The Garden Is Open For Business!

Yes, that's right folks! We finally got the new garden up and running. Please check out The Garden page for the latest installment of our Garden Blog. Happy Aloha Friday!

NAMASTE!

Going Against The Grain

"Against the Grain" by psyberartist, courtesy
of Flickr Creative Commo

I'm all about going with the flow of things. Of late, that flow has been directing me to a greater exploration of pranayama, or the varied breathing exercises of yoga. More accurately translated, pranayama refers to the "extension of the life force." How appropriate, since the various forms of pranayama encourage the practitioner to draw out and extend the breath. 

So, I was mentioning my love of going with the flow. I'm sure I'm not the only yoga practitioner to have a fondness for this concept. Curious, then that a favorite pranayama of mine encourages us to go against the natural flow of things. This is viloma pranayama, which translates to "against the hair" or "against the grain." The practice of viloma can help us to expand our breathing capacity, encouraging the exploration of otherwise under-utilized space in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Moreover, this exercise is simultaneously rejuvenating and grounding, providing relief for:

fatigue

strain

weakness

nausea

imbalanced blood pressure

heaviness in the abdomen

hyperactivity &

insomnia,

according to Geeta Iyengar.

*The usual disclaimer: Approach any new practice with caution. If at any time you feel panic, short of breath, heat in the head, tension arising in the body, or anxiety, please return to a normal, slow, smooth breath. Build up time spent in any new practice very gradually. Always consult an experienced teacher with questions. *

Illustration by Pat Conrad, courtesy of Bicycling Bliss

To practice viloma, beginners will want to find a comfortable supine position. I find that a supported savasana, with a bolster under the knees, a pillow under the head, and a covering over the eyes works best. Let the hands rest to the side of the body with palms facing up, or on the belly with palms facing down. Eventually, the practiced yogi/yogini will bring this exercise into a seated posture.

Please take note of the illustration to the left, examining the mechanics of breathing, and keeping this picture in mind moving forward. For viloma, we invite kumbhakas, or pauses, into the inhalation and exhalation. As we breathe deep ujjayi pranayama, by contracting the glottis in the throat, we visualize the torso and mentally divide it into 3 sections:

1. Pubic bone to the navel
2. Navel to the bottom tip of the sternum
3. Sternum to the collarbones 

"Deep Breath" courtesy of Yoga with Sereni

Viloma pranayama, variation 1:

1. From a comfortable supine or seated position, breathe several rounds of ujjayi pranayama.
2. Upon completing an exhalation, inhale through the 1st section (pubic bone to navel).
3. Pause for 2 seconds.
4. Inhale through the 2nd section (navel to the tip of the sternum).
5. Pause for 2 seconds.
6. Inhale through the 3rd section (tip of the sternum to the collarbones), to reach the full capacity for an inhalation.
7. Pause for 2 seconds.
8. Exhale uninterrupted, from the collarbones to the pubic bone, pausing for 2 seconds when the exhalation is complete.
9. Repeat several rounds of steps 2-8. To finish, simply return to uninterrupted ujjayi.

Viloma Pranayama, variation 2:

1. From a comfortable supine or seated position, breathe several rounds of ujjayi pranayama.
2. Upon completing an inhalation, exhale through the 3rd section (collarbones to the bottom tip of the sternum).
3. Pause for 2 seconds.
4. Exhale through the 2nd section (tip of the sternum to the navel).
5. Pause for 2 seconds.
6. Exhale through the 1st section (navel to the pubic bone), completely emptying the body of air.
7. Pause for 2 seconds.
8. Inhale uninterrupted, from the pubic bone to the collarbones, pausing for 2 seconds when the inhalation is complete.
9. Repeat several rounds of steps 2-8. To finish, simply return to uninterrupted ujjayi.

Viloma Pranayama, full:
1. From a comfortable supine or seated position, breathe several rounds of ujjayi pranayama.
2. Upon completing an exhalation, inhale through the 1st section (pubic bone to navel).
3. Pause for 2 seconds.
4. Inhale through the 2nd section (navel to the tip of the sternum).
5. Pause for 2 seconds.
6. Inhale through the 3rd section (tip of the sternum to the collarbones), to reach the full capacity for an inhalation.
7. Pause for 2 seconds.
8. Exhale through the 3rd section (collarbones to the bottom tip of the sternum).
9. Pause for 2 seconds.
10. Exhale through the 2nd section (tip of the sternum to the navel).
11. Pause for 2 seconds.
12. Exhale through the 1st section (navel to the pubic bone), completely emptying the body of air.
13. Pause for 2 seconds.
14. Continue through several rounds of steps 2-13. To finish, simply return to uninterrupted ujjayi.

Practice viloma pranayama when you have some time to rest and relax. This exercise has a strong tendency to put practitioners right to sleep! My teachers warned me of this when introducing the practice, but after the first time I didn't believe them at all. I found viloma quite challenging initially and had no idea how someone could possibly fall asleep practicing it. However, I very quickly gained more comfort with the exercise and soon found myself battling snoring in the middle of the class! As such, I highly recommend viloma for anyone struggling with bouts of insomnia. For the same reason, I also highly recommend practicing viloma under the guidance of a teacher or audio recording. Without a voice actively reminding me of what I'm supposed to be doing, I can find it difficult to get through more than a few rounds of viloma before drifting off into the nether regions. I'm still working on the whole video/audio recording thing, so if the flow of things allows, I will produce a guided recording for you soon (especially since I couldn't find one I liked upon doing a quick search)! Until then, have fun slowly orienting yourself to this practice, and comment below or email me if any questions arise.

NAMASTE

Family Fresh Air!

A Sweet Sounds Short

For your listening pleasure, here's a brief clip of our recent venture out to Donna De Lory's show at The Studio Maui. We had so much fun listening to Donna's sweet songs. Mahalo nui loa!

All Things Balanced

"Balancing Sunlight" by D. Sharon Pruitt, Pink Sherbet Photography

I think it's safe to say that when most of us get started with yoga, we focus almost exclusively, if not entirely, on asana practice: the physical postures of yoga. As our practice develops, however, many of us discover and incorporate more complex pranayama, or breathing exercises. It took a whopping 10 years before I was introduced to the art of practicing pranayama. Wow, that was some rock I was hiding under! Naturally, I was well familiar with the gold standard: ujjayi pranayama, or the victorious breath. This is the breath we take through our entire practice and is the most fundamental of pranayamas: a slow, smooth breath through a contracted glottis, making the passage of air audible. In fact, ujjayi pranayama is unique in that it may be practiced at any time of day, in any activity. I, like most yogis, was pretty much on a first-name basis with ujjayi. Ask me about any other pranayamas, though, & I would have cocked my head to the side and given you one of those quizzical blank stares.

Nowadays, I can't fathom coming to the mat without at least practicing one other pranayama. While there are many, there is one in particular that BKS Iyengar recommends practicing everyday: nadi shodhana: the purification, or balancing, of the nadis. Nadis are energetic pathways in the body. According to many yogic texts, there are something like 72,000 nadis in our bodies. Whoa. While this might seem like a very ethereal concept, I like to ground it in images of our circulatory and nervous systems. Imagining the body's pathways for blood, oxygen, nutrients, and electrical pulses (all constituents of and fuel for our energy) makes that idea of 72,000 nadis seem a little more down to earth.

The practice of nadi shodhana purifies the energetic pathways in the body, bringing balance and clarity to body and mind. I've actually been able to find numerous scientific studies conducted on subjects utilizing nadi shodhana. These studies have demonstrated beneficial effects on cardiopulmonary function, stress management, and higher functions of the brain, including problem solving ability. Here are links to some of these studies:

www.j-pbs.org/pdf/182/subbalakshmi.pdf
recent-science.com/article/viewFile/4627/2265
http://www.yogameditation.com/articles/issues_of_bindu/bindu_13/nadi_shodanas_influence_on_the_brain


Now that we know what nadi shodhana does, how do we practice it? I'm glad you asked:

*Disclaimer: If at any time, feelings of anxiety, shortness of breath, or panic arise, simply return to normal breathing. Practice pranayama on an empty stomach, and only for as long as feels relaxing and appropriate. Very gradually & gently build the time spent practicing pranayama. Always consult an experienced teacher with any questions or issues that arise from practice. *

1. Sit in a comfortable seated position, where it is easy to maintain good posture (an easy cross-legged pose usually works well).

jnana mudra

2. With the left hand, take jnana mudra, or the mudra of wisdom. The connected thumb and index finger represent the connection between ourselves and our higher selves or the creator. The 3 extended fingers represent those things that make us forget that eternal connection: attraction, aversion, and indifference. Let the left hand rest in this mudra on the left knee.






 

3. The right hand is the tricky one. Bring the index finger and middle finger to touch the palm just below the base of the thumb. This separates the ring and pinky fingers. Then, bring the tip of the thumb to touch the tips of the ring and pinky fingers, bringing the latter 2 to touch each other. This is the mudra with which we control the breath in nadi shodhana.

4. Next, bring the right hand to the face. Separate the thumb from the ring and pinky fingers, placing the thumb on the side of the right nostril and the ring and pinky fingers on the side of the left nostril. Hold the hand here very lightly and easily, without using much pressure. To practice the breath, one nostril at a time is closed. To close a nostril, gently press it closed with the finger(s) that is touching it, rather than using any force to close it. The practice should be very soft & relaxing.



5. To begin, breathe a few rounds of simple ujjayi pranayama through both open nostrils. With the glottis slightly contracted, breathe slow, smooth, even inhalations followed by slow, smooth, even exhalations. Continue this quality of breath throughout nadi shodhana, even as we alternate closing one nostril at a time. So rather than beginning to suck air in and force air out through the nostril that is open, we simply continue ujjayi pranayama, but one nostril at a time will happen to be closed.

6. Now we begin nadi shodhana:
    a. Press the left nostril closed, inhale through the right.
    b. Press the right nostril closed, exhale through the left.
    c. Inhale through the left.
    d. Press the left nostril closed, exhale through the right.
    e. Inhale through the right.
    f. Press the right nostril closed exhale through the left.

Continue in this pattern for as many rounds as feels comfortable. Complete the exercise on an exhalation through the right nostril. Then, let the right hand rest on the right knee in jnana mudra. Breathe freely through the nose. As we become more comfortable with the practice, we can gradually begin to incorporate kumbhakas, or a retention/pause of the breath, between each inhalation and exhalation.

Pranayama should make us feel this relaxed!

Nadi shodhana pranayama can be practiced at the beginning or at the end of asana practice, just before savasana. I've experienced great benefit adding it as a staple in my daily practice. I hope you will, too. Until next time, yogis & yoginis:

NAMASTE!