Deergha Swasam (Three-part Yogic Breath):
Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine, either cross-legged on a cushion (making sure knees are lower than the hips) or in a chair with feet on the floor. Rest the hands in the lap. Eyes are closed. Begin by inhaling slowly through the nose into the diaphragm/abdomen. Once the abdomen is full, allow more breath to come into the chest, expanding it forward and outward (i.e., both the front and sides of the chest expand). Finally, bring in even more breath so that the collarbones slightly rise. Let this long inhalation be smooth and gentle-but-firm. Now exhale the same way: let the air come out from the collarbones, from the thoracic cavity, and finally from the abdominal cavity. Fully empty the lungs by bringing the navel in toward the spine. Repeat for ten minutes. This breath builds lung capacity in a pleasant way. Our typical, unconscious breaths usually involve inhaling about 500 cubic centimeters of air; through a full deergha swasam breath, you will inhale and expel about 3000 cubic centerimeters of air. Six times the air means offers six times the oxygen. Aside from fuller oxygenation and removal of toxins, deergha swasam helps steady the emotional state and create a peaceful, alert focus of the mind.
Kapalabhati (Skull-shining Breath, or Breath of Fire):
Sit as above. Here you focus on the exhale, which is sharp and brought about by quickly “snapping” the navel in toward the spine. The inhalation will occur naturally as the abdomen relaxes. Build this up so that you can accomplish two or three cycles per second. Both exhalation and inhalation occur through the nose. This breath can be practiced with arms raised to the side at 60 degrees, elbows straight, palms up. Bring the focus of the closed eyes to the point between the eyebrows. Practice for three minutes, then inhale and hold the breath. Finally, exhale and rest for two minutes with hands sweeping down at the sides and coming to rest in the lap. Let the breath return to normal. According to practitioners of kundalini yoga, this breath builds the aura and cleanses the blood and the lungs. It invigorates the whole body and is great to do as part of your wake-up routine. Although in the early stages of learning this breath we focus our energy and concentration on the exhale, there should be a balance between the exhalation and inhalation so that you do not become breathless.
Nadi Sodhana (alternate nostril breathing):
Nadi sodhana is really a family of prānāyāma techniques that focus upon balance and opening of the nadis, energetic channels that are said to exist in the subtle pranic body. One typical practice uses alternate-nostril breathing in order to balance and clear the two main nadis (ida and pingala) that intertwine around the main channel, shushumna, that corresponds with the spinal cord. Ida and pingala wrap around the spinal cord/shushumna forming a caduceus. Where the three channels meet, we find energy plexuses known as chakras wheels. To perform nadi sodhana, sit again as outlined above. Allow the left hand to rest on the left thigh or lap. The right hand forms a two-pronged pincer, with the index and middle fingers bent into the palm. The extended thumb forms one end of the pincer and the ring finger and pinky, kept together as one finger, form the other. Take a few preparatory deergha swasam breaths, and then after an inhalation, use the thumb to close off the right nostril. Exhale. Inhale. Now use the ring finger-plus-pinky to close off the left nostril and remove the thumb to allow the exhalation to pass through the right nostril. Inhale. Now again block the right nostril and open the left. Exhale and inhale. Continue, gradually working to lengthen the inhalations and exhalations. Once you are comfortable, you can work on having the exhalations last for twice as long as the inhalations. To complete a cycle, say, ten minutes to start, let the right hand return to the lap and the breath return to normal after an exhalation through the right nostril.
This nadi sodhana practice calms the mind and the heart and balances the hemispheres of the brain. It builds strength in the lungs as well, especially when one pauses to retain the inhaled breath and then pauses again when the lungs are fully evacuated as part of the practice. Yoga teaches that we alternate which nostril is dominant roughly every 90 minutes, corresponding to our natural “switching” between hemispheric brain dominance. Through the practice of nadi sodhana, we simultaneously active both hemispheres of the brain, bringing both balance and deeper connectivity between the hemispheres.
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