WORKSHOPS

HATHA YOGA
Physical, Material and Spiritual Wellness of Being Human!

CHAPTER 8, EXCERPT:
THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF YOGA BY SWAMI VISHNU-DEVANADA

PRACTICE OF YOGIC BREATHING FOR THE PURIFICATION OF THE NADIS (SUBTLE NERVES AND PHYSICAL NERVES)

Here I start the purification with a few quotations from well-known authorities on Yoga that have been taken as guides by various classes in Yoga in India.

The Yogin having perfected himself in the asanas (Yogic postures) should practice pranayama according to the instuctions laid down by his spiritual teacher, with his senses under control observng always a nutritious and moderate diet.

When the breath wanders, i.e. irregular, the mind is also unsteady, but when the breath is still, so is the mind, and the Yogis live long; therefore one should hold breath.

A man is said to live only so long as he is breathing; when the breathing ceases he is said to be dead. So one should practice pranayama.

When the nadis are full of impurities the breath does not go into the middle nadi, sushumna; then there is no arriving at the higher state of mind.

When all the nadis that are now full of impurities become purified then only the Yogin can successfully perform pranayama.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Chapter II, 1-6.

From the above stanzas the importance of purifying the nadis is clear. Unless the nadis are purified, there will be no real success in pranayama. Complete purification of all the nadis may be achieved only after a long period of practice of pranayama, depending on the individual. Generally it takes at least one to two years.

There are two ways of purifying the nadis: (1) samanu (the mental process); and (2) nirmanu (the physical cleansing, the kriyas, descrbed elsewhere in this book).

Samanu (or the Mental Process of Cleansing the Nadis)

1. Sit in lotus position or sidhasan, he adepts's position. Meditate on the root syllable (bijakshara) of air (vayu), yam, which is of smoke color. Inhale through the left nostril by repeating six time the root syllable yam. This is inhalation. Retain the breath until you repeat yam sixty-four times. This is retention. Then exhale through the right nostril very, very slowly while you repeat yam thirty-two times.

2. Then draw the breath through the right nostril, repeating sixteen times ram, root syllable of fire (bija of agni) at the navel center. Retain the breath until you repeat ram sixty-four times. Then exhale slowly through the left nostril while you repeat ram mentally thirty-two times.

3. Fix the gaze at the tip of the nose. Inhale through the left nostril while repeating the root syllable of moon, tam, sixteen times. Retain the breath while repeating tam sixty-four times. Now imagine that the nectar that flows from the moon runs through all the vessels of the body and purifies them. Then exhale slowly through the right nostril while you repeat the root syllable of the earth principle (bija of prithivi), lam, thirty-two times.

This cleansing if only for advanced students who have been initiated by their teacher. Beginners should not practice this mental cleansing until they practice the following exercises on breathing for a long time.

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama (or alternate Breathing Exercise)

We have seen in the previous lessons the importance of pranayama. This science of breath has its foundaton in the control of prana or vital energy. The important starting exercise for every Yoga student is the alternate breathing exercise known as Anuloma viloma pranayama. The reason for doing alternate breathing is that the breath alternates between two nostrils. You can easily find this out for yourself by placing your palm near the nostrils. One of the nostrils will always be partially blocked, and the flow of air in and out of the lungs will be mainly through but one of the nostrils. If a person is in normal health the breath will alternate aproximately every hour and fifty minutes. This normal period of breath alternation is established only when one has perfected pranayama, starting with alternate breathing. In the vast majority of persons this change of the breath from one nostril to the other varies a great deal owing to such conditions as unnatual living habits, wrong diet, diseases, and the lack of proper excercises.

All these wrong habits of living have some effect on the breath, diverting it from its normal flow. According to Yoga the breath in the right nostril is said to be hot, while the flow from the left is cool. Therefore, symbolically, they named the right nadi as sun breath or pingala, and the left nadi as moon breath or ida. The energy that flows through pingala nadi or sun breath produces heat in the body which is catabolic, efferent, and acceleratory to the organs of the body; while the energy of the moon breath in pingala nadi is cooling and is anabolic, efferent, and inhibitory to the body organs.

When the breath continues to flow in one nostril for more than two hours, it is a symptom of derangement caused by excess of hear or cold. So if the pingala is more active, the heat of the body increases and there will be mental and nervous distrubances. When the ida is more active, the metabolic activity of the body becomes low, thus producing cold and lethargy and a suspended metnal activity.

This alternating breathing exercise is mainly for the purpose of maintaining an equilibrium in the catabolic and anabolic processes in the body, and for purifying the nadis. According to the Yogis, when breath flows more than twenty-four hours in one nostril without changing, it is a warning that some illness is at hand. The longer the flow of breath in one nostril, the more serious the illness will be. This is because the ganglia of some particular nerve center are being over worked by the abnormal flow of breath, which moves in a particular center for a longer-than-normal period of time.

BREATHING EXERCISE NO. 1 single nostril

Sit in any one of the meditative poses, keeping the spine, neck, and head in a straight line. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril, counting OM mentally five times. Exhale through the same nostril while counting OM mentally five times. Exhale through the same nostril while counting OM ten times. Exhalation time is always twice the inhalation time. The proportion is 1:2. Repeat this exercise fifteen to twenty rounds through the left nostril, keeping the proportion five seconds inhalation and ten seconds exhalation.

Now close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger, and inhale through the right nostril. Count OM five times for inhalation. Exhale through the same nostril while counting OM ten times. That makes one round. Repeat for fifteen to twenty rounds.

Do not make any sound during inhalation. Apply the basic rules of low, mid, and high breathing during inhalation. In exhalation, try to expel as much as possible of the foul air from the lungs.

You should practice Exercise No. 1 for fifteen days, and slowly increase the proportion to six seconds inhalation and twelve second exhalation. Do not try the higher proportion until you are able to do the lower proportion very easily. This is the main rule in every breathing exercise. Always keep within your capacity and never overdo. Get practical guidance from an experienced teacher who practices Yoga himself and not merely teaches Yoga by learning it from a book, something that is done commonly these days.

In Excercise No. 1 there is no retention. The purpose of inhaling and exhaling through one nostril is to correct the wrong breathing habit. Unless one is able to do low, mid, and high breathing perfectly and automatically, he should not attempt advance pranayama. Practice Exercise No. 1 for at least a month, even though some may feel able to extend the time. If the foundation is strong then you can build a strong building. So also if you practice the basic lessons in breathing for a long time, it will be very easy to take up the advanced exercises.

EXERCISE NO 2. alternate breathing exercise

After a month of practicing Exercise No. 1, take to the alternate breathing exercise. Now you need not practice Exercise No. 1, single nostril breathing.

Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale though the left nostril. Now close the left nostril immediately with your right ring finger and little finger. Remove your thumb from the right nostril and exhale through that nostril. This is a half round.

Now, without pausing, inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left, as previously. This makes one full round.

The proportion of inhalation is 1:2, as in exercise No. 1, or six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. The same general rules for Exercise No. 1 apply for No. 2 as well. Do fifteen to twenty rounds.

When you are able, without difficulty, to do six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation, then increase to seven and fourteen seconds, then to eight and sixteen seconds. These increases must be undertaken slowly. You should practice this exercise from two to three months before increasing to eight and sixteen seconds. Within this period you can see tremendous changes taking place in your body and mind. The breathing will become perfect, especially the movement of the diaphragm; and the body becomes very light and the eyes shine. When these signs become apparent, it shows that the nadis are being purified.

EXERCISE NO 3. full alternate breathing

First, for a few minutes, meditate on OM, the world that represents the source of all light and knowledge.

In this third exercise we include retention or holding of the breath. This is the only difference between the second and third exercises.

The correct ratio between inhalation and retention is 1:4. But beginners are advised to follow a 1:2 ratio for a few months before taking up the 1:4 ratio. The minimum starting proportion is four seconds inhalation, eight seconds retention, and eight seconds exhalation. After a month increase to 5:10:10. Increase gradually until you reach 8:16:16.

In Sanskrit, inhalation is known as pooraka, retention as kumbaka, and exhalation as rechaka.

Inhale the air through the left nostril while counting OM four times mentally, Retain the air while counting OM eight times. Exhale through the right nostril while counting OM eight times. Now without stopping inhale through the right nostril, retain the breath, and exhale through the left nostril-all in the same 4:8:8 proportion. This is one full round. Practice fifteen to twenty rounds daily.

When you are holding the breath, you must close the right nostril with the right thumb and the left nostril with the right ring finger and little finger. Do not used the index finger for closing the nostril because the magnetic current from that finger in polluted.

When you are able to do 8:16:16 comfortably, change the ratio to 1:4:2. Start with four seconds inhalation, sixteen seconds retention, and eight seconds exhalation. Gradually work up to 8:32:16. It should take eight to twelve months of practice to reach this timing. Do not try to hurry it.

When the nadis are purified, certain signs are visible. In the first stage, the body perspires. In the second a tremor is felt throughout the body. In the highest stage, the prana goes to the sushumna nadi and to the highest center, sahastara chakra. In Hatha Yoga Pradipika it is advised to do the following when the body perspires during the pranayama: "Rub well on the body the perspiration given out. This gives firmness and lightness to the whole constitution." By such practices the skin also becomes smooth.

There is no other exercise that will bring the purification of the nadis as does the alternate breathing. In fact, this is the only pranayama for purification. Other pranayamas, especially bhastrika, ujjayi, and suryabheda are for awakening the kundalini after the purification of the nadis is achieved. Bhastrika and ujjayi, which will be explained shortly, will bring the best result only when the nadis are purified. So students are advised not to jump into higher breathing exercises without spending sufficient time in practicing alternate breathing.

Kapalabhathi (or Abdominal Breathing, Diaphragmatic Breathing)

In Sanskrit, kapala means skull and bhathi means shines. Therefore the term kapalabhathi means an exercise that makes the skull shine. Here the skull is the nasal passage through which the air passes in and out. Though this is a breathing exercise, it is considered a cleansing exercise and comes under one of the shad kriyas or six purificatory exercises, (the remaining five cleansing exercises are explained elsewhere.) This is done before starting the practice of pranayama, to clean the nasal passages and to remove bronchial congestion.

One should start this exercise only after practicing alternate breathing, the second exercise, for one or two months. This is because with many people it takes quite a time to get the diaphragm to move in a proper way during breathing. A vast majority tend to move the diaphragm in the opposite to natural direction during kapalabhathi. This can be easily noticed by watching the movement of the abdominal muscles. These who breathe incorrectly contract the abdominal muscles and raise the shoulders while inhaling, while inhaling, which is quite opposite to correct breathing. Therefore, until the diaphragm takes the natural movement, on should not practice kapalabhathi.

A few rounds of vigorous practice of kapalabhathi will vibrate every tissue of the body. At times it will become more and more difficult to control one's posture, as this exercise is done with more and more vigor. Therefore it is advisable to practice kapalabhathi and bhastrika in the lotus position if possible; this has the foot lock, which will hold one's seat throughout the practice.

n this exercise, exhalation plays a prominent part. Inhalation is mild, slow, and longer than the exhalation. In other breathing exercises, except bhastrika, exhalation is longer than inhalation.

The exhalation should be done quickly and forcibly by contracting the abdominal muscles with a backward push. This sudden contraction of the abdominal muscles acts upon the diaphragm; then the diaphragm recedes into the thoracic a cavity, giving a vigorous push to the lungs, expelling the air from the lungs.

This is instantly followed by a relaxation of the abdominal muscles, allowing the diaphragm to descend down to the abdominal cavity, pulling with it the lungs. This allows the air to rush in. In Kapalabhathi, inhalation and exhalation are done by action of the abdominal muscles and diaphragm. Inhalation and exhalation are performed in quick succession by a sudden and vigorous intake of the abdominal muscles, followed by relaxation of the abdominal muscles. Exhalation takes about one forth of the time of inhalation. Here exhalation is quick, strong, and short, while inhalation is passive, slow, and longer. Passive inhalation and sudden expulsion of breath follow continuously, one after the other, until a round is completed. In the beginning, a round should have fifteen to twenty expulsions. Beginners are advised to practice three rounds of fifteen expulsions each before practicing pranayama, which is practiced twice each day, morning and evening.

Under the guidance of a teacher you can add ten expulsions each week until you reach one hundred twenty expulsions in each round. Between rounds, take a few normal respirations while resting. According to the condition of each individual, the teacher may advise the student to increase the number of rounds. But under no condition should one go beyond one's own capacity.

While practicing kapalabhathi, your attention should be concentrated on the abdominal muscles, centered in the solar plexus in the navel, where the vital energy is stored. This practice of concentration must be maintained throughout the practice so that pranic energy will become active in the sushumna nadi, which can be felt by a throbbing sensation throughout the practice so that pranic energy will become active in the sushumna nadi, which can be felt by a throbbing sensation throughout the spinal column, especially in nerve centers.

This exercise cleanses the respiratory system and the nasal passages and removes spasm in bronchial tubes. Consequently, asthma is relieved and also cured in the course of time. The apices of the lungs get proper oxygenation. Carbon dioxide is eliminated and oxygen is absorbed into the system. This is the best exercise to increase oxygen in the system.

One should learn the kapalabhathi thoroughly before learning bhastrika. One can learn bhastrika in a short time if he knows how to do kapalabhathi properly.


THREE BANDHAS OR LOCKS

After the purification breathing exercises, students of Yoga are taught the trhree important bandhas or locks, which are essential for practicing further advanced pranayama for awakening kundalini sakthi.

There are three bandhas, known as (1) jalandhara bandha or chin lock; (2) noola bandha or anal contraction; and (3) uddiyana bandha or abdominal contraction.

In Sanskrit, bandha means a lock. During the practice of pranayama, Yogis unite the prana and apana with the help of these locks. These bandhas are also used in the practice of mudras or exercises to seal the prana.

Asanas (postures) stablize the body and enable pranayama or breathing exercises to proceed smoothly. Through pranayama the student tries to unite the prana and apana. Mudras seal this union of prana-apana so that the union might not be distrubed. Bandhas lock this marvelous effect. When the prana and apana are thus held in union, a great mysterious and powerful spiritual curent is generated within, which cannot be discribed in words, and which has to be experienced by each individual. This power pieces the entrance to the sushumna. By jalandhara bandha or chin lock the prana is prevented from flowing up, and with moola bandha or anal contraction, apana is prevented from flowing down. Therefore they unite to form an unimaginalble power and begin to flow into sushumna. Concentration supervenes. Then the knundalini sakthi is awakened and taken from lower chakras or nerve centers to higher ones, and as the kundalini rises upward the Yogi enjoys this bliss of meditation and the superconscious state.

Jalandhara Bandha

The word jala refers to the brain and to the nerve passing through the neck. Dhara denotes the upward pull.

Press the chin firmly against the chest, into the jugular notch as far as possible. This excercises an upward pull on the spinal cord and on the nerve centers, which in turn work on the brain. Jalandhara bandha is practiced during retention of breath.

Moola Bandha

Sit on a folded blanket. Press the perineum with the left heel and place the right heel on the left thigh as in sidhasan.

Now forcibly contract the anal sphincter while the perineum is closely pressed with the left heel. Now along with contraction of the sphincter muscles draw the apana upward by contracting the abdominal muscles, and unite the apana with the prana by means of jaladhara bandha. Jalandhara bandha and moola bandha are practiced simultaneoulsy during kumbaka or retention time in order to unite prana and apana.

These two bandhas are applied in the practice of advanced pranayama, which will be described shortly. Before applying these bandhas with pranayama, practice them separately for a few days.

Uddiyana Bandha

Uddiyana should be performed at the end of exhalation when the lungs are empty. This is generally practiced as an independent exercise. Because prana or vital energy uddiyate goes up the sushumna in this bandha, it is called uddiyana by the Yogis. By a very strong expiration the lungs are emptied and driven against the upper part of the thorax, drawing the diaphragm to the thoracic cavity.