Category: Pranayama
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Practicing Pranayama with Congestion
The day before yesterday we left very early in the morning to a day filled with traveling and unknowns. I didn’t practice that morning and I didn’t practice yesterday morning because I was too unsettled to enjoy a meaningful practice. Today was a “resuming practice” day. On such days my nasal passages are usually at…
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Pranayama Prepares Mind for Meditation
Have you ever noticed that when you sit down to meditate the mind becomes frantic? No matter how soft a meditation practice you have, when you first sit down and observe the mind it’s all over the place. Then when you want to gently help it settle is seems to run around even more. Dropping…
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Not Changing My Pranayama
I am still practicing Pranayama only once a day – in the morning. I am using the practice my teacher gave to me over 4 months ago. The regularity of my practices changes depending on life’s vibrations . I don’t struggle to practice – when life throws me off I wait or try to do…
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Pranayama Before Kriya
There is too much evidence that Kriya practices have, like many other Yoga practices, devolved into a fashion based on superficial information. This includes practices like Neti (cleansing of the nasal passages for which you can find “instructional” videos on YouTube or accessories in Yoga shops) and Vasti (enemas) which (though thankfully not yet represented…
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Three Keys to Starting a Pranayama Practice
Please note: Though I intend to show you that you can start a basic Pranayama practice on your own please keep in mind that that is pretty much all you can and should do on your own. There is a lot of superficial disinformation about what Pranayama is and how it should be practiced. Breath…
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Asana & Pranayama – An Energy Process
There is a fuctional relationship between Asana & Pranayama. Understading it is useful in putting both Asana & Pranayama practices in context and draws them together into a fuller understanding of Yoga. I’ve been looking for a metaphor to demonstrate this relationship for some time until I remembered to revisit the engine metaphor which I…
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In Pranayama Quality Trumps Quantity
Pranayama is the most regular practice I’ve taken up since returning to a regular morning practice routine. I am currently practicing once a day with my current morning practice – where the crown posture involves a krama on the exhale (exhaling 8 seconds, holding 4 seconds, exhaling 8 more seconds and holding for another 4…
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Getting Back to Practice
It’s been almost two weeks now that I’ve been enjoying a fairly regular practice routine – it’s still building, still taking shape but it’s presence is stabilizing. It was interesting for me to observe a cycle over 3+ months as I moved away from and back towards a practice. Practice >> Wanting to Practice >>…
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Change in Morning Pranayama Practice – Surrender?
A couple of days ago my teacher changed my morning Pranayama from this: 10 – 0 – 15 – 0 Gradually build up Ujjayi breath 10 – 0 – 15 – 0 x6 Anuloma Ujjayi 10 – 5 – 15 – 0 x6 Anuloma Ujjayi 10 – 5 – 15 – 5 x6 Anuloma Ujjayi…
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Observing Pranayama – September 2010
This period of observation continues the previous 10 days and brings it to a total of 30 days. My current morning Pranayama practice is: 10 – 0 – 15 – 0 Gradually build up Ujjayi breath 10 – 0 – 15 – 0 x6 Anuloma Ujjayi 10 – 5 – 15 – 0 x6 Anuloma…
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How to End a Pranayama Practice
Pranayama can lead to a delicate place, one that is easy to disturb and lose. The inherent structure of a Pranayama practice leads to an ending that may disturb the very delicate quality it created. My practices bring me with two such obstalces: (1) lowering my arm from the nostril control position; (2) stopping the…
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Welcome to Pranayama Journal
Numerous circumstances have lowered the amount of writing I do here, specifically about Yoga. A lot of my Yoga energy is being diverted to other Yoga activities: I’ve been making an effort to regulate my practices, I’ve been working on an asana illustration and sequence building project and I’ve been supporting my teacher in creating…
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A Change in Breath
I found a paper in my Yoga teachers training pile – and on it is a short phrase written in large capitalized letters that cover the entire page. If memory serves, I wrote it down during a retreat as my teacher was talking. I don’t recall if it was a sponatenous phrase or if he…
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Pranayama Exposes Beyond Mind
Pranayama requires quite a bit of counting. Counting, repeatedly, for a substantial period of time collects and focuses mind and gives Pranayama a meditative quality. This is especially apparent when each part of the breath becomes longer. But, like most practices, I eventually got used to it. I developed an automated and regulated internal rhythm…
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Pranayama Exposes Mind
Over the past week a change has occurred in Pranayama practice. My current Pranayama practice was something like: 10 – 0 – 15 – 0 x8 10 – 0 – 15 – 5 x8 10 – 5 – 15 – 5 x8 10 – 0 – 15 – 0 x8 When my nasal passages are…
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Pranayama with Blocked Nasal Passages
Many people, myself included, frequently experience difficulties in Pranayama (breathing) practices that involve nostril control. The problem is usually due to some kind of obstacles that block or disturb the flow of air through the nostrils. This can be frustrating for people who want to pursue and develop a Pranayama practice. Fortunately there are some…
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Nadi Sodhana
Nadi Sodhana is a subtle breathing technique, a crown jewel amongst the Pranayama techniques. In Nadi Sodhana breath control is achieved only through the nostrils – so there is no more switching back and forth between nostril control and throat control (ujjayi). If you are familiar with Pratiloma Ujjayi – then in a way you’ve…
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Pratiloma Ujjayi
Pratiloma Ujjayi is a longer cycle of breathing that weaves together the Anuloma & Viloma techniques The breathing cycle in Pratiloma Ujjayi is: Inhale through the left nostril (closing the right nostril by applying pressure to the thumb). Exhale with both nostrils open using Ujjayi (throat control). Inhale with both nostrils open using Ujjayi (throat…