Fundamentals of Praanaayaam
Praanaayaam: Part II
Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.
Once upon a time, there was a wise minister in the court of a mad King. While the other ministers would always just nod along with what the King said, this wise minister was not afraid to speak his mind.
One day, the King proposed a law that the wise minister disagreed with. As usual, while others nodded along out of fear, this minister spoke up and shared his concerns. This time, however, the King had had enough. He stood up, and in a fit of rage, ordered that the minister be locked up in the tallest tower of the prison.
Immediately, the guards took him away and locked him up in the highest room of the tower, which only had a small window. Upon being thrown in to the cell, the minister requested the guards that he get a chance to see his wife. The prison guards brought the request to the King, who agreed, and the wife was brought to the prison tower.
When she arrived, the minister told his wife to come to the bottom of the tower in three nights with a peculiar combination of items. He asked for a beetle, some honey, a silk thread, a cotton string, some twine, a thin rope, and a thick rope, all such that they were at least as tall as the prison tower.
The wife was confused by the strange request, but did not ask any questions, and immediately got to work.
As requested, on the third night, she came to the bottom of the tower with the combination of items. From his window, the minister told her to tie the silk thread to the beetle, and to put a little bit of honey on each of its horns. Then, he asked her to place the beetle facing upwards on the wall below.
The beetle started to walk upwards towards the window, desiring the honey in front of its eyes. Once the beetle reached the top, the minister picked it up and pulled it inside his cell. Then he looked out the window and asked his wife to tie the cotton thread to the bottom of the silk thread. She did so, and he pulled the silk thread until he got the top of the cotton thread inside the cell. He then asked her to tie the twine to the bottom of the cotton thread, and he repeated the exercise until he now had the twine in his hands. His wife then tied the thin rope, and finally the thick rope, which the minister was able to pull up into his cell.
Once he had the thick rope, he tied it to the bars of his jail cell, and climbed out of the window using the thick rope, until he reached the bottom of the tower. Starting with what he knew he could control, he built up to what would set him free.
Right now, you are easily able to notice your breath, and even control its movements to some degree. However, you may or may not be able to notice the underlying Praana. The practice of Praanaayaam is like this story. We start with the breath - since it is what we know, and what we can control - and slowly build up towards the underlying Praana.
Last week, we began a discussion on Praanaayaam (praah-naah-yaah-muh) - the fourth limb of the eight-limbed (Ashtaanga) Yoga. Specifically, we discussed the various modifications of Praana, and how it appears in the form of the life functions (e.g. breathing, digestion, circulation, etc.).
Additionally, we discussed the method of Yogic breathing, which is fundamental to all of Praanaayaam.
Note: These techniques are not to be confused with meditation, which is several layers deeper. While they are certainly powerful ways to calm the mind, they prepare the mind for meditation, and are not meditation techniques in themselves.
Praanaayaam stems from the previous limb, Aasana, in two ways:
This does not mean that we must first perfect our Aasana practice in order to practice Praanaayaam. Only that Praanaayaam happens in and through Aasana.
The breath is intimately tied to the mind. Using this fact, the Yogi (that’s you) can use the techniques of Praanaayaam to adjust their own mental states at will.
Various teachers around the world have created their own methods of breathing, called Kriyas. The word Kriya in this context just means “technique” or, literally, “what is done.” To make this clear, one can go to an ashram or monastery and ask the question, “what is your Kriya”, and can expect to get a list of specific techniques that they teach, usually passed down through a lineage.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, however, provide the variables that an individual practitioner can use to experiment with Praanaayaam. It is these same variables that Yogis throughout the millennia have used to create their own Kriyas. Through careful experimentation on their own body, the individual can come up with their own Kriyas that best suit their needs.
A chef is able to create their own recipes and dishes through a thorough understanding of culinary fundamentals and extensive experimentation, while a cook simply follows recipes with minimal deviation. In this way, the intention of this series is to enable you to create your own Kriya, adjusted to your own needs, through a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of Yoga, and practice of established techniques.
One may note, however, that traditionally speaking, this is not suggested, and is often even discouraged.
The reason for this is that making one’s own Kriya takes a lot of experimentation, and if one does not pay careful attention to the state of the mind, some of these practices can have harmful effects. For example, certain combinations of breathing can actually exacerbate feelings of anxiety or lead to extreme agitation of the mind. Given this, while it is certainly possible to create your own Kriya, it is recommended for beginners to start by practising established techniques.
These established techniques are not explicitly discussed in the Yoga Sutras, but there are several other texts - such as the Gheranda Samhita and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika -that dive into them in detail.
Broadly speaking, these techniques fall into two categories - Shatkarmas (purifying techniques) and Praanaayaam (exercises with the praana, including but not limited to the breath). The Shatkarmas, or purifying techniques, include methods to decongest the nose and sinuses, improve digestion, and increase circulation, and are generally to be practised prior to more advanced Praanaayaam. If this sounds too theoretical, don’t worry - we will go over these techniques systematically over the next few weeks.
This week, however, we will go through the fundamentals of Praanaayaam, which will make clear the variables underlying all possible techniques, and their effects.
Praanaayaam, like all of Yoga, is experiential. Given this, don’t take anything said here as truth until you have tried it for yourself and seen the effects on your own body and mind.
The Basics
When breathing in, always breathe through your nose. Sometimes - especially when we are congested or when we are eating - there may be a temptation to breathe through the mouth. Avoid this at all costs.
There are a number of studies1 that show how regular mouth-breathing results in fatigue, decreased productivity, sleep-disordered breathing, and poorer quality of life as compared to those who breathe through the nose. Additionally, breathing through the mouth negatively affects memory, learning abilities, and even one’s facial structure over time.
While eating, focus on chewing as much as possible, with the mouth closed to avoid any air intake.
When breathing out, the nose is preferable.
Use diaphragmatic breathing (Deergha Shvaasam) - expand the belly, then the ribs, then the chest to breathe in, and contract the chest, then the ribs, then the belly to breathe out. It should feel like the air is being pulled in due to the expansion, not the other way around.
The Variables
बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिः देशकालसंख्याभिः परिदृष्टो दीर्घसूक्ष्मः॥BaahyaAntaraStambhaVrittih DeshaKaalaSamkhyaabhih Paridrishtoh DeerghaSookshmah[Praanaayaam] Manifests as external, internal, and restrained movements; in accordance with place, time, and count, [so as to make the breath] long and subtle.
- Yoga Sutras, 2.50
Modifications: In, Out, Pause
There are three types of modifications that the breath can undergo - external, internal, and restrained.
Said simply, they are - breathing in, breathing out, and holding or pausing the breath.
We are continuously cycling through these three, whether or not it is voluntary.
Generally speaking, holding the breath is of two types - holding the breath after breathing in (called pooraka, or antara-kumbhaka), and holding the breath after breathing out (called rechaka, or baahya-kumbhaka).
Generically, holding the breath is known as sthamba or kumbhaka. Even when we are not intentionally holding the breath, there is a slight gap, or pause, between each inhale and exhale. In Yoga, this is also considered a breath-hold (sthambha) - just a very short one.
Internal (antara) and external (baahya) modifications have different effects on the mind.
Baahya (External): Breathing out, and holding the breath while the breath is outside the body, leads to mental calm. The mind slows down, and anxiety and sankocha (tightness) are released from the body. The heart also slows down.
Antara (Internal): Breathing in, and holding the breath while the breath is inside the body, leads to mental energy. The mind feels more active and awake, and the heart rate increases. Be careful with the inhale - it can lead to too much energy if done excessively, which can then lead to anxiety or unwanted mental agitation.
Intensity: Space, Time, Count
The intensity of each of these three types of modifications can be measured in three ways:
Desh: Space
Kaal: Time
Sankhyaa: Count
Desh: Space
This measure of the breath is slightly different depending on the type of modification. Specifically, there are three possible combinations:
Baahya-Desha: External Space
Antara-Desha: Internal Space
Sthamba-Desha: Hold Space
Baahya-Desha is the means of measurement of the exhale. The traditional method is measure the intensity of the exhale by placing a blade of grass, a piece of cotton, or your hand at a certain distance from your nostrils. The more intense the exhale, the further away the effect of the breath.
Antara-Desha is the means of measurement of the inhale. This is when you “breathe into” the stomach, the ribs, or the chest. Experientially, it feels as though the air is entering into a specific internal space, and depending on the intensity of the inhale, filling up more or less of it.
Sthamba-Desha is the means of measurement of the hold. Try this: Breathe in, and hold the breath. Notice where it feels like the breath is being held. Do you feel like you are holding it in your stomach? Your chest? Your throat? Once you have isolated where you feel it the most, are you able to move that feeling to a different location in your body? This is sthamba-desha - the “hold space.”
Antara-Desha and Sthamba-Desha can also be felt in a different way - like a light tingling sensation. Traditional commentators describe this as “the touch of an ant.” This may sound strange at first, but with practice, one becomes more attuned to this feeling and can identify where in the body the Praana is being held.
Kaal: Time
This measure of the breath is just what it sounds like - a measure of how long a given inhale, exhale, or hold takes to complete. There are several traditional methods of measuring this, called maatras or “measures.”
For example, one traditional method is to rotate the finger around the kneecap three times and then snap the figners. This is one maatra.
Another method is to use the time it takes to blink the eyes, called one kshana (moment). The individual practitioner can then decide how many kshanas equal one maatra for them.
A third method is to use a mantra as the maatra. For example, one utterance of the mantra “Om Namah Shivaaya” can be considered one maatra.
Which one you choose is not so important. What matters is that you are consistent with your measurement so that you know how your practice is progressing.
For example, a Yogi may start a practice of inhaling for 4 maatras, holding for 16 maatras and exhaling for 8 maatras. Over time, as their capacity increases, they will be able to increase the measure to inhaling for 8 maatras, holding for 32 maatras, and exhaling for 16 maatras. However, if they decided to change what they were using as their maatra, there is no way to compare whether they progressed or not.
For this reason, it is important to pick a maatra that works for you, and use it consistently to measure your progress over time.
Sankhyaa: Count
There are three meanings to this measurement:
The count of desha
The count of kaal
The number of repetitions
The sankhyaa (count) of desha (space) means that the Yogi actively measures how far their exhales reach, and where they inhale or hold their breath within the body (e.g. 12 fingers below the nostrils).
The count of kaal (time) means that the Yogi actively measures how many maatras each inhale, exhale, and hold lasts.
Using these two, the Yogi is able to measure their progress by creating a consistent system of measurement for each variable.
Finally, sankhyaa in this context means how many repetitions of each cycle are completed in a single sitting. Using the example of 4-16-8 breathing above, doing the cycle once would be a sankhyaa of one, doing it twice would be a sankhyaa of two, and so on. One should decide beforehand how many repetitions they will complete, and then shoot for that number. You can use the phalanges on your fingers to count the repetitions, just in case the mind wanders.
The Goal: Deergha-Sookshma (Long and Subtle)
The goal of Praanaayaam is to make the breath as long and subtle as possible.
Deergha or “long” in this context means how many maatras (kaal, or time) each inhale, exhale, and hold is. The goal is to be able to elongate each of these as much as possible, measuring your progress along the way.
Sookshma or “subtle” in this context refers to the variable of desh, or space. The goal is that the Yogi should be able to continue breathing in such a way that even if a blade of grass were placed right beneath the nostrils, it would not move at all.
Try doing this right now: Make your breath as long and subtle as possible. Notice, does the mind feel calmer? Also notice how after a while, you may start to feel out of breath.
Through the practice of Praanaayaam, following the four keys to practice, this becomes easy. Start by setting a baseline - how many maatras is your inhale, exhale, and/or hold before you start to feel out of breath?
Over time, the breath will become long and subtle, and yet you will feel as though you are taking fuller breaths than you ever have.
Until next time:
Practice Deergha-Shvaasam in your chosen Aasana at least once per day. Play around with the variables of desh (space), kaal (time), and sankhyaa (count) for the inhale, exhale, and hold/pause. Notice the effect on the mind.
Pick a maatraa to measure time.
Measure your baseline: How many of these maatras are you able to inhale, exhale, and hold comfortably? Write this down so you can compare in the future.
Optional: Keep the inhale-hold-exhale ratio at 1-4-2 (e.g. inhale for 4, hold for 16, exhale for 8), and lengthen the breaths in this ratio (e.g. inhale for 16, hold for 64, exhale for 32, etc.).
Next time: Naadi Shodhana: An introductory Praanaayaam exercise
Look at this article and this excellent bibliography (look at the links beneath the section “Chapter Two: Mouthbreathing”) for more on the subject.