YA - CE Workshop | The Power of with Dan (USYACE0607A)

Closed Captioning/ Transcript Disclaimer Closed captioning and/or transcription is being provided solely for the convenience of our viewers. Alliance does not review for accuracy any information that appears in a closed caption or transcript. Yoga Alliance makes no representations or warranties, and expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability with respect to, any errors or omissions in, or the accuracy, reliability, timeliness or completeness of, any information that appears in a closed caption or transcript.

[Live captioning by Ai-Media]

(Video plays)

SPEAKER: The beauty of yoga, is that it is much more than a sequence.

Yoga is awesome. Also, activism.

Yoga is about a quiet, internal journey. A growing powerful outlet... Yoga is action. Curiosity. Empathy. Join us, as we celebrate yoga. The diversity, and the millions who practice it. The power that it gives us all. Because, we are all for yoga. Yoga is all for us.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining us today, my name is Doctor Christa Kuberry and I am the Vice President of standards here at Yoga Alliance was the we are wonder where you? We are wondering where you are joining us from today, so we can get to know you better, and better support our global yogic audience will stop I'm super excited to be joined once again, and I love the previous time that we had Daniel, on. To be joined again by Daniel Simpson, he's going to be talking about the power of pranayama.

He is the author of 'The Truth of Yoga', which is a, hence of guide to the history of the practice. His approach combined scholarly knowledge with humour and insight, making yoga philosophy accessible and relevant to today's practitioners. You also teaches courses online, for the Oxford Centre as -- at Hindu studies, and teacher studies at the UK and internationally.

Two decades of personal experience. He also helps students explore their own... And he was the former correspondent of the New York Times will stop his book also tells stories of his early misadventures into yoga, if you like to get to know him better.

I'm looking forward to hearing you today full topic you so much for joining us will stop

DANIEL SIMPSON: Thank you, it is a pleasure being back again full stop let's dive back in! The Power of Pranayama, is a large topic and quite the title. What I want to emphasize today, is the significance of breast-based practice to the evolution of yoga full stop

I think through, looking at what pranayama developed, and over the course of time involved, we get a window of the broader picture of yoga.

I think, we will see over the course of the evolution of yoga, probably the most significant YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) practice is working with the breath. His own -- only relatively... Let's dive in, and see how that all takes shape, over time.

The first question that we always have to ask, when we start talking about these things – is think about history, is what we mean by the word yoga?

It helps us to clarify the distinction and therefore the importance of looking at things contextually, over time to stop seeing how things change full stop what we mean today by yoga, is primarily something to do, but for the history of yoga, it was out, of doing something for stop the things that were done, were not necessarily what we might assume full stop is more of what we see on the screen full stop

Sitting, as a renounce or, as he is clearly doing. Generally, to stand outside of society, to disappear almost into oneself is a different approach to practice when yoga started out.

I have a quotation here from the Mahabharata, and it is around 2000 years ago but we can see it as a summary of what went before. Here, it is trying to articulate a broad perspective of how we understand what yoga means.

Here it is alluded to, almost as a practice will stop yet, as a same time it doesn't actually mean moving or making shapes. It means meditation. Meditation is the most powerful way yoga could be performed, and those who know the Vedas, people who know stuff, it means knowledge. The guardians of sacred knowledge would say that the way to perform yoga is to meditate and you can do that in one and two ways. You can focus the mind, or you can control the breath.

The focusing of the mind, is an abstract, it in -- advanced way of... The control of the breath is said to have qualities, (unknown term), it means that there is something there to hang onto. Focusing the mind on the breath.

So, I think it would help us to probably have us a timeline to situate that in the evolution. If you look here, about 2000 years ago, the Mahabharata took shape over several centuries. Difficulty even to date that, or to date any ancient text is a real challenge for stop but that comes after significant influences on yoga meditation practices full stop there earlier (unknown term), and the teaching of the Buddha, and others like him.

The Bhagavad Gita also gained the -- Mahabharata. For about a thousand years ago, the evolution of more, physical practice, dynamic

Non-seated postures – also more intricate forms of birth control that can start to manipulate energies around the body full stop we will look at the beginning of the time unto the end of it, and that -- how it comes into what we know today full stop before, we also need to rewind to the time before the timeline. The Vedic religion was at least around a thousand years, before we got any mention of yoga in text. There is plenty that predates that, and we don't have any written evidence of. None of this seems to have much to do with yoga.

There are many ideas that come out of the Vedic religion, that shape subsequent yoga practices and perhaps, one really simple and clear example, is the chanting of the syllable Aum. It comes from the mantras that were the ensigns of the Vedic ritual. By large, priests are engaged by projects with making offerings into the fire, with feeding the guides and hopefully they will... A flourishing harvest, and fertility and offspring. That was all about acting in expectation as results

Page 2 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) and those who know the Bhagavad-Gita, would recognize the polar opposite... Acting with zero attachment to the outcome of the action.

Something changes, and we need to see what that is. Already come in the early stage of the performance of the vetted ritual, is about chanting mantras... And it made it happen. Mastery of, the ability of making the right noise, exactly at the right pitch, for sometimes days on end meant the mastery of the breast. -- Breast. -- Breath.

There's also a link to something broader. Part of the worldview is an understanding of the connection to the vastness of everything. The Vratya, comes from the word of taking a vow. You would vowed to the (unknown term), and goes without possessions, perhaps without food for some time. The vow of celibacy, and one of the things that you would do to train himself, his work with the breath.

This word, prana appears and does not only mean breasts, but means essence of life. -- Breath. It is subdivided into times of breath, which it moves up, prana, and moves down, which is called up avana, and one that moves across the body is beyond a. There linked to very important elements, also, to the three Vedic worlds. The earth, heavens, atmosphere in between.

Many other things as well.

It suggests that through working with breasts, -- breasts, this renounce her friends away connecting to a bigger picture. Ultimately, when they enter to the sun and new Moon and full moon, and to everything.

Some of that, reoccurs again and again, with the description of pranayama with the Bhagavad Gita, is a offering. It is a similar idea of connection and we start to see this as an explanation of the philosophy.

One of the early explanations of that is found also in the (unknown term), talking about the (unknown term). Saying that prana, the life force, described as "Lord of all", those that breathe and what is that? What does not. Is the foundation of life.

Good luck with remaining animated. But, it is subtler than that. Breath is also connected to something that is very specific. It is said to be the essence of (unknown term), the word that describes which is all things. Which is the absolute, which is no different to the most intercell. Many of the earlier (unknown term), cosmic connection between the (unknown term) and (indiscernible). One of the clear statements of (unknown term) is knowing... The foundation of all things. But, also, breath is the same thing. Somehow there is a link between mastery, the physical body and mastery of the understanding of how all things are ultimately interconnected.

And that is presented, quite clearly in the earlier... There's not much said of what to do, but the connection is there. Instructions for how to latch onto that link in the fire.

There is a reference to connection between the breath and the mind. In the (unknown term), predating the Buddha – talking about the way in which the breath is an anchor for it is really providing the rationale for the pranayama practice that we saw, articulated in the maharaja. It is the -- Mahabharata.

Imagine there's a bird with a string tied to its leg... When it tries to fly off wherever it wants to go,

Page 3 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) it could only go so far. When it cannot find a resting place, anywhere else, it eventually will come back to where it is tied. Similarly, if you anchor the mind on the breath, when it wanders off work goes, where it tends to – it will eventually come back to the breath. The breath is this anchor that combines the mind, for the mind says the... He is giving his son a lecture.

... One of this is to understand the connection between the mind and the breath. Ultimately, this whole story, with the realization and hidden mystery of concentration, and going beyond the mind is all about a real up -- reappraisal of the meaning of action. What is going on in the background, emerging from somewhere that is unknown. Somewhere between... 3 1/2 to 2000 and half years ago. This spinning wheel of karma, which is known as samsara, in the form of continuous rebirth. Action has an impact on the mind, which steadily conditions us to further activity. This idea, is not just articulated by practitioners of yoga, it is very much influenced also by other schools that have their own versions of yoga practice as well.

Others, really don't have much texture record that you hear about in other people's texts. It is lost in the mist of time, but this idea was really widespread. There was a problem that we keep coming back, and the cycle spends lifetimes, and we are propelled forward to activity... And to be released from that cycle, Moksha, which means release will stop the liberation of the cycle of birth, the means liberation is younger and similar techniques will stop stopping this cycle, unwinding the problem of action, and setting us free.

The earliest attempts to do this was relatively crude. Can generally be under the label of (unknown term). The reason for that was that it was identified as desire. Cycle is propelled forward by wanting so. Not only because we act, but we are driven to act and we are desiring a certain outcome. If we can eradicate that desire, and have no desire for anything other than the true knowledge of the transcendent self which is one with all things, then we will have no problem. His of functions, will not depart. There will be this true understanding of our nature, no longer identify with the body, mind, with its instinct to act in the world. This is described in terms of immortality, effectively standing outside of time there is nothing other than the ever presence, existence of life and stop the fact that the body decays, is a material full stop life is what we should identify with, not with the personalization of it through the mindful that was the essence -- .

The techniques of achieving it was not very well described, but we really only just hear about them through descriptions through other sources. This is the idea that we are supposed to understand this from a instruction list that you can do.

One thing that was logical to do was to stop acting. If the problem is action in the world, engagement through the world, wanting things. Then, don't do anything ever again (Laughs) And there will be no more problem! These earlier ascetics, generically known as trauma and as -- (unknown term), did punishing things to their bodies, and to detach from them will stop here, we have the best diction -- distinction -- the Buda self-denial, basically (Laughs) And he talks about his experience with aesthetics and some of his discourses will stop he describes intense breath control as one of the techniques.

He talks about it in terms of the nonbreeding meditation, basically holding the breath as long as possible full stop you can see from the statue, he has stopped eating for quite some time as well full stop this practice, is part of the generic approach summarized by (unknown term) or translated to austerities full stop it comes from a verbal root, two heat things up. It is almost like the internalization of the sacrifice in one own body. The thing that is being sacrifice is the very

Page 4 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) essence of one's being. The idea of one's self as a person, certainly desires for things. So, not only stopping moving, it is also stopping breathing. Stopping the passage of breasts, and as a result, my ears started screaming as if a blacksmith is hitting my bellows. This time it was extreme wind/my head as if there was a strong man attacking me with a sword. Still, he has another go. He explains this extreme heat arousing his body as if two men would take a weak man over the arms and roast them over a... But to what end would you detach?

Hold your arm in the air and just don't bring it down full stop leave it there until you basically detach from the agony.

Similarly, hold the breath until it is very unbearable but try not to give in to the desire to breathe. It is all very intense, and the Buddha thought, this is not doing me any favours and I'm going to find a middle way. Summer between self-denial and self-indulgence.

Another path to enlightenment, because this intensive beating of myself doesn't get me anywhere. But that was early forms of pranayama, consisting of holding the breath as long as humanly possible.

We see this, described elsewhere, and by others, if you have nothing else to do with yoga – priests who are performing the Vedic ritual, start to borrow these techniques that were popular with her with announcers. -- (unknown term). We see this later with the text, and their hybrid of the two worldviews. Here, in the text of Dharma, talking about the ways in which one walks to behave correctly and also one that -- will what one should do, when this happens. Controlling the breath is the highest type of aesthetic toil for a (unknown term), and if you misbehaved... You will be impure. To cleanse yourself, you need to suppress the breath, burn through it all in the same way that impurities are burned out of metals. That was intense, that was the point and the value of it.

This is so powerful, that some in the Dharma text, it is enough to atone even for the murder of a priest. Whatever crime you can conceive of in the dharmic worldview to two and half thousand years ago, is pretty much up there with how bad it gets. Hold your breath 16 times a day for a month, and make the right noises, and you will be purified.

Pranayama was presented in a way where you burn through impurities. That is what the yogis were using it for, burn through the stock of old, will, without -- without -- Karma. Without creating misconduct... You hear references to wrest control elsewhere.

I think, first of all we need to clarify why we use the word "control". Prana, means both breath, life force, and subdivided into kinds of breath located in different parts of the body. But, this is what (unknown term) -- ayama which means stretching and lengthening.

For sure, later that was something that was talked about sometime in the text will stop for the most part, earlier texts, it was a second definition. It was controlling the breath of literally cutting it off (Laughs), And not breathing which is what the Buddha put full stop we find references to that, and it is really what informs potential of pranayama. He talks about pranayama as the cutting off, cutting through of the flow of the breath.

The idea is that you sit still, stop breathing for a bit, because it helps to spin -- thin the stock of impurities. Therefore, to study the mind for the real practice. Concentration.

Page 5 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A)

It is explained in a little bit more detail, particularly in the common tree -- commentary, if you want to make sense of this. Traditionally, that is how they were presented together. The commentary clarifies, and we don't have much in the way of instructions. It is to hold your breath out, or hold your breath in.

Or you can stop mid-flow. That is pranayama based on location. Then, there is restriction in terms of how long you hold the breath for. How many moments... Also, something else, called number. It is the number of repetitions, how many times you hold the breath. That is all the potential, but yes essay about pranayama. He doesn't talk about rhythms, lengthening, closing nostrils, it is just hold the breath! It doesn't even say how long you're supposed to do it for.

If we turn and notice to the later text, we get a window of what you might have been alluding to.

I think, that obviously reminds us that much in history of yoga is lost to us because it was shared orally from teacher to student. It was not written down to executive summary, bullet points, flashed out a little bit by the commentary it is a very small fraction of what is known about yoga. But, here we have an indication of what he might have been alluding to which was the measurements of moving the hand around the kneecap.

The sickle argument, let's say it takes a one movement to move around the kneecap, and there was a tala, which means 12 of those. Pranayama which classifies "not very good" intermediate, pretty good. Depending on... It will last for 12, 24, 48 of these tala's. 48 versions... Assuming that each one takes a second, it is 10 minutes. So, the best form of birth control is to hold your breath for 10 minutes. It is intense, which is the point I'm try to make. It is not what we are thinking about when someone is practising pranayama. Or the pranayama that was taught in the medieval text. What is being described in the earlier traditions was evolving, and the mastery of oneself through intense self discipline. Potentially, it tells us thing -- of this. He quotes a line... (Reads).

It cleanses impurities, and it illuminates knowledge. It burns through all of the stuff that gets in the way of clarity which enables us to sit still and focus. So, therefore, as a result, once you have done it as this, the mind is capable of focusing. The same message again, is when you get the control over the mind through the breasts, it is possible to start holding some focus. This word (unknown term) which is translated into fixation. And that is potentially the main practice. He said, earlier in the first chapter, when describing the potential distractions – gets in the way of a yoga practitioner. All you have to do is focus the mind on a object to defeat the disturbances.

One of them, which is quoted here on 2.53, "steadiness of the mind..." (Reads). You hold it in, hold it out, hold it in mid-flow. The Bhagavad Gita, does not say anything particularly different. Talks about sacrifice, fixing the mind, here between the two eyebrows. A while, equalizing a flow of breath. There is a suggestion that is a steadiness, but not so much a reference to holding the breath. There is more of a hint of that in this offering of the prana, and vice versa and chapter 4. The connection here, is between the mind and the breath. It is interesting, with the sixth chapter, and you... And he complains to Kristian and says "controlling the mind is as difficult as controlling the wind." But the essence of that is to turn it on its head, and say "yes, you can control the inner wind, and that can help you control the inner mind."

That theme continues.

Page 6 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A)

Just to clarify, again, even looking in the dictionary – prana is subdivided into these things. The first two is involved -- in bold, and it is tied to inhale, exhale, and towards more dynamic forms of practice will yoga.

The Samara and you Donna,-- Udana, it is pervasive breath that you heard of.

There's not much being said of what you do with them. The Mahabharata has one funky description which started deliberate in later text, and here is. It is described as a king, priest, engaging in a combination of what we've seen in that Bhagavad Gita description. It is fixing the mind in its place, and while also getting some control over flow of breath. Fixing their breath in their minds, their mind in their breaths.

... Moving on upwards into the head, and then after this "mastery", a huge flame of light burst through the pipes of the Brahman.

The earlier (unknown term), talked about channels through which the subtle forces flow. They did not say much about what was to be done with them, except if one of -- that one of them went upwards, and the aperture of Brahman, and one who...

In the commentary, that is put up on the screen at 250, talks about repetition of pranayama leading to something called (unknown term). And upward flow. This movement upward, a central channel upwards towards immortality, is there in early descriptions. We will see that in a moment, and that is something that is taken to a whole new level and later text.

In these early descriptions that we looked up, there is one common factor. It is that the body is the problem. The body demands things, wants things, it gets us embroiled in the world and therefore the cause of something -- suffering. Just unwind the body's desires and to let go of the body existence, and to be keen on pushing the button of the injector see. Something changes, and if you have one significant shift...

The second big shift coming from Tantric philosophy is that the body might not be a problem after all. Might be something that can be cultivated. Can be, ultimately even eyes -- (unknown term). The installation of energies in the body so correspond to the energies that are manifested in all the things and the essence of divine. Instead of the need of getting where from problems in the world, the whole of the world is a thing that we are looking forward to in the first place full stop all that needs to happen is a transformation for the impurity exists, confusion exists, but ultimately, things in and of themselves need -- don't need to be disposed of, they need to be transformed full stop

That is where the chakra system comes from, and destroying the inner -- pranayama is part of this process will stop the process of purification of the internal channels through which the breath of flow.

Although, there is a shift in new ideas, we still go with the tradition this funky face with all sorts of things depicted on it, we've got the gods , sun and the moon full stop we've got the flowering of the... All of which that is being cultivated through the body. As the body is the means to experience the divine.

Part of that process involves the breaking down as the breath goes into the concision parts with names for stop that is quoting from the earliest texts, about 1500 years ago, where we first get

Page 7 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) these references to.

The three basic building blocks of more convex ideas. Potentially, we talked about those three things, and give them names. You talked about holding the breath out, or in. Although there is myriad numbers of channels, and some text saying 100,000, and some people settling on 72,000, they'll wind up saying... But, there is also to all who -- to others.

Solar heating energy flowing in that channel, and the purification of these channels is described in (unknown term) text, part of the progress of doing something settler with -- breath control.

The only difference is holding the breath for as long as possible, still remains part of a full stop but, gently, not forcefully. Breathed into the left, hold the left, and breathe out... Breathed in to the right, hold the right... And so on will stop do that for three months, your channels are pure.

As yoga evolve through here, we're looking about 1/13 century, things get more and more intense. There is more rounds, or methods, more repetitions. A couple centuries later, borrows the text, and condenses it down.

There is almost nothing but this intense commitment... And here is a description where there will be sweat, body trembles, and this is slightly watered down by the earlier descriptions. "If you start sweating, troubling, before you reach the goal you levitate..."

In Tantric text, and earlier Sussex, it powers -- earlier texts, it powers liberation. All of that in the background, powers and a form of breath control. The power of birth control to bring about liberation. It really is to focus on the yoga texts, of what the important stuff. It is acknowledged, in the medieval compilation, talking about the importance of breath control. It is something to do with caution. The phrase that pops up, "step-by-step..." Is a very much contrast to the word utter. Which means forced. You go by means of force, doing something very forceful – but doing it gradually and carefully.

The force is actually the effects of the technique as it is described.

... Pranayama to be practised carefully in a sequence of tools.

The first being posture, but not sequence of posture that we are the get today, it is specific techniques to bring about benefits to open things up so that it is possible to start working with subtle energies in the channels. Bouncing, purifying, and then getting into the heavy stuff.

... Techniques of locking parts of the body in particular -- making energies move.

It is not about building up a sequence of different postures.

Is the key. It is the link of just sitting, making things energetically assist in the process of the mind. We see that, when there is a vast array of techniques, and a purifying create as. You can do skull shining brass, and there are eight others. They are all associated with retention.

We might be familiar with several of these things... And some of the others, less particularly, the bottom right.

The aim of all of them is to use birth retention as part of the process for both movement of

Page 8 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) energy. So, the mind can be steady. The aim is always to study the mind and ultimately go beyond a. That is still the aim in all yoga text, to not be identified by the context of a. For what is happening is that the breath is not being used as just the anchor or way of suing it as fainting, floating, but it is to stir things up in the body.

There is a metaphor... (Reads). Going upwards through all things, different combinations that said to exist through the central pathway, chakras, have to be pierced by the rising awareness in order to awaken.

But, until it happens, the central channel will not be what is described here as the Royal Road for prana. It will be a obstacle, it will be blocked for the role of pranayama is to open things up so there can be an upward flow of this potential to awaken. I talked about (unknown term) of having a subtle connotation and it means a pot full stop this part affect is achieved by some of the (unknown term), and particularly views once -- these ones.

... So, this energetic potential to dissolve the mind is awakened through breath control and therefore, pranayama is the key to ultimately dissolving the mindful for the ultimate sign of being liberated is Sue of dissolved ones mind.

We will make these quotes available afterwards and you can look at them full stop it is synonymous with being free of the mind. That the breath will also cease. The breathless state which is also the no minded state.

There's a whole list of synonyms, with the vast majority which talks about the trance engine -- transcending of the mind.

And that is said to be synonymous with... There are some sceptics though, and you can do this by other means. Nevermind all of these crazy manoeuvres withholding the breasts and manipulating... -- Breath.

If you can control the breath which can control the mind, and you can master the mind, the breath will disappear. Do not get hung up on controlling the breath, says the text.

This is a minority opinion, really. It is very much talking about going beyond the mind by conquering the breath. The synonymous state of (unknown term) and this been Tom Minnis -- spontaneous...

Apparently sleeping while still awake.

So, I'm not going to focus on mantras again, because time is short. But there are other teachings on pranayama that talk about the connections that one can make by adding sound to the process was up again, this harks back to the other source of inspiration of pranayama practice. The chanting of it being the example, and where sounds are being candid and connected to yoga practice will stop the fusion of the three things as alternate message. We see this in modern text about pranayama. And jumbles all up as if it is the same thing (Laughs), And you have it here on the top right, the pranayama, Vedic signs of breath will stop in the Vedas, it does not describe that way. The Vedic ritual did not use it in the way, and a lot of what is taught in the text is coming from Tantric traditions. There is that, and there is the original Vedic connection with the chanting of mantras, which is user mantras and Tantric traditions.

Page 9 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A)

Also, that earlier aesthetic idea of blasting away the mind through the controller breath. You see all of those things there in this text. Yet, we see a caution in the modern world.

Basically he warns practising, one of the most effective techniques... Of uneven rhythm where you breathe and for a little bit, and hold for very long time, and then without for a little bit longer than you breathe in and then hold it out also stop it is dangerous, and intense – but not being done lately the stop but I think there is a fear of teaching pranayama because it was a thing as being there as the constant presence do the evolution of yoga.

Posture is only a saying... That became normal hundred years ago, and unseated a thousand years ago.

Was there before yoga was mentioned in the text and these practices will stop sum this up in the book, where it brings it all into the conclusion.

It is all about pranayama for we think about it is a place where yoga got physical. Sure, non- seated, balances, but the key is to loosen things up so you can work more intensely with the breath. The breath is the thing that steals the mind, and the stewing of a mind is a portal to liberation. So, the time that I stopped – but before I do, I'd like to invite you, if you would like to go further with talking about these concepts, I would ask you to join this upcoming course.

It is certainly ultimately not presented in the original text, quite in the same way that modern teachers like to talk about of the stop if you're interested in that, we just begun this week, and there's plenty of time to join us. You can find out or on the truth of your good.com. So now I think it is time to stop and take some questions will stop if we don't have time for questions, my email, website address is on their full stop I will pause now and see what people want to hear.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Thank you so much for so much information full stop that beautiful historical contextualization as well as philosophical contextualization as well. We have some wonderful questions, let's see what we can get to the next 11 minutes or so.

The first question: pranayama is often presented as breathing exercises, but reality is more subtle. Is there more advanced practice, or can it be used as a synonym for breathing exercises?

DANIEL SIMPSON: That is a very good question for the thing pranayama is a generic term for working with the breath. It has evolved to mean different things will stop there's a variety, of degrees of subtlety. It has changed over time. I don't think there is a different term, coming from the text that we can use, but I think the best way to think of it is a distinction between holding the breath and working with the breath. Ultimately, the subtle form of pranayama is that the breath, breathes the practitioner. It is not so much about control. Some teachers today, like to not want to use the word "control", but I think it is capturing the essence of what it talks about. Historically, I don't know if it is the most helpful word to use it teaches techniques to a full stop

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: A follow up on that, are they Tantric or (unknown term) innovations or are they...

DANIEL SIMPSON:

Page 10 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A)

I think yoga text, they change the terminology, they change descriptions, philosophy for stop but they are often building uncommon ideas, that have been long-standing for stop I think, those concepts that are clearly there before they are given names.

There is not really a practical difference, but the significance though is that they are named part of the process of ritual transformation of the body in the Tantric text.

The idea is that they are part of the process of purification that is subtler than just holding the breath.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Thank you. A question from your personal perspective, do you think there is most important pranayama's for teaching or of personal practice?

DANIEL SIMPSON: I think this varies from person to person. Just encouraging people to pay attention to the breath is really where I get most of my postural yoga class teaching for stop I don't teach much pranayama, specifically, as a separate thing. I ran a few workshops, with breathing at the end – or we focus on the interrupted inhalation, exhalation.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Wonderful, thank you so much for stop Michael is asking, am I understanding correctly...

**Audio lost**

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: I will come into that... But, it is said that in the categorization of the chapters – one is (indiscernible), and one on pranayama, one is (unknown term)... And pranayama is the glue that binds those four things together full stop it is the engine of the affective outcome.

So I just stepped in... I think you are frozen.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Sorry everyone, my internet is apparently now unstable. Which text you recommend for guarding or practising pranayama?

DANIEL SIMPSON: There is a good and psycho PD of the variety of auctions -- options. There is a good encyclopedia. There is a good place to start, because there's lots of others recently, and I like Richard Rosen's book about breathing. In the end, it is interesting to go to these medieval text to see what they say, but I would not probably recommend that we use those as guidelines to practice ... That describe a lot of these practices from ancient text and has a big warning in the beginning.

Again, I would not suggest that you use as a guideline for teaching.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Wonderful, thank you for support is your thoughts about scientific studies showing physical benefits of pranayama practices, can this help us bring more people to this practice? Then too if we had more time, I would look at the modern emphases on breastwork outside of the yoga

Page 11 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) context.

DANIEL SIMPSON: Clearly one can measure effects, and if we will come back to what makes it yoga – the effect of pranayama from a yoga perspective can only really be studied and measured experientially. Whatever gets people interested, is fine, but if we want to talk about the yoga context, it is best to think in terms of... Instead of advertising benefits, it is to focus on the subtler experience of being embodied and the possibility, therefore, perhaps finding it a bit more calm, space, rather than necessarily improving brain function although, all of those things are true, perhaps very appropriate for offering therapeutic forms of yoga targeted reading... But certainly not going to describe -- prescribe... But it is important to distinguish -- breath work... Instead of pranayama.

Well, that was certainly not described in ancient text. The primary emphasis is on sitting still, even in the medieval

Hot yoga text. I think that is a more modern innovation, but, if it feels you -- helpful, and possible to sit more comfortably, it is beneficial. In the modern context, you do not sit either. Whichever works, to bring more of a connection to the breath and to the mind.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: In the breast free topless, is it the holding of the inhale breath or the exhale?

DANIEL SIMPSON: Those come later, and is not really used... The Buddha did not really talk about in those terms will stop potentially, talks about exhaling, and holding the breath.

I don't see that we can say that for sure.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: I think we only have time for one more question, and we only have two minutes of a stop it quick one – it states for purposes of pranayama, the ratio of inspiration retention, expirations are always a single stop 142, the measure of time is regulated in accordance with the individual's capacity and the range from one quarter of a second, one minute, one hour in the case of a depths full stop I wonder about the physiological above ratio,... (Reads)

Do you think there's a reason for specific ratios?

DANIEL SIMPSON: That is one that is described. It is certainly not found in the yoga text, and I don't know if it is necessarily the pair dynamic. I think it is very effective, but it is very difficult, 142. To sustain for a long period, because when you breathe invert, five, hold the breath for 20, Expo for 10. It is hard to maintain that without forcing will stop as soon as we stop forcing, it is counterproductive to the ultimate call of pranayama to get more subtle.

DOCTOR CHRISTA KUBERRY: Thank you so much for sharing, and we have a lot of gratitude and love coming into the Q&A for the session. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us will stop it has been a pleasure is there anything in the last one minute that you'd like to share? Anyway of signing off and saying goodbye to all of you wonderful folks – and they do as well for having a city full stop

Page 12 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM YA - CE Workshop | The Power of Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A)

DANIEL SIMPSON: If you're interested in studying, the yoga Sutra course started, and it is this Sunday. There's still plenty of time if you're interested full stop too thank you so much, have a wonderful rest of your afternoon and as always, it was a pleasure to have you Daniel and to thank you to all the members, folks who joined us today!

DANIEL SIMPSON: Hope to see you all soon.

[Live captioning by Ai-Media]

Page 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 YA - CE Workshop | of 13 11:07 AM The Power of YA - CE Workshop | The Power of

Pranayama with Pranayama with Dan (USYACE0607A) Dan (USYACE0607A)

Page 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 of 13 11:07 AM

Page 13 of 13 Downloaded on: 09 Jul 2021 11:07 AM