintelligent and careless breathing will tend to shorten our days, by decreasing our vitality and laying us open to disease.
From - The Hindu Yoga

Prana & the chakras

Prana
• Jalandhara bandha prevents prana from escaping the upper body.
• Uddiyana bandha forces prana up the shushumna nadi.
• Mula bandha, when engaged, prevents apana escaping from the lower body and draws it up to unite with prana.

the chakras - From bottom to top the 7 chakras:
1. Muladhara chakra - at the anus
2. Svadhishthana chakra - at the genitals
3. Manipura chakra - at the navel
4. Anahata chakra - at the heart
5. Vishuddha chakra - at the throat
6. Ajna chakra- between and behind the eyebrows
7. Sahasrara chakra - at the crown of the head
From :Ashtanga Yoga Manual

Prana

Prana is a subtle form of energy. Prana literally means “breathing forth” the universal life force. Through practicing asana and pranayama, prana is brought into and stored in the body, increasing vitality. Prana mainly flows through the body in the nadis, or nerve channels of the astral body. Prana exists as a negative energy as well as a positive energy.Prana moves upward and apana moves downward. When the two unite at the muladara chakra (base of spine) kundalini (dormant cosmic energy) is awakened. The most important nadi, or energy channel, (there are 72,000!) is the shushumna nadi which correlates to the spinal cord in the physical body. When kundalini is awakened it starts to move up the shushumna nadi, through the seven chakras toward higher states of consciousness. In ashtanga yoga there are three locks (bandhas) that are engaged throughout the practice to prevent the dissipation of, and direct the flow of prana in the body, and convert it into spiritual energy.
From :Ashtanga Yoga Manual

Yoga Nidra and consciousness...

Yoga is probably best known as a comfortable form of relaxation, both on a physical and mental level, but it involves a lot more than that. Relaxation is only the first step.
It is easy to practice Yoga Nidra. You lie completely motionless on your back, and listen to the instructions given. The technique is used by people who need an effective relaxation. Many use the Yoga Nidra tape or CD without having any other knowledge of yoga or meditation.
Sometimes a person will come to me and say: "I have tried relaxation and it does not work for me. I just cannot relax." It always turns out that the person has used a form of relaxation, where you have to try to imagine that you relax. So instead of deriving benefit from the relaxation, the person concerned gets irritated and worried from making so much effort.
In Yoga Nidra you are never asked to relax - and my experience is that even those people who have previously experienced problems relaxing, find benefit from Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra is equally popular with school kids and senior citizens, and is highly valued in many work places. For beginners, it is an easy way to experience a state of meditation.
Some years ago I taught at a school for young people. The teachers were very surprised when they saw the boys lying completely still on their backs with their eyes closed for twenty minutes.
You can practice Yoga Nidra anytime you want, to improve your concentration, get better rest and renewed energy - and if you sleep poorly at night, to improve your sleep.
Listen to the instructions without making effort or using your willpower. Just follow the instructions with interest and awareness, and let the rest happen by itself.
In the beginning when you practice Yoga Nidra, you may fall asleep - and that is okay - even though the purpose is to stay awake and aware. If for a moment you don't hear the instructions, you may have an experience like you are deeply asleep - but at the same time you know that you are conscious. Generally falling asleep completely is a transitory stage. Gradually you become increasingly present in the deep state.
When you practice Yoga Nidra, it is best to lie with your head towards the north. Your clothes should not be tight. Do not lie on anything too soft, but preferably on an even floor, maybe on a rug, with a light cover over you. If you are prone to falling asleep, keep your hands and feet uncovered or lie without a cover altogether. If you still fall asleep, then let your elbows rest on the floor with your forearms pointing upwards. Each time you are about to fall asleep, your arms will drop down, and you will wake up.
The essence of Yoga Nidra, as with all kinds of real meditation, is awareness - consciousness resting in itself. During Yoga Nidra thoughts, states and dreams may surface. You may have impressions of experiences and emotions from that day or from earlier times in your life. All this you experience, but you don't cling to any of it - and you don't judge it (after all, you also experience when you judge). You let the impressions and thoughts come and go without trying to control them, and you reach not only a relaxed state, but a state where the mind empties and frees itself of all that it does not need. You let the thoughts flow by and disappear like clouds in the sky, making room for inspiration again.
If for a moment you forget to follow the instructions, then do not try to remember what happened at that particular place in Yoga Nidra; just follow the now. When you get carried away by a thought it may easily turn into a dream that carries you into sleep. Because you are in a deep state, it is quite normal for this to happen. As soon as you discover it, then return to the instructions. In this way you get used to staying aware in a deep state.
Yoga Nidra teaches you to consciously experience the different states that you are guided through, eg. Heaviness and lightness. You learn to give in to the different emotions and states. Your mind is being trained in this way and becomes more flexible - and you reach a state of deep rest.
It is important to have guidance from an experienced teacher in a class or on a tape/CD, especially with the long Yoga Nidra, as the relaxation should preferably be the same each time. In this way the subconscious feels secure and relaxes more easily. When you have gotten used to the short Yoga Nidra, you can then take yourself through the instructions mentally, before you turn to the long and deep Yoga Nidra.
The name Yoga Nidra actually represents a state of consciousness, and the technique leads you there. Both mind and body reach the meditative state. You gain an experience that you can use in other contexts; among other things, it can improve your meditation.
What is most important for all kinds of meditation is regularity, preferably a daily practice. Each time you do it, it will be easier to reach the clarity and peace, which support physical health and your presence in everything you do.
By Mira