Square Breathing

Pranayama practice is one of the 8 limbs of the system of yoga, and it is a practice that can help retrain the breath to a regulated, authentic state. It is important to work with a teacher on your pranayama practice because some of the exercises are so effective that they have contraindications. The main rule of thumb is not to retain the breath in any way that causes extreme panic.

Prana translates to energy, and ayama translates to stretch, extension, expansion, regulation, restraint, and control.

Just as the brain creates neural pathways around breath patterns when we are disregulated, it also creates them when we practice regulation. Doing this exercise every day for 40 days will retrain your breathing and help to untangle the unconscious patterning you have been accumulating since you arrived.

Square breathing is a really powerful practice to regulate your nervous system. It is good to do this every day for about a month, or whenever you are feeling disregulated.

Transcript

Come to your seat.

Straighten the spine.

Lengthen the crown of your head away from the tip of your tailbone.

And notice your breathing.

Close your eyes and bring your awareness down to the base of your spine.

At Muladhara Chakra,

Start to envision a red light.

And above this red light at Svaristhana Chakra,

An orange light.

And directly above that orange light at Manipura,

A yellow,

Golden color light.

This red,

Orange,

Yellow stack of lights at the base of the spine.

Inhale deeply.

And exhale on the sound.

Ah.

Three lights.

Once again,

Deep breath in.

Bringing your awareness up to the center of your chest at the heart,

Anahata Chakra.

Visualizing a green light at the center of your heart.

And the sound of this light is you.

Deep breath into the heart.

You.

Bringing the awareness to the pit of the throat,

Vishuddhi Chakra.

A deep blue light.

The sound is So.

Deep breath in.

So.

Next is Lalana Chakra at the uvula.

A pale blue colored light.

The sound is Ee.

Deep breath in.

Ee.

And bringing the awareness to the center of the brain,

Ajna Chakra,

Third eye.

An indigo colored light.

The sound is Sam.

Closing to the M.

Deep breath in.

Sam.

Sam.

Sam.

Bringing the awareness finally to the crown of the head,

Sahasrara Chakra.

Either a rainbow colored light or a silver colored light.

The sound is Sun.

Deep breath in.

Sun.