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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY The Yoga of Connection |
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WEEK
33: Q & A on The Breath as a Tool of Connection
This
week I want to share an email question I received about the breath, from a
student struggling to follow breathing directions in yoga class:
"Yoga
teaches all different ways to breathe. Can you really be part of Yoga if you
can't do the breathing practices? I mean, you
can be a part, but its not really Yoga, is it?" This
question struck me as very important, because it gets right to the heart of the
relationship between the breath and yoga practice, and what the state of Yoga is
that we are trying to reach through practice. Hatha
yoga does have some very specific and elaborate instructions about breathing,
and these pranayama techniques are often taught as a way to connect to certain
energy states or to have a "spiritual" experience. These pranayama
techniques can be categorized as breathing techniques that ask the practitioner
to (1) breathe very forcefully, as in rapid exhalation techniques, (2) create
added resistance to the breath, for example by blocking a nostril, tightening
muscles of the throat, or applying muscular actions in the core that resist the
most efficient and effortless movement of the diaphragm; or (3) not breathe,
through breath retention. Any of these actions will indeed alter our experience
of the present moment, and some may experience this in a positive way. But
Yoga starts with the breath because it is our (literal) connection to life. It is worth considering how you want to be connected to life. Many of us are already very good at forcefully trying to get rid of what we don't want and get something new. Many of us are already very good at resisting change and flow. And many of us are already good at cutting ourselves off from life. Without a careful reflection on how we relate to life, it is difficult to know what breathing techniques might be most helpful. But there is one approach to the breath that is universally helpful, and will not reinforce any patterns of struggle or resistance: breath awareness. Breath awareness as you sit, as you move into and out of your yoga poses, as you go about your life. If you can notice the breath, then yes, you are Yoga. There is no better way to be intimately connected to the present moment. If that is what you mean by Yoga (and it certainly is what I mean by Yoga), then all the complicated breathing instructions can be left aside for now if they create struggle. If the Yoga you are looking for is a special state outside of our everyday experience, then breath awareness might not take you there. I was asked about this at a Yoga conference almost exactly a year ago, by a participant who wanted to know more about the special states breathing practices could create. I answered honestly that I didn't know much about that; that I was mostly interested in one state - peace in the present moment - and that I would find it pretty "special" to help myself and others live in that state. I hope this will stimulate some discussion. If you have had positive experiences with elaborate pranayama techniques, perhaps you might share those experiences, and what role those breathing practices play in your overall yoga practice. http://openmindbody.com/discuss/
To
access the boards, use the class login (yoga) and password (connect). To post,
you can then login in using your account or post as a guest. Kelly
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