Hi there and thank you for joining me.
My name is Gareth and in this Pranayama practice today we're going to be practicing Surya Vedana.
Surya Vedana primarily engages the Pingala Nadi.
By deliberately breathing through the right nostril this Pranayama helps activate the body's sympathetic response,
Thereby simulating energy,
Vitality and embodying that powerful energy of the Sun.
Before we get into this practice I think it's important to repeat the Japa mantra for Surya just a couple of times,
Just to help really invoke the energy of the Sun and of Surya and to really help enliven our practice and help us to embody this vitality that comes with this practice of Pranayama as well.
Before we get started I'd like you to find a comfortable seat preferably with the spine upright and without the head being supported by anything.
So even if that's against a chair or with your back against the wall that's absolutely fine but I prefer you to not be lying down for this practice considering it's about invoking more energy and vitality throughout the body and some clarity throughout the mind.
But once we're comfortable I want you to turn your attention towards your breath.
Notice the inhales and notice the exhales.
Notice the space that the breath is occupying through the belly,
The sides of the ribs,
Maybe a little bit through the chest.
I want you to take a couple of really invigorating inhales.
Fill up your lungs as much as you possibly can and empty them out on the exhale.
Empty out every last little bit of air that you're holding within you.
The mantra we're going to repeat,
We're going to repeat about eight times.
Mantra is very simple,
It's very straightforward.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Om Sam Surya Ya Namah.
Now take a full inhale and a full exhale.
And now when you feel ready I want you to bring your right hand into Vishnu Mudra by bringing the index finger and the middle finger down towards the palm of the hand.
And then when you're ready,
Gently plugging the left nostril with the ring finger and inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left nostril.
And we're going to maintain this pattern for about one minute by inhaling through the right and exhaling through the left.
Continue at a pace that feels comfortable,
Maybe making the inhales and the exhales even,
Perhaps breathing in for four or five seconds and out for four or five seconds.
After a minute or so we're going to start adding on with a little bit of a retention at the top of the inhale.
Try and keep your shoulder relaxed and your body soft and restful.
Continuing on just exactly as you are,
Breathing in through the right and out through the left.
And then the next time that you exhale through the left nostril,
Notice the warmth and then gently release the hands down.
Take a full inhale and a full exhale.
With this next round we're going to be working with a specific ratio.
So we're going to be breathing in for a set amount of time,
Holding the breath in for a set amount of time and exhaling for a set amount of time.
If at any point the ratio starts to feel uncomfortable or you feel a sort of breath hunger starting to build up,
Then just release and take a few normal natural breaths and return if you wish to to the practice.
Before we come back into the practice,
Let's take a full inhale and a full exhale.
And bringing your right hand back into Vishnu Mudra,
Plug the left nostril and start to inhale through the right for 1,
2,
3,
4.
And plug both nostrils and hold for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
And exhale through the left for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
And when you're ready,
Plug the left nostril,
Breathe in through the right.
Hold the breath for 6.
And then exhale through the left for 8.
Just continue to count along in your head.
Nice steady inhales and really feeling that warmth of the exhale through the left nostril.
And just continuing exactly as you are,
Trying to maintain a nice soft posture through the body and a relaxed shoulder with the right arm.
Keeping the muscles of the face relaxed and soft.
And just focusing on the breath,
Focusing on the ratio.
And we're going to keep practicing just exactly as we are for another minute and a half.
So keep it up,
Keep the ratio,
Breath nice and steady.
And the next time you exhale through the left nostril,
Release your hand down.
Take a full inhale and release a really big sigh.
Empty out every last little bit of air.
Let yourself settle for a couple of cycles of breath.
And then when you're ready,
I want you to take a full inhale and pause at the top for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Taking a tiny bit more air and pause again for 1,
2,
3,
4.
And a big long sigh.
We're going to do that one more time.
So breathe in right to the top and pause and hold the breath for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Taking a tiny bit more air and pause for 1,
2,
3,
4.
And a slow steady exhale through the nose this time.
And a full breath in and a full breath out.
Now I want you to feel comfortable if you want to sit in this space for as long as you possibly need to.
Maybe just a couple of moments,
Maybe a couple of minutes of just silent meditation.
Maybe you're ready to go on with the rest of your day.
Wherever you are,
Make sure that you leave room for your space today,
Wherever that is.
Make sure that you leave enough space that you can take yourself away and practice again if you need to or maybe later on in the day.
Just practice some slow deep breaths to bring the energy back down into the evening.
Thank you so much for practicing with me and I really hope you've enjoyed this practice.
Om Sam Suryaya Namaha.
Have a wonderful rest of your day.
