Pranayamateacher training

course notes

Pranayama The Sanskrit compound pranayama is composed of two words, prana and yama or ayama. Prana translates as both air and life force. As air, prana is our breath, and as life force, it is the energy behind all of life’s expressions. Where yama means to restrain or control, ayama means to extend or expand and as such, pranayama literally means the expansion of vital energy.Pranayama is the fourth of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga men-tioned in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yet, it is not a manual of instructions, but a subtle reminder of principles, which would al-ready have been grasped by those already initiated into the con-cepts and practices of Yoga. Patanjali does not fully explain the theory and practice of pranayama, but presents it essentially as an exercise preliminary to concentration, as do earlier Buddhist texts.The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is one of three classic texts on hatha yoga, alongside the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva Samhita, and was compiled by Svatmarama in the 15th century CE from earlier texts. It includes information about purification, postures, breath-ing, energetic practices, meditation and other topics. The text is quite ambiguous in its descriptions and is not intended as an in-struction manual. It is more of a compilation of concepts, designed to order the knowledge and to hint at its practice. After describing general pranayama techniques and the shat karmas (purification), he explains the eight main pranayamas: Sitkari, Sitali, Bhramari, Bhastrika, Murccha, Surya Bhedana, Ujjayi and Plavini.A more recent addition is Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha by Swami Satyananda, recognised internationally as one of the most systematic modern yoga manuals. It provides clear illustrations and step by step directions, from the simplest to the most ad-vanced practices of the hatha yoga system.

BreathThe breath is the most vital force of the body as it affects the ac-tivities of every cell of the body and is closely linked with the per-formance of the brain. The practice of pranayama, training the body to utilise the breath efficiently, helps manipulate our ener-gies, reeducate our breathing process, and helps release tensions, which in turn develops a relaxed state of mind. Breathing exercises can alter the pH and pressure of the blood, enrich it with oxygen, strengthen the lungs and balance the nerv-ous system. They can also be used to train the body’s reaction to stressful situations and dampen the production of harmful stress hormones.The cells in our body need a continuous supply of oxygen as they utilize it to run the internal systems and keep the organs in a good health. In turn, they produce carbon dioxide and other used up gases (metabolic waste products), which must be eliminated from the body as they are considered toxins. The process by which oxy-gen is taken and exchanged for carbon dioxide is known as cellu-lar respiration. In this process, when we inhale, air fills our lungs, and the oxygen is absorbed into the blood stream. At the same time, carbon dioxide passes from the blood into the lungs to be expelled out of our system. Oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart and is then pumped to all parts of the body by the hemoglobin of the red blood cells. Pranayama purifies the entire respiratory tract, from the nasal passages to the lungs, helping the body eliminate large quantities of carbon dioxide and other impurities as well as providing sufficient oxygen for the proper functioning of every cell.Many people breathe incorrectly, utilizing only a small propor-tion of their total lung capacity, as such their breathing tends to be shallow, rapid, hasty and irregular. Poor breathing habits not only deprive the body of oxygen and prana, but also upset our mental balance. Our state of mind is af-fected by the breath and the breath is in turn affected by it. The breath is a mirror to the mental and emotional state, becoming faster and shallower in moments of excitement, stress or fear, and

slower and deeper during relaxing activities and sleep. But it can also be turned around. Willfully slowing the breath induces calm-ness and greater mental clarity. The breath rate directly affects the vagus nerve, the longest of the cranial nerves, so named because it wanders like a vagrant, sending out fibres from the brain stem to the organs. The vagus nerve oversees a vast range of crucial functions, communicating nerve impulses in the parasympa-thetic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system governs the body’s sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (re-laxation) responses, and controls the actions and reactions of the body’s systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, and di-gestive systems.Through observing nature the yogis of old realised the impact of the breath on our lifespan. Animals with a slow breath rate, such as tortoises, have long life spans whereas those with a fast breath-ing rate, such as dogs, have shorter life spans. .The normal breathing rate of an adult at rest is about 12-18 times per minute, which works out to be 1,080 times per hour and 25,920 times per day. By understanding and training the breathing mechanism through repetitive practices, the entire respiration system becomes opti-mised so that it requires far less effort to perform. In turn this im-proves the overall functioning of the body.Anatomy of breathingThe goal of breathing is to deliver oxygen to the body and to re-move carbon dioxide. The respiratory system includes the mouth, nasal passage, pharynx, larynx, epiglottis, trachea, lungs, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and diaphragm.Mouth: Air enters the body through the open mouth. It travels down the trachea to the lungs, where the oxygen in it passes into the bloodstream.Nasal passage: Air enters the body through the nose. Tiny hairs in the nose trap unwanted particles while a sticky liquid called mu-cus catches many of the germs before they can go too far into the respiratory system. The mucus also warms and moistens the air.

Pharynx: It is divided into naso-pharynx, oro-pharynx and laryn-geal pharynx. The nasopharynx serves only the respiratory sys-tem. The laryngeal and oro-pharynx both act as a passage for res-piratory and digestive functions and as a resonating chamber for speech sounds.Larynx: The upper part of the windpipe which contains the vocal cords. It also produces sound vibrations.Epiglottis: It is a flap in the throat that blocks the windpipe when food or liquid is being swallowed.Trachea: The trachea is sometimes called the windpipe. About half of its 13 cm length is inside the chest and the other half is in the neck. The lower end of the trachea divides into two bronchi that carry air into the lungs. The trachea filters the air we breathe and branches into the bronchi.Lungs: It is a balloon-like structure in the chest that brings oxygen into the body and expels carbon dioxide from the body. There are

two lungs in the human body, and they are the main organs of the respiratory system. In the lungs, oxygen is taken into the body and carbon dioxide is breathed out. The red blood cells are responsible for picking up the oxygen in the lungs and carrying it to the body cells that need it. The red blood cells drop off oxygen to the body cells, then pick up carbon dioxide which is a waste gas product produced by our cells. The red blood cells transport the carbon dioxide back to the lungs and we breathe it out when we exhale.Bronchi: This is the lower end of the trachea which divides into two bronchi (tubes) that carry air into the lungs. One bronchus goes to the left lung, the other to the right lung.Bronchioles: Each bronchus divides into smaller tubes called bronchioles.Alveoli: Bronchioles eventually lead to tiny, stretchy sacs called alveoli. These sacs blow up like tiny balloons when you breathe in. Oxygen from the air passes through the walls of the alveoli into capillaries, while carbon dioxide is passed out.Diaphragm: Breathing starts with a dome-shaped muscle under-neath the lungs called the diaphragm. It is the main muscle used in breathing functioning that causes the lungs to move. When the diaphragm moves downward, the lungs inhale. When the dia-phragm moves upward, the lungs exhale. Diaphragmatic breath-ing is evident when the lower belly extends on an inhale.

NoseThe nose is the first organ of the respiratory system, and its main function is the supply and conditioning of inhaled air to the lungs. The internal structures and cavities form an integrated system re-sponsible for warming, moistening and filtering the air breathed in through the nose.Nasal hair in the nostrils traps large particles preventing their en-try into the lungs. Sneezing is an important reflex initiated by ir-ritation of the nasal mucosa to expel unwanted particles through the mouth and nose. Photic sneezing is a reflex brought on by dif-ferent stimuli such as bright lights.

The nose is also able to provide sense information as to the tem-perature of the air being breathed.The nose plays the major part in the olfactory system. It contains an area of specialised cells, olfactory receptor neurons, responsible for the sense of smell. The nasal conchae help in olfaction function by directing the flow of air to the olfactory region.Speech can be modified using airflow through the nose in a proc-ess called nasalisation. This involves the lowering of the soft pal-ate to produce nasal vowels and consonants by allowing air to escape from both the nose and the mouth. The paranasal sinuses act as sound chambers in vocal resonation.The importance of breathing through the nose.The nose has various defense mechanisms to prevent impurities and excessively cold air entering the body. At the entrance to the nose, a screen of hairs traps dust, tiny insects and other particles

that may injure the lungs if you breathe through the mouth.After the entrance of the nose, there is a long winding passage lined with mucus membranes, where excessively cool air is warmed and very fine dust particles that escaped the hair screen are caught. Next, in the inner nose are glands which fight off any bacilli which have slipped through the other defenses. The inner nose also contains the olfactory organ, our sense of smell. This de-tects any poisonous gases around that may injure our health.There is no difference in the amount of oxygen consumed by the body whichever way one breathes, but there is a vast difference in the amount of work required. The workload on the cardio-respi-ratory system may be reduced by as much as fifty percent to ac-complish the same amount of oxygenation.

Breath sidednessErectile tissue is only found in a few areas of the body, includ-ing the nose. This tissue receives extra blood through microscopic passageways, causing the tissue to expand and harden. It follows a distinct and regular pattern, causing one nostril to be more open than the other at various times through the day. This creates a right/left variation in breath flow, which alternates every 45 min-utes to two hours, depending on the individual. This natural pat-tern can be interrupted by emotional disturbance, irregular meal-times, sleep problems, pollution, infection and other forces that affect the bio‐organism. This switch can be triggered intentionally by laying down on one side of the body to open the other side. It can also be achieved by the use of a yoga danda, a carved stick that is used like a little crutch under the armpit, opening the breath on the opposite side.Each side corresponds to brain activity in the opposite side’s hem-isphere which gives distinct qualities. It is possible for the breath to be equally open on both sides and this is ideal for yoga practice. Yogis who focused on this study of the breath were called swara yogis.

Swara yogaIn addition to the chakras, the Tantras describe a network of subtle chan-nels known as nadis through which the life force, prana, circulate. Nadi means current or stream. Of these, Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are con-sidered the most important. Swara yoga is a science which involves the study of the breath flow through the nostrils in relation to the activities of the sun, moon, planets, seasons, time of day, with the physical and mental conditions of the in-dividual and then taking the appropriate action. For example, knowing the moon phase and checking the flow of the nostrils before getting out of bed and letting the corresponding foot be the first to touch the floor and make the first step to ensure success for that day. Swara yoga states that during the day we switch between Ida and Pin-gala dominance every 60-90 minutes. For a few minutes during the tran-sition it is possible for the breath to be equally open on both sides, indi-cating that Sushumna flows. Ida and pingala are also connected to the two hemispheres of the brain. The brain cortex is divided into two clear hemispheres, each having highly specialized functions and receive sensory information from the opposite side of the body, so that the right eye goes to the left brain and vice versa. The right hemisphere, stimulated by an open left nostril, ida, is connect-ed to creativity, introspection, music, visual and peaceful activities. The word ida means comfort, and has a lunar energy and feminine nature, with a cooling effect and pale or white in colour. It corresponds to the river Ganges.The left hemisphere, stimulated by right nostril dominance, pingala, is connected to language, logic, rational, verbal and more energetic activi-ties. When you need to retrieve a fact, the left brain pulls it from memory. Pingala means tawny, a brownish-orange colour, and has a solar energy and masculine nature, a warming effect and red or black in colour. It corresponds to the river Yamuna.Sushumna, meaning most gracious or joyful mind, interpene-trates the cerebrospinal axis, and in swara yoga is associated with both nostrils being open and free to the passage of air. The river Saraswati is Sushumna and connects the base chakra to the crown

Three basic types of breathingAdhyama ‐ Clavicular breathing (upper chest, collarbone area)Madhyama ‐ Thoracic breathing (mid chest)Adhama ‐ Diaphragmatic breathing (belly, abdomen)These three types of breathing can be coordinated into an exercise in which a deep breath is taken. The complete yogic breath uti-lises full lung capacity. It is done with long, slow, deep breaths, bringing the breath into the three regions of the lungs. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward, causing air to enter the lungs, and displacing the abdomen. This pushes the abdomen out and is often referred to as belly breathing, even though no air actu-ally enters the belly. In the mid-lung, or thoracic, region, inhala-tion is assisted by the intercostal muscles, which lift and spread the ribcage, causing more air to flow into the lungs. Finally, to fill the upper region of the lungs, inhale fully and feel the clavicles rise slightly. Three components of pranayamaThere are three basic phases involved in pranayama practices.Inhalation - Puraka. The action of inhalation is initiated by the dia-phragm drawing downwards, creating suction, and pulling the tissue of the lungs into the vacuum between their surface and the inner surface of the ribcage. Exhalation - Rechaka. The action of exhalation occurs when the dia-phragm begins its movements back upwards.Retention - Kumbhaka. When the breath is held inside after inhala-tion, it is known as antara kumbhaka and when the breath is held outside after exhalation it is known as bahya kumbhaka. Kevala kumbhakaSpontaneous retention is called kevala kumbhaka, where the breath suspends without any conscious effort on the part of the practitioner. This form of breath suspension is not aided by ex-halation and inhalation and is unconditioned by place, time and number. Kevala kumbhaka can happen to anyone, anywhere, any time, even if one does not practise pranayama. There is no risk involved, because this retention is created by a natural state in the body.