Sat Nam! With eight months of Kundalini yoga training under my belt and a teaching certificate on the way, I have so many wonderful things I want to share with all of you! That said, I’ll try not to get ahead of myself. Let’s start with one of the most important facets of Kundalini yoga, all other forms of yoga, and life in general. Something most of us don’t even think about.
Breathing: are you doing it backwards? Chances are you might be. A lot of people contract, pulling in their stomach or navel point when inhaling. This is breathing backwards! Maybe you do it because you don’t want to pouch out your gut while you breathe. Maybe you do it because you bring all the air into your chest cavity, completely neglecting your diaphragm. Maybe you do it because your abs are so rock solid that you couldn’t expand your navel center if you tried (I highly doubt this is the case).
Whatever the reason, whatever the excuse, let’s work on this together. I quickly became aware of my own shortcomings while studying *Pranayam.
When you inhale your navel point should move out while you expand fully, and then move in and up while you exhale completely. We make ourselves wider when
we inhale, and longer when we exhale. So sit with a straight spine and really feel yourself raising up and elongating when you exhale, and widening to your full capacity when inhaling.
Ever think about why we have noses? Well besides aesthetically balancing our faces , they also filter the (often dirty) air that we take into our lungs. This is one reason you probably shouldn’t be gasping for air through an open mouth while exercising. Your mouth doesn’t have those cleverly crafted air filters to protect you from all the junk that’s in the air. You should be in control of your every breath.
Noses warm and humidify the air we breathe. Our nostrils are also conveniently connected to to our ida and pingala, so when we take in air through our nose we stimulate the pituitary gland and even our Third eye (also known as the 6th chakra). In yogic philosophy life isn’t measured in years, but in breaths. We are all said to be given a certain amount of breaths for this life time. Once we take our last allotted breath, that’s it. Whether you find truth in this or not, it really is a good mental note to help keep you breathing long and deep, keeping a calm, steady, focused mind… not wasting even one of your numbered breaths.
“The mind follows the breath. The key to controlling the mind is in controlling the breath.”
Prana is Sanskrit for life force, or breath. *Pranayam is the science of breath.
Let’s try the most basic of Yogic Breaths: Long Deep Breathing.
You can and should utilize this breathing technique until it simply becomes habit. It will keep you calm, neutral-minded and add to your longevity. Start by bringing air into your nostrils and filling the abdomen. Continue expanding and fill your chest and lungs. Continue inhaling and expanding, lifting your upper ribs and finally your clavicles. You should be at your absolute highest capacity of oxygen intake at this point.
Pause briefly, holding the breath in, reminding yourself that you are in control. Now exhale in the opposite order… deflate from the top down until your abdomen pulls in and up, bringing your navel point towards your spine. Stay aware of the three parts involved in this breath. You can practice each part seperately if you’re having a difficult time.
Tips for Abdominal Breathing – Lie on on your back with your left hand on your abdomen and you right hand on your chest. Take a slow, deep breath, completely filling the abdomen. Actually feel the breath with your left hand as your right hand remains on your chest, monitoring and making sure you aren’t bringing air up into that area just yet. Whenever you exhale, gently bring your navel in and up towards your spine. Stay focused on your lower abdomen and keep your chest relaxed. As you breathe with your abdomen your diaphragm pushes and pulls, creating more space for the lungs to expand and allowing your lower lungs to be used more efficiently.
Tips for Chest Breathing – Sit with a straight spine for practice on this breath. Don’t let your abdomen extend and keep your diaphragm as still as can be. You can place your left hand on your abdomen and your right hand in the middle of your chest again if you need some self-monitoring during this exercise. Slowly inhale by utilizing your chest muscles. The intercostal muscles between the ribs allow the chest to expand, so concentrate and feel this inner expansion. Completely exhale without using the abdomen. Use your hands to feel how your bottom ribs move more when expanding than your top ribs do. These are your floating ribs, so they have a little more freedom than the upper ones which are attached to your sternum. Don’t forget to keep a straight spine!
Tips for Clavicular Breathing – Sit with a straight spine for working on this area of breath as well. Bring the navel point in and keep your abdomen tight. Lift your chest upwards without breathing in to do so. Now slowly inhale, bringing the air into and expanding your shoulders and finally into your collarbone. Continue to inhale and lift the shoulders and clavicles upwards until you have filled them to their max capacities, and then keep your chest lifted and your shoulders relaxed as you exhale completely. Remember to keep your abdomen tight, your navel pulled in, and your chest lifted the entire time. Do your best to keep them still.
*Keeping your shoulders relaxed and consciously lifting the chest and clavicles, rather than the shoulders, is vital to mastering Long Deep Breathing. Be aware of your shoulders while practicing any three of these Long Deep Breathing stages.
Wonderful! You have just experienced Long Deep Breathing! Now the trick is implementing these techniques into your every breath, staying in complete control over your body and mind, and staying connected with your spirit at all times. Your breathing patterns can and will directly influence others. If you’re in a conversation with someone who is breathing shallowly, backwards, and/or uncontrollably, just by being near you and the calmness and peace you are creating with your relaxed, meditative breathing will lift their spirits and give them comfort. Even if but on a subconscious plane.
So spread some peace and cheer to your fellow humans by doing something healthy and beneficial for yourself for once. Learn how to breathe consciously… gracefully… and others will pick up on your energy and hopefully follow suit. They may even fall into your slower breathing patterns quicker than you thought, so be aware as you communicate with others. You affect everyone.
I have plenty more to write on the art of breathing, and I will definitely delve into what Kundalini and Kundalini Yoga even are in following posts. I just thought it important to begin with something everyone could benefit from whether they wanted to dig deeper into Kundalini Yoga or not. So, please let me know how I did.
My own breathing has improved significantly over the course of this spiritually evolving semester. I try my hardest to only breathe through my nose (except when doing specific Kundalini exercises or meditations that call for different techniques), especially when exercising. I’ve been running for the past few months now and my endurance and speed has increased impressively, not to mention the time seems to fly now that I’m focusing on my breath while exercising rather than watching the time pass slowly with every plodding step.
I’ve been training with four other very determined individuals under the guidance of our wonderful instructors, Karta Purkh and Sat Inder, at the local 3HO ashram here in Kansas City. All of the above information has been derived from Yogi Bhajan and his teachings. If you are interested in learning more and just can’t wait for my next post please visit:
http://www.kckundaliniyoga.com/index.cfm
Make sure to check back soon for more! Enjoy yourselves and embrace your spirits!
Tagged: breathing, breathing techniques, exercise, kundalini, long deep breathing, yoga