Pranayama Class on September 1, 2010

Here's the sequence from last night's pranayama class.  Please reference Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing by BKS Iyengar for information on the specific pranayama techniques we practiced.

Swastikasana - bring the mind to the present by relaxing from the outside, in.  Beginning with the annamaya kosa (physical sheath), relax the skin and muscles of the face: the forehead, eyebrows, temples, bridge of the nose, eyelids, hinge of the jaw, lips, throat.  Then continue relaxing the sense organs (pranamaya kosa or physiological sheath) by softening the eyes, inner ears, sinuses, and root of the tongue. Observe the quality of the mind after this deliberate relaxation of the face and senses.

Savasana with feet at the wall, trunk on a bolster, head supported on a tri-fold or bi-fold blanket - attain relaxation (of the face, throat, diaphragm, nerves...) Notice the depth of the chest and the separation of the armpit-chest from the armpit-arm.

Savasana same as above, adding a looped belt around the upper humerus of both arms behind the back (like a jacket)

• Ujjayi I - attain relaxation, observe the improved opening of the chest that the the belt gives, observe the breath without altering it, at any time if relaxation is lost, go back to the practice of attaining relaxation
• Ujjayi II (inhalations) - perform Ujjayi I first, then exhale normally, feeling the abdomen recede toward the spine. Bring your awareness to the bottom of the rib cage and inhale slowly, smoothly, and deeply from the bottom ribs up the trunk, expanding the mid-ribs and top-chest.  Then, exhale normally with awareness on the abdomen receding inward.  Take 3 to 5 normal, recovery breaths to regain any relaxation that was lost.

Savasana with feet at the wall, trunk on a bolster, head supported on a tri-fold or bi-fold blanket (no arm belt)

• Viloma I - perform Ujjayi I first, then exhale normally, feeling the abdomen recede toward the spine. Bring your awareness to the bottom of the rib cage and inhale slowly into the bottom ribs, pause, continue to inhale into the mid-ribs, pause, inhale into the top-chest, pause, then exhale normally with awareness on the abdomen receding inward.  Take 3 to 5 normal, recovery breaths to regain any relaxation that was lost.

Swastikasana with the back to the wall, thighs supported on blankets, hands supported on blanket - keeping the chest open by moving upper arms back into the wall and moving the shoulderblades into the back-body, lift the chin and take the base of the neck down and into the body (C-7); keeping C-7 in, lower the head into Jalandara Bandha.

• Ujjayi inhalations - same as in supine position, with awareness on keeping the lift of the trunk and chest
• Brahmari - exhale normally, feeling the abdomen recede toward the spine. Bring your awareness to the bottom of the rib cage and inhale slowly, smoothly, and deeply from the bottom ribs up the trunk, expanding the mid-ribs and top-chest.  Then, exhale creating a humming sound, vibrating the mask. Take 3 to 5 normal, recovery breaths to regain any relaxation that was lost.

Savasana, flat