Blissful Breathing

Ujjayi Pranayama, Victorious Breath

Ujjayi pranayama, aptly translated as ‘victorious’, is the most important breath in my practice and is through my teachings of vinyasa flow.  It is the breath that leads you through the sequence; everything rides on its rhythm and it can be practised in any asana.  It ignites agni, building heat and enabling you to go deeper into postures. 

Also described as psychic breath ujjayi has a multitude of benefits, it calms the mind, soothes the nervous system, slows down the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, induces meditative states and increases connection to psychic ability.  Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati explains that in ujjayi we are going back to the innate way of breathing as a child, “when a healthy child sleeps, he always breathes by contracting the glottis, so that the sound of the breath comes from the throat.  This kind of breathing is replicated in ujjayi.” (p251 Prana and Pranayama). 

Tips to engaging Ujjayi

• Remember the breath is the practice and the asanas (physical yoga postures) are merely an extension of the breath, if you stop breathing you have gone to deep. 
• It can be helpful to start inhaling deeply through the nose and then exhaling sighing out making a noise through the mouth with a soft whispering “hhhaaa” sound or lions breath, then close the mouth while maintaining the sound on the exhalation and feeling the air moving in the back of the throat. 
• Imagine the sensation that you are breathing through the throat and gently constricting the glottis; creating a comforting sound which is audible and will inspire you and those around. 
• Focus on the sensation of the air warming in the throat by the friction as it passes through the glottis to the lungs.
• Allow the sound of ujjayi to act as a mantra to keep you connected to the present through the practice, preventing distractions and acting as a link between body and mind to come into a moving meditation.
• Allow the sounds of ujjayi to be like the waves of the ocean washing in and washing out, cleansing the mind and washing away any unwanted thoughts.  
• Keep the face relaxed; smiling gently with a small gap between the lips.  
• Count the breath so that the inhale and exhale are equal in length, to come into samavriti pranayama

Nadi Shodhana: purifying the energy channel and balancing ida and pingala

“If one wants to lead a spiritual life, this very pranayama is sufficient.  It will steady the way to meditation and Samadhi.”

Nadi shodhana, alternate nostril breathing, translated as ‘to cleanse/ purify the energy channel’ is the first pranayama exercise listed in the ancient yogic teachings.  It balances the flow of ida and pingala, promoting equilibrium between the two energies which calms the mind, releases stress and induces a meditative state.  By regulating the breath flow in the nostrils nadi shodhana balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Throughout daily life we breathe more strongly through one nostril than the other and the dominant nostril changes every 1½ hours or so, shifting the natural functioning of the brain from one side to the other.  Breathing through the left nostril is connected to the right side of the brain which lends itself to creativity, calm thought processes and silence, whilst breathing through the right nostril connects to the left brain and associated logical and analytical thinking patterns alongside physical activity and verbal discussion.  In yogic philosophy the sides of the brain and the correlating opposite sides of the body are represented by the god Siva,(right nostril, side of body, left brain, hot) and Shakti (left nostril, side of body, right brain, cool). Siva embodies masculinity, rationality and is represented by yang in Chinese tradition and the goddess Shakti is yin, feminine and intuition. 

If people naturally breathe predominantly through the right or left nostril and the flow of prana is unbalanced this has scientifically been linked to causing a predisposition to certain health problems.  For example Dr I.N. Riga’s research outlined in Kundalini Tantra has demonstrated that people who breathe mainly through the left nostril (ida) are more susceptible to paranoia and people who breathe predominantly through the right are predisposed to hypertension. 

Nadi shodhana restores a balance “reintegrating the intuitive with the rational, and the feminine and with the masculine [..] allowing prana energy to vitalise your body and mind.” (p54 The Power of the Breath) and helps you to feel grounded.  Nadi shodhana positively affects the respiratory process because by lengthening the breath and holding the air longer in the lungs “there is an increased potential for greater gaseous absorption, separation and elimination in the lungs” (p 93 Prana and Pranayama) which reduces the carbon dioxide level in the blood which then slows down the normal rate of breathing.   Nadi shodhana is beneficial for the heart and exercises the whole cardiac system as indicated in Prana and Pranayama as follows,

“When the heart is damaged, the ratio between the systolic and diastolic periods often becomes 2:1, 3:1 or even 5:1; however, with regular practice of nadi shodhana, the correct rhythm can be restored.  One can observe from the pulse that the heart rate speeds up with inspiration and slows down with expiration.  Breathing with the ration 1:2 relaxes the coronary muscles without reducing the supply of oxygen to the brain and body tissues.” (p130-131 Prana and Pranayama)

Further research discussed in Prana and Pranayama concludes that nadi shodhana has profound psycho-physiological effects including improving mental processes, for example an increase in speed of completing mathematical tasks, stimulation of the cardiovascular system, balance of the autonomous nervous system and a decrease in blood pressure.  I found it interesting to note that the older participants particularly benefitted from these positive effects.  This was reassuring and helped me to feel confident sharing the exercise with my mum and with other more senior students in future.

Further research has substantiated my thoughts that nadi shodhana is one of the most important yogic practises and is a beneficial exercise for all.  It has reiterated that we should begin with nadi shodhana before moving on to other pranayama exercises.   Swami Satyananda states no other exercises are necessary, “If one wants to lead a spiritual life, this very pranayama is sufficient.  It will steady the way to meditation and Samadhi.” Nadi shodhana can ultimately enable the breath to flow evenly through both nostrils transcending your awareness to higher state of meditative consciousness.


The Power of Pranayama


Reading about, studying and practicing the Pranayama exercises in B.K.S Iyengar’s Light on Yoga has increased my interest and practice of this limb of yoga.  I particularly liked the advice and the way Iyengar laid out these exercises in a clear, practical and accessible way.  Rather than seeming like something mystical, unachievable and intimidating Iyengar has carefully described pranayama exercises and explained the benefits in a logical way. 

Studying the chapter on pranayama has helped me to integrate 15 - 30 minutes of pranayama into my self practice on a regular basis and Nadi Sodhana Pranayama nearly daily.  I have already felt the benefits of cleansing the lungs and building lung capacity and have been able to increase the number of repetitions and length of retentions.

I have always found that engaging ujaji breath and focusing on the breath during asana practice is vital to maintaining focus, building internal heat and providing energy and stamina to flow through the practice and open the body into difficult postures.  Using ujaji breath is what helped to transform my yoga experience from a purely physical one to become a meditative and spiritual one.  Reading more into pranayama helped me to understand why the breath is so integral to yoga; breath is the ‘life force’ and is connected directly to the mind, so naturally controlling and focusing on it will have a powerful affect. 

In our daily life we are not normally aware of our breath or acknowledge it despite it being the crucial force which keeps us alive.   Therefore concentrating on the breath is calming, humbling and grounds us in the moment - we are focusing only on the actions which are necessary to our being.  Iyengar explains "Evenness of breathing leads to healthy nerves and so to evenness of mind and temper" (p363, Light on Yoga).   

I think that pranayama practice is more important than ever because we are living in a modern, technology focused, busy and often hectic society where people are constantly taking in information from different sources and thinking about numerous things at once.  In this environment it is easy to loose touch of the simplicity of just ‘being in the moment, just breathing’.  By taking away all the other distractions and stimulants and focusing purely on the breath during exercises such as kapalabhati or nadi shodhana it brings attention to being alive, being in the present and reconnects us with our life force. 

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika also helped deepen my understanding of pranayama and why it helps to calm and bring clarity to the mind because, "the breathing process is directly connected to the brain and central nervous system [...] By becoming aware of the nature of the breath and by retraining it the whole system becomes controlled.  When you retain the breath you are stopping nervous impulses in different parts of the body and harmonising the brain wave patterns." (p150-1, Hatha Yoga Pradipika) 

Before starting the teacher training course I was aware of and engaged the bandhas in my practice.  However I didn’t understand the true reason we applied bandhas and thought they just helped with core strength.  I found Iyengar's descriptions of engaging the bandhas in pranayama, how this works and why it is necessary to lock the pranic energy in the body straightforward and helpful.  Likening the process to an electrical current which needs transformers, conductors and fuses etc as otherwise it is lethal highlighted the importance of employing the bandhas correctly and helped me focus on this in my practice:

“When electricity is generated, it is necessary to have transformers, conductors, fuses, switches and insulated wires to carry the power to its destination, as without these the electricity generated would be lethal.  When prana is made to flow in the yogi’s body by the practice of pranayama it is equally necessary for him to employ bandhas to prevent the dissipation of energy and to carry it to the right quarters without causing damage elsewhere.  Without the bandhas, prana is lethal” (p365 Light on Yoga). 

I have read a number of different descriptions of the chakra system and kundalini awakening and I found Iyengar's very clear and concise.   I found Iyengar’s simple explanation of the ultimate goal for pranayama practice helpful, "With mastery of the three bandhas, the yogi is at the cross-roads of his destiny" and the path we aim to follow "leads to Yoga or union with the Supreme Soul" and "He will then acquire moral and spiritual power.  The power within him will shine forth like the sun." (p367 Light on Yoga).  Following reading Iyengar’s description I found it easier to digest this idea when echoed in the Hatha Yoga Pradikipa as follows, "Prana is the tangible manifestation of the higher Self.  Hatha yoga uses prana as the key to expand the awareness of consciousness and realise the Self." (p157 Hatha Yoga Pradikipa). 

I find pranayama, specifically kumbhaka, a powerful way of clearing the mind and coming to a moment of complete stillness, purity and bliss.  During kumbkaka I can feel the energy flowing freely through the body and gain a sense of inner strength and contentment.  Pranayama brings about a meditative state as Iyengar explains, "in the practice of pranayama the sense are drawn inwards and in the silence of kumbhaka the aspirant hears his inner voice calling: 'Look within!  The source of happiness is within!'" (p365 Light on Yoga).

In summary I have found reading Iyengar's chapter on pranayama highly beneficial to integrating pranayama exercises into my self practice.  It has provided a clear  explanation which supports and builds on  my own experience of the breath being calming and bringing one pointed focus to my yoga practice.  Iyengar’s teachings have enriched my asana and pranayama practice as I play with the bandhas and breath with a sense of locking in the pranic energy.  This root knowledge has enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the pranic and chakra systems and kundalini awakening.