The Breath, Self-study and the Practice

Hello Friends!

About a year ago, I felt that the next stage of development in my practice would come from a melioration of the breath, and it's something I work on constantly. The practice is, as one of my teacher's said, "a meditation on the breath".

On a recent vacation, I attended a yoga class and the teacher kept encouraging a VERY loud Ujjayi breath (see article to the right for a description). I listened carefully to her thoughts and instructions, and tried some things out in my own body.

In my opinion, especially for beginners, an extremely loud breath can be particularly helpful in tracking the breath and it's qualities, as well as learning to control it. And even as one's practiced becomes more advanced, I think it can be helpful on occasion to power up the breath depending on what's happening in any given day or pose; perhaps if one is losing track of the breath or having difficulty sustaining a consistent breath during a particular practice. But I don't think that the volume of the breath is the only indicator of its proper execution.

I often hear or see students in my class who have such an intensity in the breath, that it actually creates tension in the body. Additionally, the movement of the breath in the body is isolated to one particular area, and not necessarily because the breath is intentionally directed there.

At some point in one's practice, there is a refinement of the breath, making it more subtle, and I'm not referring simply to it's volume. The Ujjayi rhythm, always audible by it's nature, becomes an opportunity to regulate the breath in a controlled way, and in no way creates undue tension or tightness in the breath or body. As for where the movement of the breath can or should be found, watch this video of BKS Iyengar demonstrating JUST ONE BREATH. And notice, with an inhalation of nearly 50 seconds, his body barely moves. There's no radical pumping or expansion of the belly, it's as if the entire body is gently and calmly absorbing the breath equally. And listen to the sound... the beginning sounds exactly the same as the middle and the end.

As an experiment, try to make each of your exhalations sound like the inhalations, your inhalations sound like exhalations, and the duration and quality of each sound the same throughout your entire practice--WOW! It requires such focus and control. And at first, learning to direct the breath to certain areas of your body is helpful. Later, maybe one can achieve the ability to breathe as fully as Iyengar, as the entire body participates equally in the breath.

Yoga is a practice where everything, and I mean everything, is done with intention. Not a cell of your body is left out of your awareness, and everything has meaning and purpose. Your practice is a vehicle for self-study. Try new and different things out in your own body and decide for yourself what you think and why.

Treat your practice with respect and love. Whether you intend it or not, the beauty that occurs in your practice will spill out into your everyday life, so make it the best you can.

Warmly,

Liz Doyle
www.LizDoyleYoga.com