Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate  Nostril  Breathing View this email in your browser

Nadi Shodhana: How to Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing Nadi Shodhana, or “alternate nostril breathing,” is a simple yet powerful technique that settles the mind, body, and emotions. Can be practiced to quiet your mind ,it is particularly helpful to ease racing thoughts if you are experiencing anxiety, stress, or having trouble falling asleep. In fact, the term Nadi Shodhana means “clearing the channels of circulation.” Finding the balance of the Self:  Creating the flow through the internal energetic path ways ( Nadis , Meridians). We often discover through our yoga practice that there many imbalance within our selves and nadi shodhana allows us to explore this. The left side , The right side, The front Body ,The back Body, The side Body, The opposite sides of our body parts, our organs,our emotional Self,our Physical Self. Running alongside the sushumna nadi, on either side of the spine, are the ida and pingala nadis. Ida refers to the chandra (yin) energies of the moon while pingala refers to the surya (yang) energies of the sun. The practice of nadia shodhana allows us to explore and to find our balance. Benefits of Alternate Nostril Breathing With a regular practice you can tune into your in balances and to start to create a balance with in the mind and body. Sometimes when we feel frazzled or find ourselves doing too many things at once, it’s because energetically, we are out of alignment. This breath is great for restoring that necessary balance. In addition to calming the mind and reversing stress, alternate nostril breathing also:     •    Improves our ability to focus the mind     •    Supports our lungs and respiratory functions     •    Restores balance in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and clears the energetic channels     •    Rejuvenates the nervous system     •    Removes toxins     •    Settles stress Whether you’re nervous about a project or presentation, anxious about a conversation, or just generally stressed out, Nadi Shodhana is a calming way to bring you back to your center. If you find it difficult to settle into your meditations, asana or your daily routine try moving through a few rounds first, then remain seated and shift directly into stillness; this should help to ground you. Nadi Shodhana Practice There are several different styles of Nadi Shodhana, but they all serve the purpose of  creating balance and regulating the flow of air through your nasal passages. With my knowledge of Chinese Medicine, I like to start with the connection of the Bladder 1 Meridian point. This point starts with clarity ( When Balanced there is a harmony and peacefulness within) This point can be found at the corner of the inner eye. Mudra - Hand gesture Vishnu Mudra (hand gesture of Lord Vishnu) This is one of the hand gestures used to alternate the breath through the nostrils during Nadi Shodana. In this mudra the right hand is used as it is associated with giving while the left is associated with receiving. However if for whatever reason you need to use your left hand during practice that is fine. The thumb and fingers rest lightly just above the nostrils so  very little movement is needed to close each side during practice. Find a comfortable seat, with the spine lengthening and your hear open.Close your eyes ..Visualise the shushumna and the ida and pingala spiralling through the energetic body. Thumb and ring finger connecting Bladder 1. Just take a moment just to connect.       2. Thumb and ring finger resting on the nostrils and allow the nostrils to flare inviting the new prank towards you and notice how the nostrils return to their natural position with the out breathe. Repeat 2/3 times.     3    Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril    slowly and steadily visualising the prana moving through the left side of the body the yin. 4.         Close the left nostril with your ring finger so both nostrils are held closed; retain your breath at the top of the inhale for a brief pause and observe anything that may come towards you. 5.         Open your right nostril and release the breath slowly through the right side of the body, letting go of anything you are holding on to. Pause briefly at the bottom of the exhale. 6.       Inhale through the right side of the body and observe slowly. 7.       Hold both nostrils closed (with ring finger and thumb). A brief pause to connect. 8.            Open your left nostril and release breath slowly through the left side of the body, Letting go of anything you may be holding on to.Pause briefly at the bottom. 9           Repeat 5-10 cycles, allowing your mind to follow your inhales and exhales. Pausing to observe the side of the physical and emotional self.  Consistency is helpful, so try to match the length of your inhales, pauses, and exhales. For example, you can start to inhale for a count of five, hold for five, exhale for five, hold for five. You can slowly increase your count as you refine your practice. Note : In pregnancy do not hold the breathe in or out ( No Pauses )

The Beauty of the Breath

Open the nostrils and feel the coolness of the  breathe

The Beauty of the Breath We live with ourselves , every layer , every thread ,every breathe , every day. Do we stop and listen to how we breathe , where we breathe from and how we feel letting the breathe go? Not really , we only become aware of our breathe , when we have a cold, if we are asthmatic , stressed, pain, things that catch as unaware. We come into the world with humbleness and breath through the abdomen , our family watch the rise and the fall ( yes at this age we breathe rather quickly). We reach the age of 5 ( around this period) and life become faster and we need to get going, the breathe changes and we learn a habit where we breathe into the apex of the Lungs. We then start to create a dis -ease within ourselves and start to look for un outlet t hat can help us manage our every days lives.. YOGA…OMG… what is this practice they call prana and why am I struggling with this new way of breathing and how comes I can’t understand this word pranayama and fingers on my nostrils and belly pulling back.. what is all this about….STILLNESS….. WHO AM I…. How many times have I ,as a teacher read the minds of my students , as they lay in semi - supine  trying to breath. So lets break down this breathe/prana  Anatomy of the Breath There is so much information out there, i get bored reading it and just want to know it as simple as possible. Sit in an easy crossed legged position, maybe put a blind fold on ( great way of sensing  ,feeling, listening) and just observe your breathe. Are you breathing in and out of the nose ( this is the respiratory system - mouth is the digestive system). Once you have found that you have started to let go of thoughts.. allow the nostrils to flare and feel the coolness of prana as it moves towards you and the hairs in the nostril become the filters. Visulise the breathe moving through the pharynx, the coolness at the back of the throat towards the wind pipe , where it branches out to the lungs.. Within the lungs is this incredible forest of bronchioles and alveoli ( I always imagine the world of Avatar) and then the diaphragm opens it parachute towards the abdomen and to help the heart beat. Then comes the out breathe ( the releasing, letting go) carbon dioxide that nature needs as this is their oxygen. This moves back through the path of the in breathe ( breath of vitality), this should feel warm and leaves through the nose..  Yes there is so much more, the blood etc..but I can assure you , you wouldn’t read it all. A Simple Breath Training Practice The best posture for sensing the flow of the breath is laying in prone ( on your front). When you are lying prone on your stomach, with arms folded at about a 45 degree angle above your shoulders, your body will naturally begin to breathe diaphragmatically. Follow the path of the breath as above and feel your belly yielding towards the earth  and as you breathe out allow the naval back towards your kidneys ( convex). Even advanced students find tension in the abdomen by the end of the day. This way offers a chance to unblock the breath and release pent-up tension.     •    First, feel the ceaseless movement of your breath as it flows out and in. The breath will find it’s own pace, and even if you believe the speed to be too fast or too slow, you don’t need to control it, simply let your body breathe.     •    Now bring your awareness to your abdomen and feel how it presses against the floor as you inhale and recedes (although remaining in contact with the floor) as you exhale. Relax the muscles in your belly, and let these movements of the abdomen become deep and soothing.     •    Now shift your attention to the sides of the rib cage. You’ll find that the low ribs expand laterally with the inhalation and contract with the exhalation. The ribcage expands as the diaphragm contracts, and the ribs return inward as the diaphragm relaxes.     •    Finally, shift your attention to your lower back. Notice that as you inhale, the back rises, and as you exhale, the back falls. Soften your back muscles and allow the breath to flow without resistance. This is a particularly relaxing sensation, and you may find that it helps relieve lower back tension that is otherwise difficult to release.     •    To deepen the breath even further, you might wish to try the following experiment. At the end of the exhalation, breathe out a little more than usual by continuing to press the abdomen toward the spine. Then, as you slowly inhale, soften the muscles of the lower back and abdomen, and let the back rise ( kidneys) and expand. You may feel as if the lower back is being stretched by the  deep inhalation. Repeat the extra exhalation and the                               expanded inhalation for three to five breaths, until you become accustomed to the feeling of the deep inhalation. Then return to your normal exhalation—but continue to let the lower back expand as you inhale. Your breath will feel slower and deeper. The more that you bring this into your every day living, the power of the prana will guide you to a healthier life style.. From this point the esoteric  practices of pranayama will be beneficial.