CHAPTER 4. Pranayama

Home , Donna Farhi, Pranayama, Rodney Yee

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Pranayama Basic Anatomy of Breathing Breathing Muscles 1. The diaphragm is responsible for 75% of inhalation force, making it the primary respiratory muscle by far. The other primary respiratory muscles are the intercostals between the ribs and the abdominal muscles that girdle the front of the belly. 2. The secondary respiratory muscles are the scalenes and sternocleidomastoids in the front of the neck, the pectoralis major in the chest and the upper trapezius in the back of the neck. 3. This categorization of muscles is cited in The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi. Other systems name the diaphragm as the primary muscle, the intercostals and the abdominals as secondary muscles, and the neck and chest muscles as tertiary muscles.

Breathing Rate 1. A normal breath rate is 10 to 14 breaths per minute (BPM); 20 or more indicates a panic attack 2. Optimal carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange is at 6 or fewer BPM. 3. A relaxed pause at the end of the exhalation releases the diaphragm briefly from the negative and positive pressures exerted across it during breathing.

Breathing through the Nose 1. Breathing through the nose provides at least 50% more resistance to airflow than breathing through the mouth. Breathing through the nose helps create slow, rhythmic breathing, and helps to maintain normal elasticity of the lungs and good heart function. 2. All pranayama and breathing techniques are done inhaling and exhaling through the nose unless otherwise indicated.

Causes of Dysfunctional Breath Patterns 1. Biomechanical – post surgical or postural 2. Biochemical – allergies or infections 3. Psychosocial – chronic emotional states (anger, anxiety, depression)

Hyperventilation The most common dysfunctional breath pattern by far is hyperventilation or breathing more rapidly than the body requires. 1. With both chronic and acute hyperventilation the problem is not too much oxygen (O2). The bloodstream can only absorb so much of it, and the excess gets breathed right back out again,

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unchanged. The effects of hyperventilation come from breathing out too much CO2, which maintains the body’s acid-base balance. 2. If you hold your breath, your blood (and therefore your entire body) starts to become more acidic. If you breathe more than your body needs, your body begins to turn more alkaline. 3. Hyperventilation affects the brain, nervous system and circulatory system, causing the heart to beat faster and the coronary blood vessels to constrict. 4. The body works harder when hyperventilating. The O2 cost of breathing goes from less than 2% to up to 30% of total O2 consumption. 5. Rapid breathing increases turbulence within the airways, which is important in obstructive lung diseases such as asthma. Psychosocial Aspects 1. How we breathe and how we feel are intimately conjoined in a two-way loop. Feeling anxious produces a distinctive pattern of upper chest breathing leading to a chain reaction of effects and inducing anxiety, reinforcing the pattern. 2. We can imagine and anticipate situations that invoke stress and thereby have stress reactions including stressed breathing patterns based on imaginary projections. 3. When teaching breathing, remember that emotional factors are often unconscious. 4. Sometimes dysfunctional breathing patterns, regardless of their origin, are maintained by pure habit. What Do Your Beginning Students Need to Be Sensitized To 1. Abdominal vs. upper chest breathing 2. Ratio of inhalation to exhalation (fostering a long, complete exhalation) 3. Rhythmic coordination of breathing muscles 4. Posture and its effects on Pranayama

Much of the information in this document is taken from Multidisciplinary Approaches to Breathing Pattern Disorders, by Chaitow, Bradley, Gilbert

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Pranayama and the Subtle Body Breath practices are our gateway to the subtle energetic body, the bridge between the physical and the astral. The acknowledgment of breath as sacred is ancient. It is significant to note the words for breath in many languages point to the understanding of breath as a link to the subtle planes. In Latin, Spiritus means both breath and spirit. In Greek pneuma means wind, spirit and breath. In Hebrew, ruach, means spirit or breath. As we focus attention on the breath, we often move from the physical body (annamaya kosha) to a sense of things more subtle. Breath work moves us into the pranamaya kosha – the energy body. Various breath practices can awakening and enlivening our felt sense of energetic movements through our system. Some of the practices leave a subtle imprint, while the effect of others, like Kapalabhati, are hard to miss! Approaching these practices with patience and curiosity is advised for both you and for your students. Prana – life force energy or “the force that motivates life.” On the subtle level prana is said to run through the chakras and the nadis (subtle energy channels). When prana is heightened, it allows a blossoming of pure consciousness. Ayama – to lengthen or extend Richard Rosen defines pranayama: “to expand and extend our supply of live force energy”. Many other popular sources cite the definition of Pranayama as “controlling the breath”. While it is true that the practices overlay a pattern on our habitual breathing, at no time do we want to use force or an attitude of domination or manipulation of the breath that results in strain or gripping. More, we want to cultivate a relationship with the breath based on curiosity and invitation. A relationship of welcoming and inviting the breath to take a certain shape or pattern. A relationship based on kindness and allowing will lead to freedom of our natural breath and greater ease in our bodies and minds. From one perspective, there is an element of control, life force energy (breath) is retained, suspended, abbreviated, extended and patterned to result in certain energetic states. Hopefully this is done with a softness of heart, a gentle listening to the needs of the body and breath rather than with the dictates and judgements of a rigidly striving mind. More significant than any fancy patterned breathing or days long retentions, is the way that the breath creates a contrast between what is changing and what is unchanging. As we spend time with the breath, a quality of dynamic stillness issues forth and the inhalation and exhalation both, become pointers back to the stillness from which they arise and return. Let this stillness pull at your curiosity and at your heart and see where it lands you!

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Pranayama Teaching Breathing Both breath awareness and breathing techniques are an important part of training for every level of student you teach. Most people do not breathe efficiently or easily and are not aware of the various restrictions in their breathing patterns. These restrictions have a number of causes including habit, poor posture, tension or long-held emotions. Even in the most experienced students some long-held patterns release very slowly. There are five main questions and principles to keep in mind when teaching breathing to beginners. 1. Are they breathing? Are they holding their breath? For the few first few weeks of class, it is probably enough to focus on whether students are breathing through their noses and whether the right parts of their bodies move as they breathe. Check to see that the students are in fact breathing while they do the postures and the relaxation. It seems to be human nature to hold the breath when we are doing something new or something difficult. Most beginners hold their breath. As the teacher, discern which students habitually hold their breath, and train them to recognize their own patterns. Simple things like getting students to notice at any particular time whether they are inhaling or exhaling can be very helpful. Ask them to notice how they are breathing when they are in a car or in an argument. 2. Are students breathing through the nose? The nose is designed for breathing as it cleans and warms the air going into the lungs. The inside of the nose is lined with very special tissue and nerve endings that stimulate and calm the brain. Swami Satchidananda told his students, “If you want to breathe through your mouth, then you should eat through your nose.” (It’s silly but people laugh at this saying and they remember it forever.) If people are really congested, they can breathe through the mouth, returning to nose breathing as quickly as possible. 3. Is there movement associated with the breath? Many beginners have scarcely any body movement when breathing. Ask them to notice what moves when they breathe and what does not. The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi describes the natural oscillation of the body with the breath. As one becomes familiar with the natural movements of the breath in a relaxed body, begin to guide students to find these movements within themselves. Have them watch babies and sleeping spouses’ breath, noticing how the body moves when it breathes. Two good poses for teachers to use when watching for beginners’ breathing patterns are Savasana and Balasana (child’s pose). In Balasana, touch places on the students’ backs and ask them to breathe into your hands. Encourage them to breathe into the upper, middle and lower back. Tadasana with the hands in Namaste position gives students a reference point in looking at the breath. On an inhalation, students should be able to feel the breastbone floating forward toward the hands and the side ribs spreading out toward the upper arms.

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Once they understand and actually feel this gentle ebb and flow of the breath in simple poses you can help them to find it in more challenging poses. This will have the added benefit of preventing students from becoming too rigid in poses. For example, in a pose like Vrksasana (tree pose), where there is a tendency to hold the breath. Say something like this, “Remember when you were relaxed and lying on the floor and your belly moved when you breathed? Can you find some of that movement in this pose?” Let them know that it is more important to breathe than to stay rigidly in the pose. 4. Deeper, healthier breathing is always easier when the body is relaxed; relaxation is the foundation of a breathing practice. While it can be very useful to have students lie on the floor, notice the breath, and relax at the beginning of class, it is easier to teach breath awareness and the techniques of yogic breathing at the end of the class when they are stretched out and relaxed. Reserve the bulk of breath training for the time in the class that directly follows Savasana, when students are most likely to be breathing in the freest way for them. In those first few breaths at the end of Savasana, when they are still lying down, ask them to notice their breath and to learn from this relaxed breath how to breathe throughout the rest of the day. At this point, give them some specific breathing instructions; they will have less of a tendency to strain. If they do strain, they will be more likely to notice it. With beginners, start by teaching the most natural kind of free breathing. This is breath awareness as opposed to Pranayama, which offers something specific to do or to change in the breath. For beginners, simple breath awareness is very challenging and requires lots of practice. It feels new to them, as they do not normally breath freely and easily. Breath awareness is mainly a way of teaching students to let go of the restrictions to a natural breath. Work towards having the students’ bellies gently rise and fall in a relaxed body as the upper body remains fairly quiet. In a relaxed state the body does not need much oxygen so the breath is fairly gentle. Once students can do this, or at least know enough to keep working with it on their own, you can begin to deepen this abdominal breath and later move on to practice the 3-part breath (Deerga Swasam). 5. Yogic breathing begins with the exhalation. Help students complete their exhalations, so a full, relaxed inhalation will develop automatically. Generally, when students think about breathing “better,” they want to take a deeper breath, and they do so with all the muscles of the chest and shoulders (the secondary breathing muscles.) Even lying on the floor they may immediately begin to strain with the thought of doing something “more.” Instead, ask them to do less work. Ask them to relax and deepen the exhalation. They can learn to complete the exhalation by gently dropping the abdomen towards the back at the end of the exhalation. As they let the belly completely relax, the next inhalation will come of its own accord. They can experience this breathing pattern more easily if they are lying down with a blanket or bolster under the back, the knees bent, and the feet on the floor. Have them put their hands on their abdomen to more easily feel the movement in their bellies.

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Teaching Students the Anatomy and Physiology of Breathing Explain the difference between the primary muscles of respiration and the secondary ones (see Donna Farhi’s The Breathing Book and Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain). Students can easily mimic the movements of using the secondary muscles to breath, so have them do this once to feel what it is like. Most students have heard of their diaphragm, but have no real idea of where it is located in the body. Use a skeleton or a large picture of the body to show them where the diaphragm is. Have them touch their own bodies to feel the ribs where the diaphragm attaches. Explain that the attachments of the diaphragm include the tendons that attach to the lumbar vertebrae on the inside of the spine, and that breathing (and the movement associated with breathing) is very healthy for the spine and the lower back. Movement associated with the breath is much healthier for the back than constant contraction and stabilization of the belly and back muscles, a popular practice today. The movement of the diaphragm also rolls and massages the organs that reside below it. Show students where the lungs are in the body and have them touch as much of this area as they can. Make sure that they understand that the lungs have depth and press against the back of the ribs as well as the front.

In Body3, Tom Myers describes how proper action of the ribcage in breathing helps to create length through the vertebral column. Even though it could be argued that this is more than new students need to know, it illustrates the incredible interconnections within the body and generally inspires students to keep practicing. Deep breathing stimulates the part of the brain that releases neuropeptides into the cerebrospinal fluid. They travel all the way down the spinal cord and affect all systems of the body. Depressed people often don’t breathe in a way that does this. Also the chest itself has baro-receptors that, when stretched by a deep breath, signal the body to relax. Be aware of several things right from the start and anticipate who needs help understanding healthy breathing mechanisms. Ask yourself these questions:

• Whose belly seems “frozen,” and never moves as they are relaxing? Notice this whenever students are lying on the floor, as well as in Savasana when you ask students to inflate the abdomen and hold the breath there. Some people in class will not be able to do this and will always take the breath up into the chest.

• Who has movement in the back when in Balasana, and who does not? What part of the back moves the most? • Who pulls the upper chest upward toward the head as they breathe? • Who seems to be mainly inhaling, and who seems to be mainly exhaling?

• Whose chest is collapsed as part of their habitual posture?

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• Who thrusts the chest or ribcage forward as part of their habitual posture? • Whose shoulder blades are creeping up around their ears?

• Who breathes through the mouth? Some breath training programs for various breathing dysfunctions teach the student to exhale through the mouth. People trained that way may be reluctant to follow your directions. Encourage students to try what you are suggesting, at least in yoga class, and then let them choose how they want to practice at home.

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Pranayama Three-Part Breath (Deerga Swasam) Standard script for class on 3-part breath

First Part Breath Awareness and the Belly Breath Students have just finished Savasana and are getting ready to move for the first time since lying down. Please bend the knees and bring the feet to the floor. This relaxes the abdominal muscles so that the breath can be a little freer. Bend the arms at the elbows and bring your hands to your belly below the navel if you can do so comfortably. This area is called the pelvic belly. Notice if there is any movement under your hands. Pause. In a relaxed body, the belly will rise with the inhalation and fall away from your hands on the exhalation. You were all breathing like this during the relaxation. This is generally true—if you know it is not, you can omit this statement. If you are not experiencing this movement now please do not be concerned; it will come with more relaxation and practice. Pause. This is not the time to try and do anything with the breath, just observe it and feel what is happening. Pause. Now we will learn how to deepen the breath with the first part of the 3-part Breath. As we go through this, remember that the foundation of all yoga breathing practices is relaxation, so stay right with all the relaxed sensations that you feel from Savasana as you explore this breath. Lengthen the next exhalation slightly, ending with a gentle contraction of the belly so that you have exhaled completely. When you have finished, completely relax the belly, and allow the inhalation to come in on its own. Let the next exhalation be a little longer than it was when you were just observing the breath and, again, let it end with the contraction of the abdominal muscles back toward the spine. When you are ready to inhale, relax the belly and let the air gently come in a little deeper than usual. Pause. This is called the Belly Breath. As before, you may feel the belly rise with the inhalation and fall during the exhalation. In yoga, each breath begins with the exhalation so that the lungs are empty and ready to receive the air that comes in with the inhalation, therefore we emphasize the exhalation. Empty first, then fill. This is also more relaxing for the nervous system. So let there be a bit more attention on the exhalation and feel as though you are simply receiving the inhalation. Once you have emptied the lungs the body knows how to inhale and you can let it happen, rather than forcing it. Pause. Now, as you continue with the belly breath, briefly scan the body and check to see that you are not creating any tension as you breathe. If you notice any tension, let it go if you can; if not, discontinue the practice and relax in Savasana again. Pause. As you continue the belly breath for a couple of more rounds remember to let all the breathing be through the nose. This too, is calming for the nervous system, and the air is warmed, moistened and filtered as it comes into your lungs. Pause. Now let the breath return to whatever is natural and easy for you: a simple inhalation, a simple exhalation. Allow the body to relax again as you feel the effects of all the practices we have done so far. Pause. This type of breathing will become easier and more calming for you as you practice it regularly. A good time to practice is in bed just before going to sleep. Taking a few minutes to do the Belly Breath

Chapter 4. Pranayama 9 Yoga on High © 200-hour Teacher Training Manual will help you to release any mental or physical tensions accumulated throughout the day and prepare you for a restful night’s sleep. Another good time to practice is first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Taking all the time you need, bend your knees one at a time and roll to the side. Lie here doing nothing at all. Pause. With your hands, bring yourself back to sitting, using whatever props you need to sit comfortably. From here finish off the class.

Adding the Second Part In this session, we will begin to focus on the breath as we did last week, but we will add the second part of the 3-part breath. Bend the knees, bringing the feet to the floor. Bring the hands to the pelvic belly just below the navel, allowing the elbows to rest comfortably on the floor. Watch the breath come and go as it is right now, without trying to change or control it. Notice that, even though it is quite shallow as you come out of the relaxation practice, there is still movement under the hands: the belly rises on the inhalation and falls on the exhalation. Pause. Now we’ll continue with the first part of the 3-part breath, the belly breath. As you complete your next exhalation, end with a contraction of the abdominal muscles under your hands. Once you feel that as much air as possible has been emptied out of the lungs, relax the belly and allow the inhalation to come in. You will probably feel this as the belly rises some under your hands. Continue to lengthen and complete each exhalation, then relax and gently inflate the belly on the inhalation. Pause. At this point all of the movement of the breath is focused in the belly area: the ribcage and especially the upper chest are hardly moving, if they are moving at all, for this first part of the breath. Pause. To add the second part of the breath, begin by moving your hands to the lower ribcage just below your breasts. If you can do so comfortably, have your fingertips nearly touch on top of the ribcage, as the palms are more to the sides. Begin each breath as before, by lengthening and completing each exhalation. Allow the belly to relax as you inhale but now bring the breath and the feeling of inflation up into the lower ribcage area. Let the ribs retract as you exhale, and end the exhalation with a contraction of the abdominal muscles. Again, relax the belly and bring the inhalation into the lower ribs. As you do this, the front of the ribcage moves up toward the ceiling and the sides of the ribs under your palms move sideways. Now, let the ribs relax and retract as you begin the exhalation, ending with a contraction of the belly muscles. Just as we emphasized last week, there is a little more attention given to the exhalation than to the inhalation, though this inhalation is still probably deeper than one of your normal shallow breaths. Pause. Note: Depending on how much time is left in class, keep elaborating on the basic points as the students continue the practice. If you think that people are drifting off or dozing, you can put the lights up just a bit or walk around the room so that your voice comes from different places. This will help them to stay alert. Lastly, have students discontinue the practices and return to simple inhalation, a simple exhalation. Have them roll to the side and, eventually, sit up.

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Adding the Third Part In this session, we will focus on the breath again and finish all the parts of the 3-part breath we have been learning. Bend the knees, bringing the feet to the floor. Bring the hands to the pelvic belly just below the navel, allowing the elbows to rest comfortably on the floor. As before begin by simply watching the breath come and go as it is right now, without trying to change or control it. Notice that even though it is quite shallow as you come out of the relaxation, there is still movement under the hands: the belly rises on the inhalation and falls on the exhalation. Notice if this is easier for you to feel now that you have been watching for this for a few weeks. Pause. Continue with the first part of the 3-part breath, the belly breath. As you complete your next exhalation, end with a contraction of the abdominal muscles under your hands. Once you feel that you have exhaled completely, relax the belly and allow the inhalation to come in. You will probably feel this as the belly rise some under your hands. Continue to lengthen and complete each exhalation, then relax and gently inflate the belly on the inhalation. Pause. At this point all of the movement of the breath is focused in the belly area: the ribcage and especially the upper chest are barely moving for this first part of the breath. Pause. Now add the second part again. Move your hands to the lower ribcage. Begin this breath as before by completing the exhalation with a slight contraction of the abdominal muscles. Now, let the belly relax and take the expansive quality of the inhalation into the lower ribcage where it expands toward the ceiling and out to the sides. This expansive movement also lengthens the spine. To exhale, let the ribs retract toward the body and end with the slight contraction of the abdominal muscles to complete the exhalation. Again, allow the belly to relax and the lower ribs to fill with air. At this point the diaphragm is spreading down toward the hips to create more room for air to come into the lungs. As you exhale, the ribs retract and the diaphragm domes up toward the lungs to help press air from the lungs. Pause. Remember that relaxation is the foundation of all we are doing in yogic breathing so that there is no added strain to your system as you explore breathing more deeply. Check to see that the eyes and jaw remain relaxed, and that the legs continue to fall heavily into the floor. Now we will add the last part of the 3-part breath. Leave one hand on your ribs and move the other one to your upper chest if you can do so comfortably. As always, begin this breath by completing the exhalation with a contraction of the belly muscles. Now allow the belly to relax and bring the air into the lower ribcage, expanding it. Continue the breath up into the upper chest expanding that as well. To exhale, release the upper chest, then the ribs, and then the belly ending with a contraction. Inhale, relax the belly, inflate the lower ribs with breath, and on up into the upper chest. When you breathe into the upper chest you may feel the collarbones rise and spread, but the shoulders should stay relaxed. Begin the exhalation by releasing the upper chest, then the ribs, and finally the belly, always ending with that slight contraction to empty the lungs. Continue this full Three Part Breath for a few rounds now as you fill from the belly through the ribs and on up into the upper chest. As you exhale the body is emptied from the top down. Pause.

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As you continue to breathe this way let the breath be more like one big wave, rather than three separate parts: a long, slow, smooth exhalation, followed by a long, slow, smooth inhalation. Relaxation continues to be the foundation of this practice, as you take in seven times more air than in a normal shallow breath. Let the breath be completely absorbed into each cell of the body. Pause. Because you are lying here relaxed you are not using the energy that comes in with the breath, and the body will store it as if you are recharging your batteries. After a few minutes of breathing this way you will generally feel totally relaxed, yet quite energized. Studies have shown that as little as five minutes of this breath will deepen all your other breaths for the entire day even if you do not focus on breathing again for the day. Pause. Now we will discontinue the practice by allowing the breath to return to a simple exhalation and inhalation. Release the hands to the sides, and roll over to one side. Rest here for a moment. Pause. Using your hands, press up into a comfortable sitting position. Finish the class from here.

Other Breathing Practices Another way to teach students about the natural movement of the diaphragm is in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge pose) with the hips resting up on a block. In this pose the diaphragm naturally releases into correct position with the exhalation because of its relationship to gravity. Because students’ hips are elevated, the diaphragm drops toward the floor (which is also toward the lungs) on the exhalation. Often this is the first way people can feel this action. If someone is reverse breathing or breathing only in the chest, work with them in several ways. One way to help is to sit at their head and put your hands on their chest. Show them how much activity there is under your hands and ask them to keep this area still while they move more in the abdomen or the lower ribs. Another way is to use a breath pillow. Once introduced to the class, any chest breather or reverse breather should use them on the abdomen each week from then on, even if not all the students are using them. Anatomically, breath comes in the nose and goes down into the lungs. Several images are helpful to create the proper muscular action even though they don’t reflect actual anatomical actions. Because so many people tend to pull their inhalations in a strongly upward direction, invite them to drop the inhalation as deep in the body as they are able before they bring it up. Rodney Yee talks about taking the inhalation down into the groins before bringing it up through the body, and this can be very helpful in creating a healthy breath experience. Envision filling the lungs as one would fill any other container—from the bottom to the top. Imagine a glass of water: as it fills, it fills from the bottom to the top. Exhaling, empty from the top to the bottom. Breathing in a seated position feels very different from breathing lying down. Not only does gravity affect the movement of the diaphragm differently, but also it is harder to sit up with a long spine in a relaxed way for most people. Still, students will eventually have to learn to do breath work sitting up. If there is time in class, have students sit up and practice three-part breathing after Savasana.

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Further Breath Explorations in the Beginners Course Once the students have been trained in the 3-part breath, add several helpful elements to the practice. One is the use of weights. To better feel the belly breathe, have students place sandbags on the belly and breathe into the feeling of the weight. This is especially helpful in the lower rib area, where few people have good movement in the beginning. Once they have been breathing with the weights for a few minutes, have them remove them (or even better, you lift them off). The feeling of expansion and freedom that comes after the weights are off can be very helpful to the students. After the students are comfortable with the 3-part breath and have adequate practice, train students in the breath in a seated position. Go through the entire practice lying down as usual, perhaps taking a little less time than before. Then have them sit up, get comfortable, and begin the practice while they are seated. Because they are in a new relationship to gravity, the 3-part breath will feel different, and they will have to work a little harder to sit upright. Still, people spend a good deal of time sitting, so it is very useful for them do this practice sitting. Remind them that this is the breath to use if they need more energy during the day or if they start to feel tense at work, in the car, or in a family situation. Add a meditative focus to their breathing. As they exhale invite them to let go of whatever they do not need. On a physical level they are letting go of carbon dioxide and other waste materials. They can also let go of emotional stresses, tensions, habits, and so forth. On the inhalation invite them to fill up with whatever they want more of in their lives, from more oxygen to more peace and loving kindness. As always, have them empty first what is not wanted before filling up. Breath Pillows and Bolsters At Yoga on High, teachers have access to breath pillows, sandbags that shape to the body and highlight the action of the breath. It is recommended to use them at least once or twice during the New Beginners course and occasionally in other levels as well. Place the pillow snugly over the lower ribs and ask students to breathe so that the sandbag moves up on the inhalation and down on the exhalation.

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Pranayama Techniques Ujjayi Breath – victorious breath “Breathing is our most fundamental and vital act and holds a divine essence; exhalation is a movement towards God, and inhalation an inspiration from God.” --Lino Miele paraphrasing Pattabhi Jois— Uj is a prefix which means “to expand.” Jayi means “success” or “victory.” Ujjayi breath is produced by narrowing the passageway of the throat (the glottis). It is characterized by a unique hissing sound that is caused by this slight conscious constriction of the throat as the breath travels through the larynx and over the vocal cords. The velocity of the air passing through the throat is increased, which generates the sound of Ujjayi breath. The same action that softens the speech when we whisper creates the sound in Ujjayi. Listening to the sound of the Ujjayi breath is attentiveness training and is a tool to help us practice mindfulness. The act of listening to Ujjayi refines the breath and quiets the mind. Breathing in this way allows you to produce a constant flow, a fixed pattern, from which the asanas can manifest. Pre-Ujjayi Exercises for Students • Try speaking your name in a whisper.

• Now whisper your name again, this time with the mouth closed. • Notice how the enunciation of words comes from the back of your throat, where the whisper emanates. • Whisper an “ahhh” sound with the mouth open. Draw it out. • Now close your mouth and again whisper “ahhh.” • You should feel a subtle tightening at the back of the palate, where the hiss of the whisper originates. • Try this on an inhalation. It is generally more difficult to produce as strong a sound with the inhalation. Don’t worry. This takes time to learn.

• Try again, inhaling and exhaling with the mouth closed, keeping the air passing over and through the area at the back of the throat where the sound of a whisper originates.

Adding bandhas—internal locks—to the Ujjayi breath further helps to train and strengthen the intercostal and diaphragm muscles. This increases lung capacity and also strengthens the mind.

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Bandha Exercise for Ujjayi Breath • Establish mula bandha, the contraction of the perineal muscles, with an exhalation.

• With an inhalation, establish uddiyana bandha, the hollowing out of the lower belly. This action should feel as if it were triggering the inhalation. • When uddiyana is held, the lower belly will not expand during the inhalation.

Nadi Shodana Nadi Shodana is a calming, balancing, centering breath. To practice it: 1. Sit in a cross-legged position, well-aligned and comfortable. Alternately, you can sit in a chair without leaning against its back. You may wish to place a wedge-shaped blanket on the seat of the chair if the chair seat is not flat or you find your low back rounding toward the wall behind you. The feet are on the floor or a folded blanket if that is more comfortable. 2. If you are right handed, turn the index and middle fingers into the palm of the right hand. Curve the thumb and ring and little finger slightly so that when you press again the side of the nose you will be pressing with the tip of the fingers/thumb, not the flat. 3. Bow the head slightly. 4. Close the right nostril with the right thumb and breathe out through the left nostril. To close the nostril, press the tip of the right thumb against the ridge of bone in the nostril. 5. With the right nostril still closed, breathe in through the left nostril. 6. Close both nostrils. 7. Open the right nostril, and breathe out through the right. 8. Breathe in through the right. 9. Close both. 10. Essentially, you are breathing out, then in, through one nostril; changing sides, and breathing out and in through the second side. Repeat as desired. Nadi Shodana balances the energies of the nostrils. Normally one nostril or the other is dominant, and dominance switches back and forth between nostrils throughout the day and night, so don’t be surprised to find it easier to breath through one side when you begin Nadi Shodana. Strive for a slow, steady, even breath that, again, avoids upper chest breathing. This can be an Ujjayi breath. Refer to the resources on your recommended reading list for more information on these topics. The basic technique for beginners to practice is the 3-part breath because it teaches a complete, low belly breath and lets students know whether they are chest breathers. If students are chest breathers, they should concentrate on the 3-part breath and not practice Kapalabhati breathing until they can control their breath with the diaphragm. Nadi sSodana can be practiced in moderation but should still be done as a low-belly breath.

Kapalabhati Breath To practice Kapalabhati: 1. Sit in a cross-legged position, well-aligned and comfortable. Alternately, you can sit in a chair without leaning against its back. You may wish to place a wedge-shaped blanket on the seat of the chair if the chair seat is not flat or you find your low back rounding toward the wall behind you. The feet are on the floor or a folded blanket it that is more comfortable. 2. Place the hands on the legs, palms up. Other hand positions are appropriate (palms down, mudras), but this position encourages the best arm/chest position in beginners. Beginners often place their hands together in their lap, at the body’s midline, which should be avoided. That tends to roll the shoulders forward and sink the breastbone into the body. 3. Keep the shoulders broad and your shoulder blades firm on the back. 4. Nod the head forward slightly (soft jalandhara banda). Close the eyes or gazing softly down the nose. 5. On each exhalation, sharply contract your low belly muscles, which will encourage a strong upward movement of the diaphragm and a short, sharp breath out. 6. Each inhalation, release the diaphragm and take the time you need for a complete, passive inhalation. This is not forced. 7. Pace this practice as you need; your pace will change with practice. 8. To begin, do 3 rounds of 10 to 15 breaths (exhale/inhale) each. Take one or more normal breaths between rounds. You can increase the number of breaths per round and rounds per practice over time.

The shoulders should remain passive during Kapalabhati. If your shoulders and upper chest move during Kapalabhati, return to the normal breath; you are chest breathing. You have lost the integrity of the practice if your pace becomes ragged or you feel breathless or agitated. Do not force this practice. Never teach Kapalabhati to others unless you have a regular Kapalabhati practice yourself. Kapalabhati is actually a kriya, a cleansing, detoxifying practice. It is heating and stimulating and you will find it can over-stimulate some students, but it is extremely beneficial when practiced correctly.

Do not practice Kapalabhati when pregnant, with eye diseases that affect eye pressure (glaucoma), with untreated high blood pressure or before sleeping—Kapalabhati practiced in the evening can disturb sleep cycles. It leads easily into meditation.

Viloma Breath Viloma means against the grain. In Viloma pranayama, inhalation or exhalation is done with several pauses. Thus the time taken to complete a Viloma inhalation or exhalation will be longer than that of the normal or Ujjai inhalation or exhalation. To practice Viloma:

1. Begin by watching the natural breath. 2. As you feel ready to begin the Viloma practice, set up your own rhythm, (for the first times in this practice, pause for only a count of 1, over time, this count may be lengthened - as long as there is no gripping or strain). 3. Keep the breath steady and consistent without strain as you begin a three part inhalation. Inhale, pause Inhale, pause Inhale, pause Loooooooong smooth exhale. 4. If you become breathless or agitated, or if there's grasping/gripping, return to the natural breath. 5. If you’d like to build on this foundation, practice with pauses on the exhalation: Exhale, pause Exhale, pause Exhale, pause Smooth Inhale. 6. Finally, a third phase may be taught. Add the two together: Inhale pause Inhale, pause Inhale, pause Exhale, pause Exhale, pause Exhale, pause

Let this practice and the ratios be an experiment - take your time. No rush, nowhere you need to get . . . let ease be your guide.

“How the Body Breathes” It may be different than you think. by Roger Cole Different schools of yoga advocate widely different breathing techniques, but they all rely on the same physical apparatus to move air in and out of the lungs. Understanding the mechanics of breathing can help you get more out of your preferred method, whatever it is. So let’s take a close look at the physical structures that allow us to inhale and exhale. Along the way, we’ll bust some myths, reveal some surprises, and try out some helpful tricks. Think of the trunk, from the top of the ribcage to the bottom of the pelvis, as a partly flattened cylinder, divided inside into an upper section and a lower section. The divider is the diaphragm, a roughly dome-shaped sheet of muscle whose lower border approximately follows the lower border of the ribcage, and whose highest point lies just below mid-chest. The space above the diaphragm is the thoracic (chest) cavity, bounded by the ribcage and spine. The space below is the abdominal cavity, whose walls are partly bony (lower ribcage, spine, pelvis, sacrum), and partly muscular (abdominal muscles and quadratus lumborum muscle). The only organs in the thoracic cavity are the heart, lungs, and thymus gland. The abdominal cavity contains all the other organs of the trunk (liver, stomach, spleen, pancreas, intestines, bladder, and so forth). The lungs cover a lot of territory: their highest point (apex) lies behind and slightly above the clavicles (collar bones), and their lowest point, on deep inhalation, nearly fills the angular recess between the diaphragm and the bottom of the ribcage. The thoracic cavity is mostly filled with air, contained inside the lungs, but the abdominal cavity is filled with organs and fluid. One of the most important things to understand, if you want to know how breathing works, is that the thoracic cavity can readily increase or decrease in volume while the abdominal cavity cannot. Thoracic volume can change because the air inside can compress or expand, and, if the airway is open, air can flow out to or in from the outside world to compensate for volume changes. Abdominal volume cannot change because the organs and fluid that fill it are not compressible and cannot readily escape. If you press on the abdomen, the fluid merely shifts to a new position, changing the shape of the cavity without changing the total volume of enclosed fluid. The familiar analogy to this is a water balloon: if you set it on a table and press down on top of it, it will partially flatten while bulging out on all sides. The fundamental principle of breathing is extremely simple: to get air into the lungs, increase their volume, and to get air out, decrease their volume. Increasing lung volume creates low pressure, causing air to flow in, and decreasing volume creates high pressure, pushing air out. The design of the lungs makes them always conform to the internal contours of the thoracic cavity, even as its shape changes, so anything that increases thoracic volume also increases lung volume, drawing breath inward, and vice- versa. Therefore, if we learn how to regulate the volume of the chest cavity, we learn how to physically regulate the breath. How, then, do we control thoracic volume? The simple answer is that movements of the diaphragm change the vertical dimension of the chest cavity by moving its floor down or up, and movements of the ribcage change its horizontal dimensions by moving its walls in or out. But in reality, things are much less simple, and much more interesting, because the diaphragm also moves the ribs; the ribs move the diaphragm, and the spine, abdomen, pelvis, arms, legs, and neck can all directly or

Chapter 4. Pranayama 18 Yoga on High © 200-hour Teacher Training Manual indirectly move both. So even at the musculoskeletal level, breathing involves our whole body. Let’s take a closer look. The ribcage consists of twelve pairs of ribs. Each rib attaches to the spine and curves around toward the front of the body. The front end of each rib, except the twelfth, is tipped with cartilage, called costal cartilage. The costal cartilages of the first seven ribs are short and connect directly to the breastbone (sternum) in front. Those of ribs 8 through 10 curve upward and merge with the cartilage of the rib above. Thus, the first 10 ribs, along with their cartilages and the sternum, form a closed “cage.” The cartilaginous tip of rib 11 and the bony tip of rib 12 are not tethered in front, so these ribs are called “floating ribs.” The attachments of the ribs to the spine in back and to cartilage or soft tissue in front allow them to swing up and down. Rib action is often compared to that of a bucket handle: when you lift the handle from a downward to a horizontal position, it also swings out sideways, away from the bucket. Similarly, when we lift our ribs they swing out away from the body, increasing the side-to side dimension of the thoracic cavity. This sideways effect is especially pronounced in the lower part of the ribcage. The spinal attachments of the upper ribs are oriented a little differently, so when they lift they cause the sternum to swing up and forward, away from the spine, increasing the front to-back dimension of the thoracic cavity. The overall effect of lifting the ribcage is to increase the volume of the chest cavity by expanding the thoracic walls horizontally in two dimensions. Lifting the ribs, then, causes inhalation, and letting them back down causes exhalation. Large movements of the ribcage take a lot of energy, however, so in ordinary life we reserve this type of breathing, for times when we need extra air flow, such as exercise. During quiet, spontaneous breathing, we usually get all of the air we need from the up and down motion of the diaphragm. The roof of the dome-like the diaphragm is formed by a large, flat, tendon, called the central tendon, oriented in a mostly horizontal direction, and the walls are formed by muscle fibers that emerge from all sides of the tendon and run in a generally vertical direction down to their points of attachment. These attachment points form a ring, higher in front and lower in back, around the circumference of the lower thorax. They include the xiphoid process (at the lower end of the sternum), the cartilages and/or bones of ribs 7-12, related ligaments, and the upper lumbar spine. When the diaphragm’s muscle fibers contract they pull the central tendon and the bottom of the ribcage closer to one another. If the ribs are not allowed to lift, these vertically oriented fibers pull the central tendon down toward the base of the ribcage, partially flattening the diaphragm’s dome shape as its roof descends toward its foundation. This is the motion most people associate with the diaphragm. It increases the top-to-bottom dimension of the thoracic cavity, drawing air into the lungs. Since the diaphragm sits atop the fluid-and-organ-filled abdominal cavity, downward movement of its dome causes the abdomen to bulge outward, causing the familiar forward and sideward expansion of the belly that we associate with breathing (there is less backward expansion because the spine and floating ribs block much of it). Now it’s time to bust a few myths. Myth 1 is the notion that the deepest breathing is “abdominal” breathing, in which the belly is seen protruding maximally on inhalation and the ribs don’t lift. In fact, the deepest inhalation occurs when thoracic volume increases to its maximum, and that requires both vertical and horizontal of the thorax, which requires both flattening of the diaphragm and expansion of

Chapter 4. Pranayama 19 Yoga on High © 200-hour Teacher Training Manual the ribcage. The ribcage only expands when the ribs lift up, so a purely “abdominal” breath that leaves them down cannot produce the deepest breathing. A second myth is that a breath that does not cause the belly to protrude is not a “diaphragmatic” breath. While it is true that whenever the belly puffs out on inhalation, the motion is caused by contraction of the diaphragm, it is not true that contraction of the diaphragm must always cause the belly to puff out. When a strong contraction of the diaphragm is combined with a strong lift of the ribcage, the belly does not protrude much, if at all. The reason for this is that the bottom of the diaphragm is attached to the bottom of the ribcage, so lifting the ribcage brings the bottom of the diaphragm closer to the top of the diaphragm. This allows the diaphragm’s muscle fibers to contract without pulling the top of the diaphragm (the central tendon) downward toward their attachment points on the lower ribs, because instead the lower ribs move upward toward the top of the diaphragm. Since the top of the diaphragm does not move down, it does not press down on the abdominal contents, so the belly does not puff out. This means that during the deepest inhalation, with the ribs lifted as high as they can go, the diaphragm can contract maximally without moving the central tendon down much, if at all. The resulting breath is both “diaphragmatic,” in the sense of using the diaphragm to its fullest, and “deep,” in the sense of bringing in a lot of air on inhalation, but it creates little or no puffing of the belly. This analysis is not a judgment that breathing one way or the other is “right” or “wrong.” What we are doing here is just trying to describe accurately what is going on at the mechanical level when we breathe in different ways. A third myth is that the diaphragm cannot not lift the ribcage. In fact, the diaphragm can and often does lift the ribcage very strongly (although it is certainly not the only muscle that lifts the ribs). Remember, again, that its fibers are attached to the xiphoid process and to the costal cartilages or bones of the lowest six ribs, and run in a primarily vertical direction upward from these points to the central tendon, so they are perfectly placed to pull the ribs up toward the tendon if the tendon is held in place and not allowed to move down. Stabilizing the central tendon is very easy to do, all that is necessary is to contract the abdominal muscles so the waist cannot bulge out on inhalation. If the waist can’t bulge, the abdominal contents can’t move down significantly, so as the diaphragm contracts and tries to pull its central tendon down, the abdominal organs and fluid prevent it from moving. The central tendon now acts as a stable platform, and the diaphragm’s contracting muscle fibers pull the ribs up toward it. The diaphragm is attached directly to the lower part of the ribcage, so it lifts the lower six ribs most strongly, but the rest of the ribcage follows, because all the ribs are attached to one another via cartilage, the sternum, and/or soft tissue. There is a catch, though. There are several layers of abdominal muscles (the rectus abdominis in front, two layers of oblique abdominals on the sides, and the transversus abdominus underneath them all), all of which include a portion that attaches to the lower ribcage, and all of which tend to pull the ribs down when they contract. So strong abdominal contraction during inhalation will not only make it difficult for the diaphragm’s central tendon to move down, it will also make it hard for the lower ribs to lift up. This will tend to hold the diaphragm muscle fibers at a fixed length while contracting, that is, it will result in isometric exercise for the diaphragm. It is possible, however, through skillful, selective contraction of some of the lower abdominal muscle fibers along with

Chapter 4. Pranayama 20 Yoga on High © 200-hour Teacher Training Manual lengthening contraction (eccentric contraction) or relative relaxation of the upper fibers, to deliberately use the diaphragm to help lift the ribcage (see Practice). As long as we’re on the topic of lifting the ribs during inhalation, let’s see what other muscles, beside the diaphragm, can do it. The list is rather long. The scalenus anterior, medius, and posterior muscles run from the side of the neck to the first or second rib, and help lift the ribcage from there. You can feel your left scalenus anterior muscle contracting by turning your head to the right, placing the fingers of your right hand on your left neck in the flat area about one inch (2.5 cm) to the left of the bulging neck muscle (the sternocleidomastoid) and two inches (5 cm) above your clavicle, returning your head to neutral, and lifting your chest as high as you can. The external intercostal muscles fill the spaces between each rib, angling forward and down. They help lift the ribcage in two ways. First, when other muscles, such as the scalenus anterior, lift the rib above them, they help transmit the force to the rib below. Second, the external intercostals provide their own independent lifting force to the ribs by sliding the rib above them backward relative to the rib below. The ingenious geometry of the ribcage dictates that this action will lift the ribs upward. Some experts believe that the internal intercostal muscles, which lie below the externals and run perpendicular to them, can also able help with inhalation, but they are more often associated with exhalation. Serratus posterior superior (ribs 2-5), and levatores costarum breves and longus (all ribs) run from the spinal column diagonally downward to nearby ribs, providing the ability to voluntarily boost the lift of individual ribs from the rear. Several shoulder or arm muscles can help lift the ribs, either directly or indirectly, if the arms or shoulder blades are fixed in the right position. These include pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, latissimus dorsi, and others. Backbending the upper back also lifts the ribs, so muscles that extend the thoracic spine, such as longissimus thoracis and spinalis thoracis, can help deepen inhalation. Muscles that side-bend the thoracic spine cause the ribs on one side to lift while those on the opposite side drop, causing one lung to inhale while the other exhales. Additional neck or head muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid and iliocostalis cervicis can also help lift the ribs in some situations. There is more to breathing than just inhaling. Anything that moves the diaphragm upward in the thoracic cavity or drops the ribs down and inward toward the spine squeezes the lungs, forcing air out of them. A large part of exhalation happens passively when you relax the muscles of inhalation. The lungs are elastic, like a balloon, and inhaling stretches them, so when you remove the effort to inhale they spring back toward their former size, pulling the ribs and diaphragm along with them. Elastic recoil of the costal cartilages (which twist or flex during inhalation) and the internal intercostal muscles (which stretch during inhalation) also helps bring the ribs back to neutral. Puffing the belly out on inhalation stretches the abdominal muscles, so when you release the effort of inhaling, elastic recoil of those muscles pushes the peritoneal fluid in and up against the bottom of the diaphragm, moving it deeper into the chest cavity and forcing air out of the lungs. Because of all these factors, you can often get most or all of the exhalation you need simply by letting go of the diaphragm and the other muscles that lift the ribs. Relaxing these muscles completely usually requires conscious attention though, because we often hold them tense without realizing it. Some schools of breathing use only passive exhalation, and recommend not trying to force out additional air.

Before we leave the topic of passive exhalation, let’s consider some effects of posture. Forward bending poses promote exhalation by bringing the ribs toward the spine and pushing on the belly, forcing the abdominal contents up against the bottom of the diaphragm. In reclining poses, and especially inverted poses, gravity helps the abdominal contents push the diaphragm deeper into the chest cavity. On the other hand, if you are in a backbend, or even if you just stand with your arms raised high overhead, and you want your ribs to remain lifted and your belly soft, it is difficult to exhale. The key to breathing in this situation is to fully relax your diaphragm and allow it to move upward in your chest cavity. It helps to deliberately allow your lower ribs to move inward toward the midline, being careful not to actively pull them in. The resulting exhalation sets you up for a deeper inhalation on the next breath. If you want to go beyond passive exhalation to get additional air out of your lungs, there are plenty of ways to do it. Contracting all of your abdominal muscles at once gives you the biggest payoff, because it simultaneously squeezes your abdominal cavity and pulls your ribs down and inward. Contracting your quadratus lumborum muscles, which connect your twelfth ribs to the back rim of your pelvis, is also very valuable for the similar reasons. Since these maneuvers put pressure on the organs and fluid in your abdominal cavity, all the way down to the base of the pelvis, it may also help you get a bit more air out of your lungs if you contract the muscles of your pelvic floor at the same time to apply a little more upward push. To complete the picture, you can contract additional muscles that pull the ribs downward: the internal intercostals, the transverses thoracis (which lies on the inside of the front chest wall, connecting the sternum to the ribcage), the subcostal muscles (on the inside of the rear chest wall, connecting one rib to another), and the serratus posterior inferior, which runs upward diagonally from the upper lumbar and lower thoracic spine to pull down on the lowest four ribs.

Practice This is not a formal pranayama practice, but rather a breath awareness exercise. Its purpose is to compare ordinary breathing with two types of diaphragmatic breathing: one that minimizes rib movement and emphasizes belly movement, and another that minimizes belly movement by counter-balancing it with rib movement. The most important thing to remember while working with the breath is to remain calm and comfortable at all times. Never force, and if you feel strain or agitation, stop and let the breath come back to normal. If the breath “gets away from you,” pause and let it come back to its natural, satisfying rhythm and depth before proceeding with any exercise or pranayama practice. This is especially important if you are just starting to learn your first breathing practice, because in the future, whenever you undertake any practice, you will tend to return by default to the patterns and habits you learned first. Hint: to steady your mind, direct your gaze unwaveringly downward under closed eyelids during both inhalation and exhalation. Lie in Savasana. Pause and find how deeply you can exhale without contracting any muscles to do so. Simply relax your abdomen, ribcage and diaphragm, allowing your ribs to move inward and down while your diaphragm moves up, deeper into your thoracic cavity. At the end of exhalation, let a little more breath out without using any force to do so. Inhale normally. Repeat for several breaths. Despite its simplicity, this alone is a powerful and far-reaching breathing exercise. Now place your palms on your lower ribs with the tips of your middle fingers touching one another about 2-3" below your sternum.

Breathe spontaneously for several breaths, noting the up and down movement of your abdomen and the separation, if any, of your fingertips on inhalation. Now, at the end of a normal exhalation, again extend the out breath passively by consciously relaxing your abdomen, ribcage and diaphragm to let out a little more air without forcing. Use this exhalation throughout the exercises below. Diaphragmatic breath with moving belly: Place one hand on your lower abdomen just below your navel, the other on your chest. Inhale slowly, maximizing the upward movement of your belly under your hands while avoiding movement of your ribcage. On exhalation let your belly fall passively and exhale as completely as you can without pushing. Repeat several times. Diaphragmatic breath with stable belly: Place your palms on your lower ribcage as before, middle fingertips touching at the end of exhalation. As you begin to inhale, subtly tighten your abdominal muscles just enough to prevent your belly from rising. As you continue to inhale, keep your abdomen stable, but soft enough to allow your lower ribs to lift up and apart (this lift will occur automatically; it is caused by the diaphragm, but you can encourage it by adding a deliberate effort to gently lift and spread your lower ribs). The movement should separate your middle fingertips without making your belly lift or fall. On exhalation allow your ribs to return to their starting position so the middle fingertips touch as before; fully relax your abdomen, ribcage and diaphragm to breathe out as completely as possible without pushing. Throughout inhalation and exhalation, carefully balance all actions to keep your abdomen dead level, moving neither up nor down. Occasionally shift your hands to your lower belly to check whether you are achieving this. When finished, lie quietly for several minutes.