Welcome to this practice of Durga Pranayama,
The three-part breath.
This Pranayama is a powerful way to expand your breath and connect deeply with your body.
It allows you to fully engage the diaphragm,
The chest and the abdomen bringing a sense of calm and balance.
So go ahead and find a comfortable seated position or if you prefer lie down.
Gently flutter your eyelids closed or soften your gaze and let your body relax into the earth beneath you.
Begin by simply noticing your natural breath without changing anything as we prepare to deepen it.
So we'll begin the practice by taking a deep inhale through the nostril and chanting om,
The universal sound.
Inhale deeply into the belly.
Allow this frequency to resonate and to vibrate within you before we connect with the first part of the Durga Pranayama with our abdominal breath.
We'll start by focusing on the Adhamma or the lower part of your breath into the belly.
For this,
Place one hand on your lower abdomen.
As you inhale,
Feel your belly expand like a balloon,
Gently pushing your hand up as you breathe in through your nose.
Take a deep slow breath into this space and exhale,
Feel your belly soften and draw back towards the spine.
Let the breath flow smoothly,
Filling the lower part of your body.
This is your Adhamma Pranayama,
Your abdominal breathing,
Grounding and nourishing.
Continue to take a few breaths here,
Allowing the belly to expand fully on each inhale and release with each exhale.
With your next inhale,
We'll expand to the middle part,
The thoracic breath.
So placing your hands on the sides of your ribcage as we move to the second part of this breath,
Allowing our focus to move on to the Madhyama or the middle section of your body.
So with your next inhale,
Let the breath fill the belly and then continue to rise,
Expanding your ribcage outward.
Feel your ribs moving sideways and upward as you fill the middle part of your lungs.
On the exhale,
Let the ribs soften and gently collapse as the breath flows out.
Breathe deeply into the Madhyama,
Feeling the breath expand and energize the center of your body.
Inhaling fully and exhaling slowly,
Letting the breath release completely.
Finally,
We'll complete with the upper chest.
So bring in your attention to the Giesta,
The upper parts of the breath near your chest and heart.
On your next inhale,
Fill the belly,
Expand the ribs and finally bring the breath all the way up to your chest.
Feel your collarbones rise as the breath reaches its peak.
Exhale slowly,
First releasing the air from your chest,
Then letting the ribs soften and finally drawing the belly inward as the breath leaves the body.
This is your full Durga Pranayama,
Incorporating all three parts.
The Adhama,
The belly,
The Madhyama,
The ribcage and the Giesta,
The upper chest.
So we'll take a few more breaths together and this time holding our breath up at the top at the end of our upper chest breath.
So inhale deeply,
Fill the belly,
Feeling the lungs and the ribcage and finally squeezing in a little bit of air,
Feeling the clavicles expand.
Hold at the top,
Exhale,
Release.
Let's do this twice again.
Inhale,
Filling the belly up,
Keep inhaling,
Filling the lungs,
Filling the ribcage,
Squeezing in a little bit more air through the nostrils,
Feel the clavicles expand.
Hold at the top,
Antarkumbha,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale last time,
Filling up your belly,
Sending your inhale all the way down,
Keep inhaling,
Filling up the clavicles,
The heart space,
Hold at the top,
Antarkumbha,
Exhale,
Release completely.
Return to your natural breathing,
Return to your natural rhythm.
You could notice how the breath flows now,
Perhaps more easefully,
More fully.
Feel the sense of openness and calm that Dhirgha Pranayama brings.
Place your palms in front of your heart in prayer position in Namaste and we'll seal this breath work practice with one om chanting together.
Once again,
Squeezing in air through the nostrils,
Filling up the belly,
Filling up the lung and as you exhale,
Release.
Oh,
Gently open your eyes whenever you're ready.
Bring this awareness of your breath into the rest of your day.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
My name is Olga.
Namaste.
