Welcome everybody,
We are getting ready to do a Pranayama session with Kapalabhati and gentle breath retention,
Kumbhaka.
Kapalabhati is the last of the six shatkarmas,
The cleansing practices.
Kapal means cranium,
It is the shining skull,
It is the light,
The splendor,
As you cleanse the the sinus canals and the nostrils and the air ducts inside the awakening dormant centers responsible for subtle perception.
According to the Hatha Pradipika,
Kapalabhati is when inhalation and exhalation are performed very quickly like a pair of bellows of a blacksmith,
It dries up all the disorders from the excess phlegm and is known as Kapalabhati.
When we perform Kapalabhati,
We have a sharp exhalation,
An upper feeling in the nostrils cranium area and breathing out fast and as we breathe out fast pulling the navel in.
We're going to do gentle long breath at a ratio of one to two,
Inhalation shorter and exhalation double the length and then we're holding the breath on the out breath.
Let's begin,
Come to your meditation posture and start with just noticing your natural breath.
Most likely Ujjayi breathing where you close the back of your throat slightly just to create the hissing sound.
Start to lengthen the exhalation.
So I urge you to take it less less active,
Just let the exhalation leave the body without any pushing.
And if you can,
Breathe to a ratio of one to two.
If you're breathing in for four counts,
You're breathing out for eight.
Nine is a very sacred auspicious number in the practice of yoga.
Fifty-four is a multiple of nine which represents a sacred cosmic mathematical connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm.
In numerology it is the number of completion.
If we look at all the multiple of nine,
It always comes back to nine.
Eighteen,
Twenty-seven,
Fifty-four,
Hundred and eight,
Eighty-one,
It all comes back to nine.
Five plus four is nine,
Two plus seven is nine,
Etc.
A magic number in the yoga practice and spiritually it is completion.
180 is completion,
Emptiness,
Infinity.
After your next one we're going to start fifty-four kapalabhati.
If you need to stop before fifty-four,
That's fine,
Stop and rest.
Take a breath in and pump the belly in as you exhale.
It's all through the nose.
Take a deep inhale and exhale.
Go back into the breathing.
Raise your one to two.
And when you feel ready,
Start bhagya kumbhaka.
We're holding your breath on the out and start with just holding for two counts,
Just a simple two beats.
And then inhaling again.
In the Yoga Sutra 134 of Patanjali,
It states,
Prasadarna Vidarana Abhyam Vapranasya,
Which suggests that the mind becomes calm and steady through controlled exhalation and breath retention.
In the Yoga Sutra Vidarana means to restrain or pause the breath to achieve mental stability.
Chittasthiriya,
Stilling of the mind.
If that feels comfortable,
Feel free to hold that breath out for longer.
Sitting in silence,
Sitting in a space of nothingness.
I'm going to go another round of Kapalabhati.
Take a deep breath in and start pumping the belly.
And take a deep breath in.
Soft exhale.
And again,
Going into your kumbhaka.
Inhaling to a ratio of one to two.
And then if possible,
You start to hold the breath out for as long as you're breathing out for.
So then it's ratio of in for four,
Out for eight,
And hold the breath out for eight.
Sometimes without thinking into counts and just feeling and really relaxing,
You'll notice you can hold quite long without any tension.
We're going to do one more round.
Kapalabhati 54 times.
Deep breath in and pump the belly.
Deep breath in and full long exhalation.
Again,
Start going to kumbhaka after the exhalation.
Now just let the breath relax into nothingness.
Just sitting.
No more focus on the breath.
Breath just happening without your control.
Rest into the state of peace.
Thank you for practicing with me.
May peace be with all beings.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
