To: K-list
Recieved: 2004/12/01 16:37
Subject: RE: [K-list] Re: Breath Control
From: Gustaf Grefberg
On 2004/12/01 16:37, Gustaf Grefberg posted thus to the K-list:
Hey Jaakko!
There is one kind of breathing that is really good to learn, is completely
100% safe, has great benefits, and forms a wonderful basis for other
techniques. It's called yogic breathing, and you do it in a few different
steps.
1. Spend some time every day to just be aware of the breath, not try to
change or control it in any way. Just be a witness to it. It's best done
laying down on the back. I spend time every day just observing and being
aware of that I am breathing. It's wonderful and brings a lot of awareness
of life into play.
2. Laying on your back, put one hand on your chest and the other on your
abdomen. First, try to breathe only with your abdoment, while keeping your
chest still and unmoving. Try to only fill the abdomen with air. Feel it
expanding like a balloon. It's concentrated breathing, but don't force it.
Feel the abdomen expanding as you breathe in, the navel out, but also
experience the sides and the back expanding as well. Then, do the same
thing with your chest. Keep your abdomen still and try to breathe only with
the chest. Feel the chest expanding as you breathe in, opening up. It's ok
to put some energy into this as well, but don't force it either. Feel the
chest expand upwards, to the sides, and at the back as well.
3. Spend some time doing this sitting inside. Only the abdomen.. Then only
the chest.. Feel the expansion and contraction, to all sides. Always spend
some time afterwards just observing your natural breath.
4. Work again laying on your back.. For a while do chest and abdominal
breathing, but after a while, combine them. First fill the abdomen
completely. Only when the abdomen is full, fill the chest with air as well,
as much as you can. Then when you breathe out, empty the chest from air
first, then the abdomen.
5. Practice this full breath in a sitting position. The reason to alternate
laying and sitting postures is because it is easier to breathe deep while
laying down, than while sitting, so it's a good preparation. =) (At a later
stage you can also add collar bone breath if you want. That means that after
you fill the chest, you raise your shoulders just slightly, filling the top
of the lungs with air as well. Then it's called Samaveta Pranayama, Full
Yogic Breath )
If you want to after this, you can hold your breath in a little while after
breathing in, and hold it out after breathing out. This practice good
preparation for any form of breathing technique, yoga or any other system,
since it teaches you how to breathe deep down into the abdomen and to expand
the chest. We usually learn in a stressful environment to breathe shallow up
in the chest without expanding it, and never using that deep, deep breathing
down in the abdomen. When a newborn child sleeps, she breathe all the way
down, deep, and the chest expands. And you will find that after doing this
for some time, your breathing will improve, and other tecniques will become
easier to perform. The breathing here is exaggerated, but that will bring
your normal breathing much more in tune.
Some general guidelines for pranayama.
1. Never ever strain, not even a little. If you feel comfortable, it's
usually ok. But if you feel muscle strain, hard to breathe, lightheadedness
or anything else, immediately stop the practice, take a break and pick it up
again when you feel normal again.
2. Always do it on a full stomach. Wait 3 hours after eating before
practicing any pranayama. If you practice on a full stomach there may be
negative side effects, and some practices may even cause damage.
3. Let it build up. Stage after stage. Master one stage completely before
going on to the next.
I would warmly recommend finding an experienced yoga teacher in the
Satyananda, Sivananda or Yogananda tradition, these teachers often have a
more full, traditional understanding of pranayama, and can teach it to you
in a step-by-step way that really builds up something for you. I don't know
where you live though, so I don't know what you can find around your area.
I've learned from the Satyananda tradition myself. =)
For example, when you learn Nadi Shodana Pranayama (Pranic network cleansing
pranayana) you can easily learn it in several steps. It's commonly known as
alternate nostril breathing. In the beginning, you simply close right
nostril, breath in and out through the left.. Then in and out through the
right.. In next stage, you breathe in through left, out through right, back
in throuhg the right and back through the left.. Then you start counting,
making the breathing longer, increasing the ratio (so the exhalation is
longer) then you add internal and external breath retention, and then
bandhas (energy locks) You can find plenty of books on the subject, I would
warmly recommend "Prana, Pranayama, Pranavidya" by Swami Niranjananda
Saraswati. It goes through all of these things in detail, including what I
mentioned here. But it won't beat having someone to show you how to do it.
=D
Sincerely
Gustaf
>
> Gustaf, I'm very interested in learning about pranayama and correct
> breathing already because breathing is one of the key elements in the
> martial art that I practice (hapkido). I'd like to do it right in order to
> not mess my heart and lungs. :) Especially, since I've done some breathing
> exercises where one has to hold one's breath for an extended time. No one
> has ever warned me that it could be dangerous. If you could help me out,
> it would be great! Thanks!
>
> Jaakko
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 12:02:25 +0100
> From: Gustaf Grefberg <gustaf.grefbergATstarbreeze.com>
> Subject: [K-list] Breath control
> To: K-listATkundalini-gateway.org
> Message-ID: <190882CA24B3B94F8AFB36BA5E60C7CE016B746AATix.o3games.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
>
> Anyways.. I'd be happy to offer what I know about pranayama to anyone who
> is
> interested. I am not an accomplished swami or expert in it, but I will
> share
> what I know and leave the rest up to Goddess.
>
> Love
> Gustaf
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>
>
>
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