Welcome to the great yoga breath,
Known as Maha Yoga Pranayama.
Lying Shavasana,
Which is the posture for pure rest,
We're going to focus on a more in-depth breathing practice,
Which is very much a part of the practice of yoga,
Where we focus upon the body as a whole.
It is often referred to as a diaphragmatic breathing or belly or abdominal breathing.
Ensure you are comfortable.
Lie on a soft surface in a warm,
Quiet space.
Separate your feet about hip-width distance apart.
Little toes are turned out slightly towards the floor.
Draw your shoulders down and away from your ears,
And perhaps,
Even though you are lying down,
Gently roll your shoulders in a circle,
Three times on way and three times the other.
Notice the shoulders sliding down and away from your ears,
Along your mat or on the floor.
Draw your left hand to your chest now,
With your fingers resting near the collarbones.
Elbows released to the earth.
Your hands are simply for placement.
Your right hand low down on your belly,
Palms resting gently.
Now imagine your lungs extend from your left hand to your right hand.
Of course they don't,
But this is simply so you will extend the breath along your torso.
How does this Maha Yoga Pranayama differ from other practices?
Well,
It optimizes the use of the main muscle of breathing,
The diaphragm,
Resulting in a slower,
Deeper breathing.
Before we commence,
Just gently roll your head from side to side,
Relaxing the back of the head,
The neck and the shoulders,
Keeping the chin in slightly.
Now to begin,
Let us start traveling through the entire body,
Expanding from its center outwards,
Feeling the gentle rhythmic flow of the entire being.
Then allow your head to be still,
Your forehead parallel to the ceiling.
Your eyes are softly closed.
Drop your jaw,
And again,
And again.
Release the tension you may be holding on to in the jaw.
Let your body melt into the floor and rest.
A soft,
Soothing,
Tranquil feeling.
Breathing in and out through the nose.
Deeply,
Slowly,
Quietly,
And with full awareness.
One breath,
Four stages,
As we inhale,
Retain,
Exhale,
And rest.
We aim at a maximum build-up of energy.
Bring your mind to your body,
Releasing it from all diversions and distractions.
Breathe out through the nose,
Exhale and push all the stale air out,
Out through the nose.
Now inhale and push your belly out against your right hand.
The belly will fall as you draw that same breath,
Inwards and upwards,
Towards the middle lungs.
A little more into the chest,
Near the left fingertips.
A little more into the nose and throat.
Suspend the breath for a few moments,
And then release.
Lower,
Middle,
Upper.
Nose and throat.
The body gently sinking into the earth.
Suspend the breath for a few seconds here,
And then come back to normal breathing,
And rest for a few moments.
In the yogic world,
Dr.
Swami Jitananda coined the expression,
While we can go without food for weeks,
Or water for days,
And yet remain alive,
We can only go without air for a few moments.
Why is it then,
We pay such little attention to the breath?
So,
Let us do this again.
Bring your mind to your body,
Releasing it from all diversions and distractions.
Begin by breathing out through the nose,
Exhale and push all the stale air out,
Out through the nose.
Inhale,
Push your belly out against the right hand.
The belly will fall as you draw the breath,
Inwards and upwards,
Towards the middle lungs.
A little more into the chest,
Near the left fingertips.
A little more into the nose and throat.
Hold the breath for a few moments,
And then release.
Lower,
Middle,
Upper,
Nose and throat.
And the body gently sinks into the earth.
Suspend the breath for a few seconds,
And then come back to normal breathing.
Once again,
Rest for a few moments.
So,
Why is it so important to focus on the breath?
Well,
We breathe 15 to 18 times every minute,
Around 20,
000 times a day,
And yet we take it for granted,
Don't we?
So,
Let us do this again.
Bring your mind to your body,
Once again releasing it from all diversions and distractions.
Begin by breathing out through the nose,
Exhale and push all the stale air out.
Inhale,
Push your belly out against the right hand and the belly will fall as you draw that same breath,
Inwards and upwards.
A little more into the chest,
A little more into the nose and throat.
Hold the breath for a few moments,
And then release.
The body gently sinking into the earth.
Suspend the breath for a few seconds,
And then come back to normal breathing,
And rest for a few moments.
Each day we eat several kilos of food and we drink at least a litre of water,
But we breathe about 10,
000 litres of air,
Or can do.
The average healthy lungs capacity is around 5 to 6 litres in one inhalation.
The average sedentary person is likely to breathe around 500 ml of air with each respiration.
Therefore,
We only use one-tenth of our lung capacity,
So what happens to our energy supply?
So let us breathe,
Breathe,
Breathe.
Are you breathing slowly now?
We'll practice Maha Yoga Pranayama once more when you're ready.
Maha meaning great,
Yoga the connection between the body,
The mind and the breath,
And prana is a life force that we draw in through oxygen,
And ama is extension.
Maha Yoga Pranayama.
So let us begin by breathing out a big full breath,
And then push all the stale air out.
Inhale again,
Push your belly out against the right hand.
The belly will fall as you draw the breath inwards and upwards towards the middle lungs,
A little more into the chest near the fingertips,
A little more into the nose and throat.
Retain the breath for a few moments,
And then release,
Letting go.
And then suspend the breath for a moment or two in rest mode,
And then come back to your normal breathing.
And now gently place your hands beside you with your palms facing upwards,
Again sliding your shoulders down and away from your ears.
Rest.
You know what you are doing now,
Practice whenever you can.
Slow respiration occurs with a slow beating heart,
And a slow beating heart is conducive to long life.
As we focus on the breath,
We go inwards,
Going inward,
Leaving the outer world behind.
What a relief,
Don't you think?
Just breathe normally now,
Resting.
And words by Amit Ray.
If you want to conquer the anxiety of life,
Live in the moment,
Live in the breath.
And do remember to stop occasionally just to take some long,
Deep,
Quenching breaths.
And so,
Let us be grateful for each breath we take.
Let every breath grant us peace and joy.
Let us look upon each breath as a gift from the gods.
With love,
This is Anne-Marie.
