Yoga or Calisthenics?

Yoga, Sanskrit for linking the mind and the body. And how do we link the mind and the body? Via the breath.  When we focus our minds on the breath we become present. The breath is key, more so than the asana, because without the breath, its just calisthenics.  Can you continue to breathe in a focused and even manner while in a yoga asana? If not, are you backing off till you can catch your breath, and listening to your body?

Each inhalation and exhalation is shared with a movement, in that way it becomes a meditation in motion.  As the practioner converts the asana to memory he or she deepens their yogic experience by placing the primary focus on their breath, a focal point and the transition to and from each asana. It starts with your first sun salutation as you inhale your arms up and take your first breath.  Then as we exhale we work to match the inhale and from there you proceed to do your asana practice, breathing, moving and flowing from pose to pose with a strong even breath. The method of breathing is called Ujjayi breathing.


When you can control your breath, you can control everything. 

The Art of Breathing

Breathing, its something we do unconsciously, essential to life. So essential that its regulated autonomously by our medulla oblongata, that ancient reptilian lower half of the brain stem responsible for involuntary functions, such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.


We know how to breathe, don't we? Don't we? Seems that most of did when we were children. When we watch little kids breathing, they breathe right to the bottom of their lungs into their little bellies. Somehow, by the time we are in our teens, we are mouth breathers and chest breathers. Coincidentally this is about the same time we lose our innate childish flexibility. So what happened?   Stress, to a varying degree happens. Shallow breathing is the realm of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). So we have some kind of stress, homework, familial stress, the social stress and pressure of trying to navigate our teenage years and beyond, and of course it doesn't get any easier. 


We know that the body responds to stress by pumping adrenaline and cortisol into the circulatory system to initiate the 'flight or fight' response. Vessels constrict, blood moves to the extremities and away from the digestive system, heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallow  and fast to prime the response to 'fight or flee'. Trouble is, the body doesn't know the difference between modern stress and ancient stress, and what was once a response that happened occasionally, happens to most of us almost continually now, so much so that we become SNS dominant. We stay close to a state of 'hyperarousal' that effects, not only our bodies, but our work and our interactions with others, and even how we perceive ourselves. 


To move away from this and re-balance we need to consciously engage our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS represents the 'rest and digest' response, where our vessels are dilated, our breathing is deep and healing and restful, our digestion is optimal and our adrenal glands are regenerating and renewing stores of vital hormones. 


When we sleep we inhale and exhale through our mouths, and this is our body's greatest time of healing and recovery, though I think to a large extent that the nasal breathing is a protective mechanism to stop some critter crawling into the mouth and choking us in our sleep. :D


How do we get back there, back to a more PNS dominant state? We need to relearn how to breathe. Breathe is somatic, kinesthetic, insightful, emotional, and spiritual as well as physical, mechanical and biochemical. The benefits of breathing are extensive, but at the root of it all, is the fact that when you move greater volumes of oxygen through the lungs, which is transported to the blood, you are improving the PH balance of the blood, thereby reducing acidity and systemic inflammation. 


Put time aside to breathe, consciously, inhaling and exhaling through the nose. Do a little experiment and use the nose with mouth closed to breathe, then compare it to breathing through the mouth as deeply as you can. You might find that mouth breathing its not as satisfying. 


Conscious, deep breathing in yoga is called Pranayama, or the extension of life force. Its a natural high. I have practiced pranayama for up to an hour at a time and felt stoned, my body a piece of fruit leather by the end. I am convinced that the western yogis and hippies that made the pilgrimage to India in the sixties were looking for that high (amongst other things). I have taught pranayama and have seen the high on students faces, even after five minutes, and especially after Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, (alternate nostril 'channel clearing' breathing). High on Prana, life force. With all of the ensuing benefits that engaging the PNS brings. 


Breathe consciously, and deeply, when you can, its absolutely essential to your health. I have only touched on this subject very lightly but I hope this blog entry arouses some curiosity and further investigation on the part of the reader.


Next week, why it isnt asana practice if you dont breathe consciously.

Did Buddha Attain Enlightenment Sitting On A Chair?

My guess is no. The chair is the antithesis of enlightenment. I am sure many of you have seen the stages of man, devolving into a couch, and there is more truth in this than we know, at least that is what I believe.

What happens when we sit on a chair, for prolonged periods of time, on a regular basis? Our bodies start to forget how to hold us up, we lose strength and we slouch so that our back muscles become longer and our abdominals contract. We are using our hip flexors to keep our legs in the sitting position, which contracts them unnaturally and feeds into tightness in the lower back. As an aside we start chest breathing, which is a topic for another day, but it certainly is not a contributor to good health.

Sitting on the floor, is what kids do most of the time, though perhaps less these days if they fixated by the computer. Of course they are still naturally flexible, but how much of this has to do with sitting in an instinctual way?

Getting back to the floor aint easy, but its worth it to regain some strength and flexibility. One of the reasons yoga asana is important is that it creates ease in the body for sitting in meditation for long periods of time. Go ahead, try it, I dare you. Sit cross legged, dont slouch and tilt your pelvis forward to engage the core muscles deep in the lower abdomen, to hold you up rather having your upper back muscles hold you up, which I guarantee will become tired pretty quickly if you havent been sitting on the floor much.

I think one of the greatest advertisements for sitting on the floor are mature citizens of India and other Asian countries. Traditionally a mostly chairless society, those senior citizens have an upright posture and therefore potentially greater range of motion and flexibility, which leads to greater quality of life. More ease, less disease.

I tell all of my classes, and my private clients, who by the way have found their way to private classes because of flexibility issues to sit on the floor. One thing I notice when I am sitting on the floor is that my body naturally wants to stretch itself. I also move around a lot more, rather than sitting rigidly as I would if I were sitting in a chair or a couch. Moving around more is not only preferable but NATURAL.

Start by sitting for five minutes, you may find it a challenge, move to the couch for back support and try and stay on the floor, see if you can increase the time you sit unassisted a minute or two each day, remember to use your pelvic floor muscles and tilt the pelvis forward for support. Its an investment in your future. The payoff? Better quality of life into your later years.

Next week, learning how to breathe again.