Pranayama
Breath is the principle vehicle for cultivating prana – universal life energy. Pranayama, the practice of conscious breathing, is one of the most important aspects of Hatha yoga.
The ancient yogi’s developed this practice because they knew what modern science has confirmed – that the cells of our body need oxygen. And once the cells are oxidised our body needs to remove the carbon dioxide. Breathing facilitates this exchange.
Oxygen also plays a vital role in the digestive process. Weak lungs and poor digestion often co-exist. Oxygen is needed for food to yield proper nourishment and to support the elimination of waste products from the body.
The yogi’s also understood that as our mental state affects our breath, we can conversely use our breath to affect our mental and physical state.
Note for yourself how your breath changes according to how you feel. Think about what happens when you are scared, stressed or agitated, versus when you are relaxed and at ease.
The practice of pranayama incorporates a range of techniques including simple observation, lengthening, directing, regulating and restraining the breath, in order to affect the body’s physiology in different ways.
Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity for breathing. They breathe shallowly, barely expanding the ribcage. Yoga teaches us how to use the lungs to their maximum capacity and how to control the breath. Normal breathing should be deep, slow and rhythmical. This increases vitality and mental clarity.
Three Types of Breathing
- Clavicular breathing is the most shallow and worst possible type. The shoulders and collarbone are raised while the abdomen is contracted during inhalation. Maximum effort is made, but a minimum amount of air is obtained.
- Thoracic breathing is done with the rib muscles expanding the rib cage, and is the second type of incomplete breathing.
- Deep abdominal breathing is the best, for it brings air to the lowest and largest part of the lungs. Breathing is slow and deep, and proper use is made of the diaphragm.
Full Yogic Breath
Full Yogic breath combines all three, beginning with a deep breath and continuing the inhalation through the thoracic and clavicular areas. And exhaling fully from the abdomen first, then the chest, then the clavicular area.
Techniques
The two main Pranayamas taught in the Sivananda tradition are Kapalabhati and Anuloma Viloma.
Kapalabhati, sometimes known as skull breath or fire breath, energises the body by amplifying the oxygenation of the blood.
Anuloma Viloma, alternate nostril breathing, sometimes called Nadi Shodhana, is said to activate and balance the ida and pingala (sun, moon) energies and harmonise the hemispheres of the brain.
You may also hear references to the Ujjayi breath. This is breath taken in and out through the nose, while deliberately tightening or narrowing the throat at the epiglottis. This increases the vibration of the larynx, creating a soft sound like a sea breeze. It helps to warm the air as it enters the lungs, to maintain awareness on the breath during asana practice, and calm the nerves to create a more reflective practice.
Prana
Just as oxygen is the air plays an important part in sustaining the physiological aspects of life, yogi’s also understand that we draw prana, universal creative energy, more easily from the atmospheric air than from any other source. Prana is said to be stored in our nervous system, and within a system of ‘nadi’s’ that pervade our subtle body. A person who has mastered the cultivation of prana often radiates vitality, strength and health.
‘Breathing is the physical part of thinking and thinking is the psychological part of breathing.” – Ayurveda
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References:
https://www.sivananda.org/teachings/fivepoints.html#breathing
Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques by Mark Stephens
