CHAPTER |
9 |
Pranayama Practices |
Some yogins do not like the muscular effort of bandha practices, even though these efforts are gentle. Other yogins find the visualizations of Shiva and Shakti energy movement distracting, especially as a beginner. These yogins might prefer to use a more general yang pranayama to focus the mind and gather chi into the chakras.
Indian yogis tell us that the vibration of inhalation is very much like the vibration of the syllable so, and that the vibration of exhalation is very much like the syllable ham. So rhymes with toe and ham rhymes with thumb. Taken together these syllables are the SoHam mantra. Yang pranayama uses this mantra to lengthen and deepen the breath and this gathers more chi into a chakra. Yang pranayama is practiced as follows.
Focus on a chakra and inhale while mentally chanting the mantra So. Draw out the syllable as a long sooooooooo for the duration of the inhalation, which should last from four to eight seconds. Hold your breath with your throat open for as long as comfortable. Then exhale while mentally chanting the mantra Ham. Draw out the syllable as a long hammmmmmm for the duration of the exhalation, which should last four to eight seconds. Repeat 7, 14, or 21 times.
There is a yin and a yang to everything and yang pranayama is no exception. Yang pranayama can also be done while chanting the syllable ham on the inhalation and the syllable sa on the exhalation. Ham rhymes with thumb and sa rhymes with saw. This mantra is called HamSa and it is the yang version of SoHam. It is used as follows.
Focus on a chakra and inhale while mentally chanting Ham. Draw out the syllable for the duration of the inhalation, which should last four to eight seconds. Hold your breath with your throat open for as long as comfortable. Then exhale while mentally chanting Sa. Draw out the syllable for the duration of the exhalation, which should last four to eight seconds. Repeat 7, 14, or 21 times.
Using the SoHam mantra helps the descent of chi and Shiva energy down the spine. Using the HamSa mantra helps draw chi and Shakti up the spine. A yogin must experiment to determine which mantra works best on each chakra. I habitually use SoHam for the three lower chakras and HamSa for the four higher chakras.
The first step in chakra purification is to conserve the chi of the physical body and this is achieved by sitting still and reducing the breath. But all three bodies interpenetrate each other and breathing is more than physical. Yoga teaches that our thoughts, emotions and breath are intimately connected. If our breathing is restless or uneven, it reflects an emotional or distracted mind, and if the breathing is subtle and slow, it reflects a calm and concentrated mind. It is also true that if we quiet our physical breath we will calm and focus our astral and causal energies.
There are three phases to normal breathing: inhalation, exhalation, and neutral. You can easily observe these phases by calmly watching your breathing for a few minutes. Watch with a yin attitude, the attitude of a naturalist. Do not try to alter your breathing, just calmly observe the three phases.
The first phase is an automatic inhalation, a gentle expansion of the abdomen or ribs that is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Inhalation is almost immediately followed by a passive exhalation. This exhalation is considered passive because no muscular effort is required to exhale—the natural elasticity of the ribs and abdomen gently force the air out of the lungs as they contract back to their neutral position.
During the neutral phase there is no urge to inhale or exhale. This phase lasts for several seconds or more depending on how calm you are. After this neutral pause, the next inhalation will begin and the cycle continues. All of this happens without our conscious interference.
The goal of yin pranayama is to effortlessly extend the neutral phase of the breath cycle. This is very different from yang pranayama, the goal of which is to extend breath retention after inhalation. Yin pranayama uses the same SoHam or HamSa mantras that are used in yang pranayama, but they are used in a very different way. Yin pranayama is practiced as follows.
Focus on a chakra and wait for the natural inhalation to arise. Mentally chant So when the inhalation begins, and mentally chant Ham when the exhalation begins. These mantras are mentally chanted just once and their pronunciation is not extended as they are in yang pranayama. Inhalation and exhalation gradually become very brief and very shallow, and the neutral phase grows longer and longer. It is important not to hold the breath or resist inhaling, just stay focused on the chakra and sink into the quiet state of not breathing.
There is a yin and a yang to everything and yin pranayama is no exception. Yin pranayama can also be done with the HamSa mantra rather than the SoHam mantra. Breathing with HamSa follows the same pattern as SoHam but the yogi mentally chants Ham on the inhalation and Sa on the exhalation.
The use of SoHam and HamSa effect the sensation of a chakra much like the diastole and systole phases of the heart beat. The effect of each mantra is felt most powerfully during inhalation. Mentally chanting So on the inhalation creates an expanding feeling around a chakra. Mentally chanting Ham on the inhalation creates a contracting feeling around a chakra. Experiment with both to become familiar with their effects. This is the only way to intelligently decide which mantra is appropriate on any given day.