Welcome to Green Otis Studios.
For this pranayama practice,
We will be exploring sama vritti pranayama.
In English,
It can be translated into equal or same rotation.
Oftentimes,
It's referred to as box breathing in English.
The principle is that we are breathing in and out for the same count,
And we're also holding a pause at the top and at the bottom of the breath for the same count.
For example,
If my number was 4,
I would inhale to a count of 4,
Hold the inhalation for a count of 4,
Release on exhalation to a count of 4,
And then hold the exhalation for a count of 4.
This completes one drawing of a box and one rotation of sama vritti breathing.
Making your way into a comfortable seated position,
This pranayama can also be practiced in lying down,
Knowing that you can make any adjustments as you need to ensure comfort and ease during practice.
So,
Taking a moment to settle into your chosen position,
Noticing the contact that the body is having with the floor,
Various points of contact,
The legs,
The lower body,
Perhaps the back and the back of the head if you're in lying,
And then notice the position of the spine,
Lifting up out of the pelvis,
Tall,
Straight,
But without strain,
The head resting on top of the spine,
Or resting against the mat or floor or support,
And feel as though in this position you can breathe easy.
Noticing your inhale and your exhale,
We're going to start the exploration in this one-dimensional shape,
A line being drawn up and down as you inhale and exhale,
Allowing the breath to flow smoothly.
On your next inhalation,
I invite you to count the breath on the inhale only,
And exhale as normal,
And maybe try that once or twice more,
Inhaling and counting the breath from start to finish,
Making sure that you're not trying to over-strain or over-fill the lungs.
And once you've found the number that feels comfortable,
I'd like you to breathe in to that count,
And also to breathe out to the same count.
So for my example of count of four,
I would inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
You'll do the same with whatever count you found was suitable for today's practice.
And as you explore the inhale and the exhale with the count,
I want you to notice the slight pause at the top of the inhale,
And at the bottom of the exhale.
A natural pause between inhale and exhale,
And exhale and inhale.
It might be just for a moment,
A fraction of a second,
There is a slight pause between breath coming in,
And breath going out.
And here,
We're going to move from a one-dimensional shape,
A one-dimensional breath,
Into two dimensions by drawing our square.
And to do this,
We need to add extended pauses at the top and bottom of breathing.
So following your next inhalation,
Breathing in to your chosen count,
And then holding that breath in,
Retaining the breath for the same amount.
And releasing the breath,
Exhaling for your chosen count,
And then holding that exhale out for that same count.
And here,
We've drawn our first box,
Returning back to your natural breath for a moment.
And now,
I'll allow some space for you to practice freely.
So following your next inhalation,
You can continue with that box breathing,
Samavritti,
Inhaling to your count,
Holding the breath to your count,
Exhaling to your count,
And holding that exhale out for your count.
You can continue in this way,
Repeating and drawing box after box.
If you feel you need to take a rest breath,
Once you've completed drawing a box,
You can return back to your natural breath for a few inhales and exhales,
And then continuing with the practice once you feel comfortable.
So,
Inhaling,
Pause,
Exhaling,
Pause.
If it feels comfortable,
I invite you to add an additional number to your count.
For example,
If my number was 4,
Then this would become 5,
And I would add 5 to all sides of my square to make sure it's even.
If you choose to add to your count and it feels strained or uncomfortable,
You know you can simply come back to a previous number.
If it feels appropriate,
You can add another number to your count.
Knowing you can take a step back,
One or two steps back,
If that is necessary.
If not,
Continuing with this extended count.
Finishing off with this last square,
No rush to complete.
Once you have paused on the exhalation,
The square is complete,
And you can release the observation of box,
The breathing in this square shape,
And return back to your one dimensional inhale and exhale.
Notice in how the breath feels after practice,
Notice in how the body feels,
Notice in how the mind feels.
To finish this practice,
We'll make some small movements in the body to come out of that still seated or lying position.
You can start by making some gentle nods to the head,
Lifting and lowering,
Or maybe turning the head from left to right.
Gentle circles if that feels appropriate,
Wiggling fingers,
Rotating wrists,
Maybe some circles at the shoulders,
Releasing the seated position of your cross-legged or kneeling,
Straightening the legs out,
Wiggling toes,
Rolling or shaking through the legs,
And blinking open the eyes once you feel ready.
I'm completing the practice of Samavritti.
Thank you for joining me today.
