BREATHING IN YOGA PRACTICE

TRANSFORM COARSE ENERGY INTO SUBTLE ENERGY

Some people need to sit steadily while others need to move in movement, whatever our need, the key is to have awareness in our breath. Any yoga practice incorporates the notion of breath awareness. The breath is the link between the body and the mind and the breathing exercises, called pranayama, develop the link between the emotions, the body and the thoughts. Breathing exercises help to oxygenate our cells and circulate Prana, the vital energy, in the body and through the control of the breath, the gross energy becomes subtle. When the breath is studied during the postures, then the yoga posture becomes Asana.

Breathing techniques are the keystone of yoga, asanas are the exploration of the body and pranayama is the exploration of breath control.

We use the nostrils and not the mouth to play on the fineness of the breath.

Pranayama has the capacity to regenerate the body because it favors the elimination of toxins by purification of the blood and by massage of the vital organs, it avoids premature aging of the tissues and favors healing and finally it allows a relaxation of body tensions.

Pranayama has the ability to balance the emotions by calming the nervous system, it directs and balances the thoughts and develops a better balance between the body and the emotions.

Pranayama has the effect on the brain of calming overwhelming thoughts and promoting mental clarity, balancing the two hemispheres of the brain and increasing blood flow which creates a better irrigation and oxygenation of the brain.

PRANAYAMA WITH SITTING

Pranayamas are techniques unique to yoga and should be practiced with caution, especially if they involve bandhas. It is said that just like having the ability to pursue higher education, pranayama training requires mastery of the yoga postures and the strength and discipline that comes with them. The practitioner's ability to advance in the breathing techniques must be judged by an experienced teacher. In pranayama, the yogi uses the lungs as tools, and misuse of the lungs can lead to harmful results.

The body being the temple of the soul, before the practice, as one does not enter a dirty temple, the body must be clean. The bladder and intestines should be emptied to make the bandha easy. Preferably the stomach should be empty, otherwise after a meal one should wait at least 6 hours or 30 minutes after a light meal.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES DURING ASANAS

The practice of asana requires physical strength, control of the body's center of gravity, awareness of the ground, selective physical relaxation by learning to release the parts of the body that do not need to be engaged, all the while having the breath under control. In all of this, breathing in and out plays a major role.

During the postures, we implement the Ujjayi breath, also called the victorious breath, which is used a lot in Vinyasa Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. The Ujjayi breath is achieved by contracting the glottis in the back of the throat, which causes resistance and a reduction in the passage of air, causing a slight sound, like a thread of self that weaves from the back of the throat. This technique increases the energy and purifies and especially allows to lengthen the breath and to subtilise the practice of the postures.

In the center of the throat is our "nectar of immortality", a substance we receive when we are born and which can be considered our "life reserve". As we age, we gradually lose this nectar with each breath we take. In yoga, we say that this nectar flows from the back of the throat to the fire in the belly where it burns. When we have no more nectar, the energy leaves the body and we die.

Ujjayi breathing has the ability to release overwhelming emotions and create a state of inwardness, non-stress and unity. It purifies the body by creating a process of cleansing and elimination in the body to bring about a sense of physical well-being.

All our sequences require concentration to link the movement to the breath, but some postures require special attention to the breath such as a sequence dedicated to Vishuddha, the throat chakra, the Prana Vashya Yoga series, where the breath is central to the practice and Kapotasana, the pigeon posture, which is difficult and in which we must relax the diaphragm in order to remain comfortable.