“Anything you set your mind to is possible. Anything you hold with your heart with is supported by the divine. Combine both attentions and all becomes possible.“ sT
Heart + Body Food
During this human life, we are blessed to have this extra sensory experience that is afforded to us through our human bodies. At times, you might experience a sensory over load. Your electromagnetic field can become overcharged and send all sorts of signals and road blocks to your heart, body and mind. Simultaneously, leading your emotional body to disregulate. A simple tool to bring yourself back into the present moment and your natural state of being, calm, is to observe your breath.
The Practice:
Start by gently locating your breath. Notice how your body indicates you are breathing. Is your chest and/or torso moving? Is there air coming in and out of your nose and/or mouth?
Then, observe your breath. Stay with it for several minutes. Initially you might notice you are breathing fast or holding your breath for long periods. Just observe.This will help you to gently discover your natural breathing pattern.
Notice your effortless inhalation and exhalation, you will see how easy it is for your mind, body, and heart to return to your natural state…calm. Keep observing your breath for as long as possible.
The practice of returning to your natural state of being, calm, might feel like an effort at first. This is why it is called a practice. Eventually, it will become second nature (as it was always intended) to stay in calm and breathing effortlessly. You were born this way. Ideally, you want your exhalation to last longer than your inhalation.
In the system of yoga, the third limb of yoga is Pranayama. This is a practice to regulate the flow of your breath to control the mind. Which also helps one deepen into the different asanas and prepare for meditation. Ancient yogis developed different types of breathing techniques that produce specific effects on the mind and body. I wanted to share the base foundation here and I will explain more about each technique in upcoming articles. During Fall, you will want to nourish and build your lung’s vitality. Taking time to remember how to breath naturally will help you retain well being.
The Techniques:
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana), calming. Reduces and/or eliminates anxiety or agitation.
Active Breathing, long, slow and deep breathing during walking, swimming, cycling or running. Improves endurance and overall well being.
Cooling Breath (Shiitali Kumbhaka) Used for reducing heat.
Hissing Breath (Siitkari Kumbhaka) Used for cooling and purification.
Ocean’s Breath (Ujjayi) will help settle the mind when anger or frustration rises. It is calming and warming.
Humming Breath (Brahmari) Balances Mind’s Flow. Subtly enhancing the emotional and mental awareness.
Bellows Breath (Bhastrika) Builds energy and lifts the life force up in the mind and body.
Lunar Breath (Chandra Bhedana) Inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right nostril. Used for cooling.
Solar Breath (Surya Bhedana) Inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left nostril. A warming breath.
It is important to remember all of these breath techniques listed above can be both beneficial and have contraindications. Thus it is important to wait form my next columns to learn more before diving in. Alternatively, you can reach out to me or another trained yogi to assist you with these practices. Furthermore, if you are a teacher understanding what the contraindications are when teaching in a group or private setting is very important. As I always say, one practice is not beneficial to all. You are unique.
Finally, remember it is best to move slow when learning. The base practice of observing the breath is the perfect place to start for the first time or as if it was your first time. Ideally you are best to meet all practices with a beginner’s mind, soft gaze and an open heart. Ultimately this is what our breath does for us, it keeps us humble, supple, well and calm.
As inspired, observe your breath. Simply…BREATHE.
“When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still.”
– Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Mind + Body Food
You have 72,000 energy channels in your body (aka Nadis). When using a physical syntax for ‘Nadis’ one might relate to this as a synonym for the nervous system. However, from a yogic perspective the word Nadi means flow or current. Ancient Yogi adepts tell us that Nadis are composed of astral matter (aka star dust or ether). Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) is a practice that helps balance all the your channels and assisting in bringing your entire mind, body, heart and soul into harmony. This will give you greater access to living from a state of awareness the permeates physical reality and assists you in moving beyond into the star dust (ether) and back to here. Your entire system is miraculously designed to retain calm, balance and harmony while being in an effortless exchange with all that is and is not (aka consciousness). This is truly mind blowing, if you geek out about it for a minute or two. I will share more details about how to practice this technique next week. I wanted to plant a seed here and to share a simple concept that you can begin to work with as you ease into getting comfortable engaging with your 72,000 channels of cosmic star dust (ether).
At any given moment, you can use your mind and your body to practice placing your attention exactly where you want it. Then, you can add in your breath to assist in moving the energy within your body. As inspired, I want to encourage you to play along. I want you to imagine you stub your toe. Once, you have that memory recalled, I want you to inhale at your toe and then exhale at that toe. Keep repeating until the memory fades. Then, try this with a real time sensation in your physical, mental and/or emotional body. Breath into that area and then exhale into the same area. Remember to exhale longer than the inhale. Long, slow, easy breaths. With each exhale the body will soften more and the sensation will release. I welcome you to practice this as often as possible with the mental, emotional and/or physical body. This will lead you into a natural practice of moving beyond the physical body and utilizing the mind and breath to retain well being.
Bonus, as you become more and more adept at relieving your internal discomforts you will begin to realize you can use this same practice to support that which you want to build in your inner and outer landscape.
As inspired, focus your mind, breath and heart on that which you want to bring into balance and grow. Let me know how it goes.
