Thanksgiving conjures up either anxiety or anticipation in
most people. One friend admitted
she scheduled a therapy session first thing Monday morning following the
holiday, because she knew she’d have family issues to process.
Luckily, for the many of us who attended Kathleen Pringle’s
Introduction to Pranayama workshop, any post-Thanksgiving anxiety was quickly exhaled.
Kathleen, owner of Stillwater Yoga in Midtown Atlanta is dedicated to training
anyone in the art of yoga through the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. Her
post-holiday Intro to Pranayama was a wonderful introduction to her gentle and
knowledgeable teaching style.
As some of you may know, there are eight limbs of yoga: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama,
Pratyahara, Dharna, Dhyana, and Samadhi. It is said we should master the first
three limbs of yoga before embarking on the fourth limb: pranayama. However, those of us who found yoga later in life would have
to wait another lifetime or 100 lifetimes to venture into this area.
The most important first step to begin to
understand the concepts behind pranayama is learning to go within. Kathleen began class with a
simple sitting position that most anyone can do. She talked about how to adjust our position with blankets to
align the body in such as way as to be able to withstand longer periods of
stillness.
It is in stillness that we are able to follow the breath
within ourselves. When properly
aligned, we are better able to create space within the body both vertically and
horizontally. Vertical expansion
is known to bring more intellect.
Horizontal expansion is known to bring more wisdom.
Kathleen discussed the five known elements: Earth, water, fire,
air, and ether. She explains that according to yogic texts there are also five sheaths or koshas of the
body each associated with one of the five elements: The physical body, Annamaya kosha (earth), the energy body
or pranayamah (water), emotional body manomaya (fire), the intellectual body
vijnamaya (air), and the bliss body, anandamaya (ether). She explains how we use our five senses of perception: ears, nose, tongue, eyes, and skin to discern our external world. In the study of pranayama, we need to draw our five senses of perception inward.
Interestingly, there are five vayus or airs of the body: Prana, apana, samana, udana, and vyana. Kathleen demonstrated the location of the five vayus as we sustained the proper alignment in the sitting pose and experienced the idea of what might be expected of us in a sitting pranayama practice. After her short lecture on the basics of pranayama and her demonstration of a proper sitting position, we began a short asana practice.
Interestingly, there are five vayus or airs of the body: Prana, apana, samana, udana, and vyana. Kathleen demonstrated the location of the five vayus as we sustained the proper alignment in the sitting pose and experienced the idea of what might be expected of us in a sitting pranayama practice. After her short lecture on the basics of pranayama and her demonstration of a proper sitting position, we began a short asana practice.
Asana as the third limb of yoga is designed to bring
awareness, alignment, and strength to every part of the body. Through a regular practice of asana, we
are able to connect the dots of our mind, our body, and our breath. Every asana or yoga pose is designed to create more awareness and space in some area of the body. So, by the time you begin pranayama there is more awareness and space to
witness the breath.
One of the initial exercises in the introduction to pranayama is simply observing the breath. This is known as Ujjayi breathing. Ujjayi is known as the "breath of the warrior" and comes from the prefix ud meaning upwards and expanding and jaya, which is victorious conquest. There are four stages of Ujjayi. It begins with simple inhalations and exhalations, which slow and expand over time. There
are three basic qualities of the breath that we seek to attain in this process
of observation: Soft, smooth, and
deep. First we soften the
breath. We may notice the idea
of observing the breath has caused a little anxiety in us. That bit of anxiety
has affected the quality of the breath making it harder than it needs to be. Immediately,
we’ve been able to observe a distinction in our own breath: hardness. From that
distinction we are better able to understand the process of softening the
breath.
We continue to observe the breath through the other qualities: smoothness and depth. By the end, our mind is able to follow our inhalations and exhalations completely. We are witnessing each breath getting longer. We are noticing the path the breath chooses to take on it’s way into the body and on it’s way out of it. We are noticing a natural pause after the inhalation and after the exhalation. A whole new world is being observed - one most of us haven't ever taken the time to experience before. Soon each breath is slower, smoother, deeper and we are becoming so comfortable in the pauses that we find ourselves wanting to linger there longer. By connecting the mind to the breath we are able to create an amazing sense of calm. We are at peace. Stress? Anxiety? What's that?
We continue to observe the breath through the other qualities: smoothness and depth. By the end, our mind is able to follow our inhalations and exhalations completely. We are witnessing each breath getting longer. We are noticing the path the breath chooses to take on it’s way into the body and on it’s way out of it. We are noticing a natural pause after the inhalation and after the exhalation. A whole new world is being observed - one most of us haven't ever taken the time to experience before. Soon each breath is slower, smoother, deeper and we are becoming so comfortable in the pauses that we find ourselves wanting to linger there longer. By connecting the mind to the breath we are able to create an amazing sense of calm. We are at peace. Stress? Anxiety? What's that?
Pranayama can be done in a seated position or supine
position. A preparatory exercise in learning seated pranayama is sitting in a chair (backwards - facing the back of the chair and using it to support the lift of the chest). For all pranayama exercises (and there are many) the chest needs
to be lifted and open. This eventually opens the heart area, which is said to be the "seat of the divine". Kathleen
makes a point early on to share that the simple act of lifting the chest can put us in a
better mood and actually helps with depression. She discusses the
connection to yoga practice and health - explaining how scientists have
discovered that this attention to parts of the body through yoga promotes a
remarkable resistance to disease. It is some of the basis of a new field of study
known as psychoneuroimmunology .
In Light on Pranayama, Iyengar talks about how pranayama stimulates the peristaltic and segmenting movements of the
intestines. Stimulating this area
of the body aids in absorbing food and disposing of solid wastes. Anyone who has read anything about the
origins of disease learns that it can usually be attributed to the digestive
tract. Pranayama also helps
maintain the flow of pure blood to tone the nerves, brain, spinal cord, and cardiac
muscles while increasing their efficiency.
While there are many things that can get in the way of our yoga
practice: from intellectual
obstacles like false knowledge, mental or emotional obstacles where our ego gets in the way, and
environmental obstacles like disease, it is important to experience how yoga with a regular asana and pranayama practice can help you breakthrough any
obstacle.
But as B.K.S. Iyengar says in the preface of Light On
Pranayama:
“Words can hypnotise and attract a reader to a religious practice (Sadhana) and make him think he understands a spiritual experience. Reading, however, only makes him more learned, while practice (Sadhana) in what he has read brings him nearer to truth and clarity.”
Pranayama goes far deeper than I could ever begin to explain here. However, it is something that once you try it, you will want to practice again and again. So, take the first step. Before your next holiday, make a point to begin a practice of yoga with pranayama, so you can begin to discover the world inside you and experience the power of breath work for yourself. Who knows you may just tap into your own abilities to resist anxiety and stress throughout the New Year and beyond.
Namaste.
Namaste.
For more information about Iyengar Yoga, Pranayama, or Kathleen Pringle and Stillwater Yoga please visit http://www.stillyoga.com/
