Let's begin to explore the practice of breathing.
Pranayama is a meditation.
The word prana is our life force or vital energy.
And the word yama is to control,
Master,
Or restrain.
As we learn to control the breath,
We invite more prana into our bodies.
Our breath and our minds are intimately connected.
And as we change our breath,
We are able to change how we feel in any given moment.
For our practice today,
We will be exploring Dhirga Pranayama,
The three-part or complete yogic breath.
Begin by coming to a comfortable seated position.
You may like to sit in a chair or on a cushion with your legs crossed or extended.
Or you may even lie down if you like.
Whichever position you choose,
Invite your spine to be long.
If you are seated,
Press down into your sits bones and reach up through the crown of your head,
Lengthening the spine.
Invite your shoulders to roll up by your ears and slowly melt down your back.
Feel your sternum lift up and collarbones broaden.
Invite your eyes to gently close and feel them soften and relax behind the lids.
Begin to bring awareness to your physical body.
And notice your physical body just as it is.
Make any micro movements to allow yourself to become even slightly more comfortable.
Invite your attention to move inward.
Begin to notice your breath.
Feel the natural rhythm and pace of your breath.
If possible,
Allow the breath to flow through the nostrils.
Let your belly be soft and relaxed.
Feel sensation as it gently rises and falls with the breath.
Feel the temperature of the air as it caresses the nostrils as you breathe.
Feel the natural,
Unforced breath.
Allow your facial muscles to become softened and relaxed as you breathe.
Now begin to breathe with more authority.
Draw the air deeply in through the nose and feel it roll down deep inside your body.
Allow the belly to rise and expand.
As you exhale,
Gently draw the navel in toward the spine.
And help out any of the last bits of air that are left behind.
Completely release each breath before drawing a new one.
See if you can continue to breathe in this way a few more times.
If you like,
You can use your hands just below the navel to feel the air moving in and out.
Breathing in,
Feel the belly rise.
And breathing out,
Feel the belly fall.
Keep your awareness on the breath.
In and out.
In and out.
Breathing the first part of Dhirgha Pranayama.
The three part or complete yogic breath.
On your next inhale as you draw in the breath.
Let the belly rise and fill.
See if you can draw in a little more air.
Feel the ribs expand laterally and lift as they fill with air.
As you exhale,
Continue to draw in the belly and help the air out.
If you like,
You can invite your hands to rest on either side of the rib cage.
And feel it move along with the breath.
Already you are probably breathing with more of a capacity than usual.
Continue to breathe with authority.
Use your breath as an anchor to hold your attention.
Whenever your mind begins to wander,
Gently guide it back to your breath.
In and out.
Feel the breath massaging and soothing your body.
In and out.
Deep and slow.
If you are seated,
Take a moment and check in with your sitting position.
Are you still comfortable?
Are you still sitting up nice and tall?
If you are using your hands,
Allow them to glide up and rest just beneath the collar bones on either side.
On your next inhale,
As you draw in the air,
Feel the belly rise and expand.
Draw in more air.
Feel the ribs expand and lift.
See if you can draw in a little more air.
All the way up into the upper part of the chest.
Feel the collar bones lift and separate.
A very subtle movement.
As you exhale,
Continue to draw the navel back toward the spine and release all the air.
There may be a natural pause between the breaths.
Allow the breath to continue like a wave.
From the belly to the middle rib cage.
All the way into the upper part of your chest.
Feel the movement of the breath in the stillness of your body.
Continue to slowly release the breath.
Breath flowing like a wave.
Now you are breathing all three parts of the three-part breath.
See if you can continue breathing in this way several more times on your own.
From the belly to ribs to chest.
Now allow your hands to come rest back by your sides in a comfortable position or on your legs.
Remember at any time if breathing in this way becomes too much,
Feel free to go back to your natural breath.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Breathing in and out.
In and out.
Feel every sensation that happens with your breath.
Notice the change in the temperature of the air as you breathe.
The softness of the air as it caresses the nostrils.
The skin stretching,
Ribs expanding and heart lifting.
Any natural gaps or pauses between the breaths.
And a total release as you let it all go.
Now invite your breath to slowly relax back into itself.
Like a wave slowly relaxing back into the sea.
Notice again the natural unforced breath.
Not controlling the breath in any way.
Breath happening on its own.
Take a moment to notice if there has been any shifts or changes.
Are you feeling more relaxed,
More peaceful,
Calm and present?
Is your natural breath more relaxed now?
Whenever you are ready,
Allow your eyes to open slowly.
You may like to take a moment and invite your head to gently roll,
Loosening the neck.
Rolling your shoulders slightly.
Working your way back into your physical body.
Dear God Pranayama,
The three part breath is a wonderful breath to come back to anytime you need to relax and become present.
It will strengthen your respiratory system and bring health and harmony into your body and mind.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
Peace,
Peace,
Peace.
Om Shanti Shanti.
Om Shanti Shanti.
