Yogic Breathing

Yogic breathing combines the previous three techniques - Abdominal, Thoracic, Clavicular. It is used to maximize inhalation and exhalation. Its purpose is to gain control of the breath, correct poor breathing habits and increase oxygen intake. It may be practised at any time and is especially useful in situations of high stress or anger for calming the nerves. 

However, while its inclusion in a daily yoga program will correct and deepen natural breathing patterns, yogic breathing itself should not be performed continually. 

Sit in a meditation posture or lie in shavasana and relax the whole body. 

Inhale slowly and deeply, allowing the abdomen to expand fully. 

Try to breathe so slowly that little or no sound of the breath can be heard. 

Feel the air reaching into the bottom of the lungs. 

At the end of abdominal expansion, start to expand the chest outward and upward. 

When the ribs are fully expanded, inhale a little more until expansion is felt in the upper portion of the lungs around the base of the neck. The shoulders and collar bone should also move up slightly. Some tension will be felt in the neck muscles. 

The rest of the body should be relaxed. 

Feel the air filling the upper lobes of the lungs. 

This completes one inhalation. 

The whole process should be one continuous movement, each phase of breathing merging into the next without any obvious transition point. There should be no jerks or unnecessary strain. The breathing should be like the swell of the sea. 

Now start to exhale. 

First, relax the lower neck and upper chest, then allow the chest to contract downward and then inward. 

Next, allow the diaphragm to push upward and toward the chest. 

Without straining, try to empty the lungs as much as possible by drawing or pulling the abdominal wall as near as possible to the spine. 

The entire movement should be harmonious and flowing. Hold the breath for a few seconds at the end of exhalation. This completes one round of yogic breathing. 

At first perform 5 to 10 rounds and slowly increase to 10 minutes daily. 

Relax any effort and once again watch the spontaneous breathing pattern. 

Bring the awareness back to observing the physical body as a whole. Be aware of the surroundings and gently open the eyes. 

Practice note: The main requirement in pranayama is that respiration be comfortable and relaxed. Consequently, once awareness and control of the breathing process has been established, the clavicular technique is dropped and yogic breathing is modified to become a combination of abdominal and thoracic breathing. The breath should flow naturally and not be forced.

Clavicular breathing

Clavicular breathing is the final stage of total ribcage expansion. It occurs after the thoracic inhalation has been completed. In order to absorb a little more air into the lungs, the upper ribs and the collar bone are pulled upwards by the muscles of the neck, throat and sternum. This requires maximum expansion on inhalation and only the upper lobes of the lungs are ventilated. In daily life, clavicular breathing is only used under conditions of extreme physical exertion and when experiencing obstructive airway diseases such as asthma. 

Lie in shavasana and relax the whole body. 

Maintain unbroken awareness of the natural breath for some time, concentrating on the sides of the chest. 

Perform thoracic breathing for a few minutes. 

Inhale, fully expanding the ribcage. 

When the ribs are fully expanded, inhale a little more until expansion is felt in the upper portion of the lungs around the base of the neck. The shoulders and collar bone should also move up slightly. 

This will take some effort. 

Exhale slowly, first releasing the lower neck and upper chest, then relaxing the rest of the ribcage back to its starting position. 

Continue for a few more breaths, observing the effect of this type of breathing. 

Relax any effort and once again watch the spontaneous breathing pattern. 

Bring the awareness back to observing the physical body as a whole. Be aware of the surroundings and gently open the eyes.

Thoracic breathing

Thoracic breathing utilises the middle lobes of the lungs by expanding and contracting the ribcage. It expends more energy than abdominal breathing for the same quantity of air exchange. It is often associated with physical exercise and exertion, as well as stress and tension; when combined with abdominal breathing, it helps the body to obtain more oxygen. However, the tendency in many people is to continue this type of breathing instead of abdominal breathing long after the stressful situation has passed, creating bad breathing habits and continued tension. 

Sit in a meditation posture or lie in shavasana and relax the whole body. 

Maintain unbroken awareness of the natural breath for some time, concentrating on the sides of the chest. 

Discontinue any further use of the diaphragm and begin to inhale by slowly expanding the ribcage. 

Feel the movement of the individual ribs outward and upward, and be aware of this expansion drawing air into the lungs. 

Expand the chest as much as possible. 

Exhale by relaxing the chest muscles. Feel the ribcage contracting and forcing the air out of the lungs. 

Breathe slowly and deeply through the chest with total awareness. Do not use the diaphragm. 

Continue thoracic breathing for a few minutes, pausing slightly after each inhalation and exhalation. 

Relax any effort and once again watch the spontaneous breathing pattern. 

Bring the awareness back to observing the physical body as a whole. Be aware of the surroundings and gently open the eyes.

Unite with the Light

The “STROBOSCOPE” Exercise

Beautiful being, beautiful soul, would you like to illuminate your consciousness? Come, just lie here on the sofa. Are you comfortable? Do you feel good? Hey, what did you do this morning? You say you woke up? I did the same thing! Wow, parallel universe. You say you have stress, tension, all that mental shit? Whatever you are thinking, I don’t care. Let it go. Let it go. Now all there is for you to do is relax and breathe. Just drop everything and get into this breathing. We are all lightworkers. Work with the light and get free.

1  Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position. 

2  Close your eyes, follow your breath, witness yourself calming down. 

3  Just look at what you see with your eyes closed. Don’t try to see anything in particular. Be patient. In this way, your energy is able to disconnect from the external perception of the visual cortex and go into the deeper realms of the brain. 

4  Keep following your breath, and turn your inner focus to the center of your forehead, the “third eye.” You may see a luminous halo that pulses with your breath — in, out, in, out, like the flashing light from a stroboscope. You might feel you want to look more directly at it, but then you will take away the intensity. Learn to let it be. This is a phenomenal way to subtly observe the neural activity of your brain. 

Once you have some experience with this meditation, try adding the focus on the center of your forehead to the Basic Breathing Exercise. You may start to have spontaneous experiences of your inner light.

Breathing for Stress Control

Stress is the killer in modern society — all that thinking, going into overdrive, making deadlines. They really are dead lines! Stress deregulates our system. You can tell if you are stressed by counting how many times you breathe in a minute. Try it now with a timer. If you’re breathing between fifteen to twenty times a minute, you are stressed. 

What I do for stress is one minute of humming and breathing. This always works for me. It taps into your parasympathetic nervous system — where the peace is inside — and calms down your hectic sympathetic nervous system. And it’s like a massage for your spine from within — all the way up to your brain stem and to the center of your head. It brings you directly inside your body. 

1  Set a timer for one minute. 

2  Settle yourself somewhere comfortable. 

3  Breathe in deeply. 

4  Breathe out with a sound like “Hum,” “Ah,” or “Om.” Make whatever sounds make you happy. 

5  When you run out of air, breathe in deeply and let it out with another “Hum.” 

6  Continue until the timer stops. 

How many times did you breathe in a minute of humming? Maybe four, five, six times? Nice.

Interoception of the Heartbeat

In this exercise we are going to forge a conscious connection with the heart and circulatory system. Because the heartbeat is involuntary, few of us pay much attention to it or to the circulatory system it serves. But if we channel our interoceptive focus to it, we can decrease our heart rate during times of stress, which not only serves to relieve that stress but also to improve the absorption of oxygen and nutrients within our cells. Here’s how: 

1  Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable space. 

2  Relax. 

3  Feel and visualize your heartbeat. 

4  Connect with your heartbeat and try to synchronize your breath with it so that you can feel it everywhere. 

5  Now visualize your circulatory system. Visualize that with every inhalation, oxygen-rich blood is flowing from your lungs to your heart, to every part in your body, through a network of blood vessels that could wrap around the earth two and a half times. Imagine how your blood provides oxygen and nutrients to organs and muscles, and transports waste products (like carbon dioxide) to your liver, kidneys, and lungs. 

6  Reconnect with your heartbeat and try to synchronize your breath with it again. 

7  Make a journey through your body and try to feel the heartbeat in different parts of it. If you focus on your hand, feel the heartbeat there, and if you focus on your feet, feel the blood flow from your ankles to your toes. 

This is connecting your mind and your body. This is interoceptive focus. A couple of minutes per day is enough to help you deepen this connection and reap the benefits of it.

Interoception with the Breath

How would you like to train your sense of interoception and sharpen your interoceptive focus? If you are already practicing the Basic Breathing Exercise, you are on your way. This visualisation practice will take you to the next level. 

1  Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable space and close your eyes. 

2  Breathe normally, but focus on your breathing. Fully in and letting go. 

3  Now consciously take a deep breath in through the nose, and exhale through the mouth. Do not force it. 

4  Visualise your lungs, and consciously feel the oxygen entering your lungs. Interoception is now beginning. 

5  Take some more deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Nice and easy. 

6  After a few more breaths, visualize the exchange of gases in your body. Visualise the oxygen going from the lungs, through the capillaries and into the blood, and visualise the excretion of carbon dioxide upon exhalation. 

7  If you notice that your mind has started to wander, simply reset your focus to your breath. Over time, you will learn to become more mindful and gain more control over your mind and be less consumed by your thoughts. 

8  Practice this exercise for several minutes.