Week 6 Pranayama

This is week Six of an eight-week guided practice. This week we cultivate an embodied understanding of Prana and practice the three-part breath (Dirgha Pranayama).

Transcript

If it is possible for your body,

Practice in Sukhasana,

Easy seated position.

So sit up on some height,

Either a block or a few blankets with support under your knees so that your hips don't have to hold you in place for today's practice.

You may also choose to sit with your back against a wall for added support and then in the future move away from the wall as you feel your core muscles are able to support you.

Position yourself so that your posture does not serve as a distraction,

Rather a comfortable foundation for today's half hour pranayama practice.

And as always,

If and when it is necessary for you,

Find a different position as needed.

Begin by simply observing.

Notice the sensation in your body as you explore this upright seated position.

Notice how your legs are folded,

The places where your legs,

Your sit bones are in contact with your support.

Notice your pelvis if you're feeling more weight in one side or the other.

See if you can find a little balance between right and left,

Front and back.

As you feel your spine grow taller out of the support of your pelvis,

Your legs,

The back of your neck even lengthening so that the chin tucks ever so slightly and you lift.

Now roll your shoulders up,

Back and down to settle the shoulder blades down your back and broaden your chest,

Making room for this breath that we haven't engaged yet.

Your palms can rest face down or face up on your thighs or in your lap,

Wherever you feel supported in this open chest,

Open hearted position.

Notice the quality of your mind in this moment.

Without judgment,

Simply observe.

Is the mind busy,

Tired,

Distracted,

Relaxed?

Are there many thoughts?

Are there few thoughts?

Giving your attention fully to your own inner state,

See if you can gently maintain an inner focus throughout today's practice.

With eyes closed,

See if you can set a drishti,

A single point of focus inside.

Perhaps you turn your inner gaze toward your heart center as you gently broaden your chest and settle into the present moment.

Perhaps when your attention rests in your heart space,

A gentle smile spreads across your lips.

Or perhaps other emotions arise.

Not labeling these emotions or thoughts as good or bad,

But just observing them,

Watching them.

Begin to become aware of your breathing.

Notice the quality of your breath today in this moment.

Not attached to how it was before,

But simply and honestly observing.

Notice the duration of your natural inhale.

Followed by the duration of your natural exhale.

Notice the anatomical structures within your body that move as you breathe in this very natural,

Very unstructured way.

There is no right or wrong here.

Only the present moment.

Observing.

Be aware.

And just maintaining that inner focus,

That drishti,

Looking inside.

Knowing that distractions will arise and as soon as you become aware of a distracted thought or something external,

You can simply,

Gently guide your attention back inside.

And on your next exhale or when you feel ready to do so,

Begin to engage with a subtle three part breath.

So starting with the inhale,

Feel a sense of descending through the pelvic floor region in this upright seated position.

Exhale softly yet fully drawing up and in with the pelvic floor muscles at the end of the exhale,

Keeping your gluteal muscles soft,

Uninvolved.

On your next in breath,

Feel the pelvis expand,

The belly expand.

And exhale to slowly empty out.

Inhaling to expand the pelvis,

Belly and now the ribs,

Pause at the top and then exhale to let go of the ribs,

The belly,

The pelvis.

Inhale a sense of broadening the pelvis,

Belly,

Ribs,

Chest.

Pause at the top of the inhale,

Feeling full,

Expansive,

Open hearted,

Light.

Exhale,

Empty the chest,

Ribs,

The belly,

The pelvis,

Drawing everything in towards center.

Pause.

And continue with your practice of the free part breath.

Exhale.

And if the mind wanders,

Simply draw your awareness back to your dristis,

To your inner focus.

And re-engage with the deep,

Full,

Slow,

Smooth breathing.

Pause at the top of the inhale and pause at the bottom of the exhale.

Exhale.

And continue with your practice of the free part breath.

Pause.

And then continue with your practice of the free part breath.

Exhale,

Empty the chest,

The pelvis,

The pelvis,

The pelvis,

The pelvis,

The pelvis,

The pelvis,

The free part breath.

.

Blending the body into the air Berlin gue,

And continuing with your rounds of three part rest.

And fold it back in 2 completed sc Now begin to see this breath as prana,

As the energy of life.

If that idea is challenging for you,

Simply remain focused on your practice of the three-part breath.

Perhaps imagining a healing,

Nourishing color associated with your breath,

With prana.

As you visualize the path of breath traveling through your body,

There's no right answer here.

Perhaps green or blue or maybe you see white or gold.

Maybe the way you perceive prana is sparkling or smoke-like,

Wispy or maybe not.

Just really let go and allow your imagination,

Your intuition to guide your inner experience of how your breath moves.

Watch the breath,

The prana as it travels in through your nose,

Washing over your forehead,

Down through your throat,

Your heart,

Down through your belly to pool from the base up,

Filling you up like a vase of nourishing breath.

Exhaling to watch your body empty out,

Drawing any tensions,

Any constriction or any thought idea that does not serve your highest purpose.

Simply riding out of your body on the wave of your breath,

Your prana.

Continue working with this imagery of prana,

Of breath moving through your body in the three-part pattern,

Feeling expansive in all directions on the inhale,

Emptying out on the exhale and gently engaging at the very end of your exhale.

Continuing with the three-part breath,

Pelvis,

Belly,

Middle ribs,

Upper chest.

Using the imagery of color,

Of texture to really help facilitate a fullness of this experience of your breath.

Exhaling to watch your body empty out,

Feeling expansive in all directions on the wave of your breath,

Letting go of any muscular tension you may be holding in your shoulders,

Your jaw,

Your neck from sitting in this upright position.

Continuing to fill from base to top,

Gently inviting a pause and continuing to empty from top to base,

Followed by another pause.

You can begin to play with this idea of prana,

Of life energy as you inhale.

You can feel almost as though your breath is expanding beyond your physical form,

Beyond your physical body from base to belly to ribs to heart.

And as you exhale softly,

Just letting go,

Feeling almost as though that prana experience is expanding out into the room around you.

Pause.

Inhale to fill with breath,

But fill beyond your body with the energy of your breath,

Your life force energy.

And then exhale again,

Almost as in offering,

Offering the breath as it leaves your body.

Inhaling,

Expand the pelvis,

The ribs,

The chest beyond your body into the room and exhale and offering your gifts that you have to give to the world,

Freely offering them up on your exhale.

Inhale again,

Nourishing breath,

Infinite breath.

There's never not enough.

There's always plenty.

So fill up with that energy.

Exhale offer it out into the world.

Inhale filling up,

Recharging,

Nourishing yourself,

Belly,

Ribs,

Chest.

Exhale offer it out,

Emptying ribs,

Belly,

Pelvis.

Continuing with each inhale,

Can you feel energetically more expansive,

More full?

You exhale offer more,

Expanding even more.

Inhale filling up,

Bottom to top and then beyond your physical body.

Exhale offer it out,

Let go of what no longer serves you and offer your gifts on the out breath.

Perhaps if you're still working with that expansive prana imagery,

You feel your physical form expanding beyond the constructs of the room,

Perhaps beyond into other rooms or outside of the building.

Allow yourself to play in this way and feel just how expansive you can become,

Just riding on the energy of this powerful healing breath.

Using your imagination,

Your intuition to feel so full,

So nourished that you have so much more to offer beyond yourself.

Using the structure of the three part breath,

Pelvis,

Belly,

Ribs,

Upper chest to expand beyond yourself,

Energetically nourished.

Let me see how far your breath can take you,

How expansive you can become in these next few moments.

Using your fullest,

Broadest,

Deepest,

Most expansive inhale and exhaling to let go completely.

And softly return to your natural breath.

Letting go of the technique and just taking these next few moments to really feel your experience of prana,

Of your energetic body,

Just observing sensation,

Observing your experience in this moment with an upright spine.

You might roll your shoulders back and down again if your posture has slouched a bit.

Feel the back of your neck lengthen,

The sitz bones equally rooted into your support.

Wiggle your fingers,

Wiggle your toes,

Move your ankles and wrists.

Letting go of the technique and just taking these next few moments to let go completely.

Reviews

Another lovely Prana filled meditation. Many thanks for all of these! 🙏☮️💖