CHAPTER 2
EXPAND INTO VICTORY
BASIC BREATH WORK
There is a powerful yoga breathing technique that is an incredibly effective way to get grounded, get present, get control, and ramp down almost instantly. It is called ujjayi pranayama, and you can easily learn to do it anytime, anywhere. The word ujjayi means to “stretch or expand” (uj) into “victory” (jayi)! Very cool. Ujjayi pranayama means “victorious breath” and is a closed-mouth breathing technique that will be the supportive pillar and primary tool of the asana practice that we will begin in the next chapter. But to make it easier to learn, we are going to focus on this powerful breathing technique first, as a stand-alone practice that is portable, powerful, and an extremely important tool to have in our toolbox of mindfulness techniques.
Ujjayi breathing does two important things. First, it serves as a way to help us pay attention. The breath itself creates a distinctive sound at the back of the throat. The purpose of generating a sound is to give us something to listen to. Consciously creating this audible whishing sound works to hold our focus in the present moment. We focus on the breath, we listen to the breath, and we control the breath. It is a good feeling. To do the ujjayi breath, you have to pay attention. It doesn’t just happen like your natural breath. For example, while you are sitting and reading this page, you are breathing, but you probably aren’t aware of your breathing. But with ujjayi breathing, you create the breath. It is a conscious breathing technique that only happens when you are aware that you are doing it.
The second thing that ujjayi breathing does is create heat, helping to turn on the sweating mechanism. This isn’t the most important thing when you use this breath on its own as a tool for relaxation or ramping down, or a way to “take a beat” before you slam someone over the head who’s walked up behind you and startled you. But it is important to the practice of the yoga postures. If you come from an athletic background, plus basic training and possibly several years of deployment, you probably feel as if your body is made of steel and will never bend. That’s why this breathing technique is so important. When you are moving and focusing and using this breath, it gets you warmed up and sweating, which makes the whole practice of the postures so much more doable. So, getting the body hot and pliable is essential. Even iron will bend if you heat it up.
When used to support our asana practice, the exhalation portion of ujjayi breathing becomes subtly but consciously linked to letting go, or releasing, and the inhalation portion to standing firm. Both are used to fuel the fire, or the agni. This breathing technique, as you will experience for yourself when we begin to tie it into the movement in the next chapter, creates tremendous heat in the body, and through this stoking of the fire, you will be able to burn toxins in both your body and mind!
You may wonder why we use a closed-mouth breathing technique in our yoga asana practice. You might be used to lifting weights, for example, and are in the habit of huffing or blowing out through the mouth as you lift. When mouth breathing, as we do when we are running, for example, we inhale and exhale air quickly and in large volumes. This is fine for any kind of aerobic activity. Hyperventilation, or the release of too much carbon dioxide too quickly, as can happen when we repeatedly exhale forcefully through the mouth, can cause arteries and blood vessels to constrict, not allowing the oxygen in our blood to reach our cells in sufficient quantity. But when we run, since we are producing more carbon dioxide as a result of a major increase in activity, our forceful out-breathing isn’t an issue because it is important that we do breathe out more CO2 in order to maintain the proper oxygen/carbon dioxide balance in our blood. Conversely, in yoga, we aren’t creating as much carbon dioxide, so it isn’t necessary to breathe out through the mouth. Doing so can also throw us out of chemical balance. Lack of sufficient oxygen going to the neurons of the brain can activate the sympathetic nervous system, which, in turn, accelerates the heart and triggers the fight-or-flight response, making us feel tense and irritable. When we consciously breathe only though our nose, we are apt to breathe more deeply and engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heart rate and relaxes and calms the body.
STIMULATING OR RELAXING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are like the “wake me up” and “slow me down” divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is the motor division of our general nervous system that regulates organs and other functions such as heart rate, digestion, muscle tension, brain wave activity, skin temperature, and natural respiration. For most systems in the body, the sympathetic portion amps up activity, and the parasympathetic portion quiets things down. Years ago, we called this part of our nervous system the “involuntary” nervous system—meaning that we really didn’t have any control over things like heart rate and muscle tension and brain wave activity. But we realize now that it is possible to have a great deal of control over these functions. Things like biofeedback training and yoga practices have taught us that people can consciously learn to control aspects of the autonomic nervous system such as heart rate, brain wave activity, muscle tension, blood flow, blood pressure, and skin temperature.
We can get a sense of how these two oppositional aspects of the ANS work through something as simple as taking a breath. When we are startled or surprised, what do we do?We gasp—we breathe in! An inhalation signals the sympathetic nervous system and, for most of the systems in the body, pumps us up—very imperceptibly of course, but it does activate what in yoga is called the solar, or the pingala, energy current in the body. When we want to relax or calm down, what do we do? We sigh—we breathe out. An exhalation signals the parasympathetic nervous system, which quiets or relaxes most of the systems in our body—again very subtly—and sends an impulse to the lunar, or ida, energy current in our body. According to yoga philosophy, these currents move along tracks in the energy field that surrounds our physical body, and are constantly shifting dominance to maintain balance between arousal and rest. They attune not only to our inner world and needs, but also to the demands and conditions of our environment.
The conscious closed-mouth technique of ujjayi is a powerful means of practicing mindfulness and an excellent practice for ramping down the nervous system when we need to take it down a notch. In conjunction with movement, as we will see in the next chapter, or as a stand-alone practice for stress management (as we are about to practice here), ujjayi breathing can help you break the cycle of anxiety in your life.
THE SOUND OF THE UJJAYI BREATH
Ujjayi is a technique in which you make a sound somewhere between that of the wind or the sea and the sound of Darth Vader. The sound and the breath itself are made through the regulation of the glottis, which is not really a structure or muscle, but the space between the vocal cords. When the muscles that control the vocal cords are adducted, or drawn together, they vibrate as breath is forced over them, creating speech. When these muscles are abducted, or pulled apart, they open the glottis, which allows deep, rapid breathing. The ujjayi sound is formed by partially closing the glottis, forming only a small opening at the back of the vocal cords. This is the same action that creates whispered speech. This reduction in the volume of air passing through the vocal cords creates an increase in the velocity of the moving air and produces the recognizable ujjayi sound.
If you open your mouth and whisper the sound “ahhh,” you will notice that you feel a slight contraction at the back and base of your throat as the glottis narrows. Do it again. Notice the sound. Now try to do it on an inhalation, keeping the sound with your mouth open. It’s a little more difficult and may make you cough at first. Try it again, a few times—mouth open, “ahhh” sound, in and out.
Now close your mouth and do it again, keeping that same contracted feeling and keeping the sound. Can you feel where the throat (the space between the vocal cords) tightens when you do that, the place way at the back of the palate (way down the throat) where you feel the hiss of the whisper? Inhale and exhale with your mouth closed, keeping the air passing over and through that same spot. If you lose the sound, open your mouth and whisper an “ahhh” again to recapture the feeling. The inhalation is a little more breathy, more whishy sounding. The exhalation is a little richer, a little more throaty sounding.
To help focus your attention just on learning this breathing pattern, either lie down with your head supported on a small pillow or sit cross-legged on a blanket or mat. If you are going to sit, it will be more comfortable if your hips are higher than your knees, so you might want to put a firm pillow or meditation cushion under your butt to elevate your hips. Get comfortable and start to settle into stillness. Once you have arranged your sitting position and no longer feel the need to adjust or fiddle with your seat, close your eyes and start to simply observe the flow of your natural breath, in and out. Do this for two to three minutes. Just watch your natural breath. Don’t change it or alter it—just watch.
Now, begin to bring out the ujjayi sound. At first, you may want to just focus on making the sound during the exhalation, as it is a little easier. After you have practiced this for a few minutes, see if you can extend the breath slightly on the exhalation. Here are some additional tips to apply when practicing ujjayi breathing:
• Keep the breathing relaxed and flowing—do not hold the breath between inhales and exhales nor between exhales and inhales.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed.
• Keep the belly relaxed so that as you inhale, you feel the little muscles between the ribs (the external intercostal muscles) pulling the ribs apart and expanding the entire chest; and as you exhale, you feel the opposite action, the internal intercostal muscles pulling the ribs back in and contracting the chest and thoracic cavity.
• Be gentle and careful not to use too much force as the breath should be strong but not strained, and the sound should be loud enough to be heard by someone sitting next to you but not by someone who is across the room.
Start with a two-minute practice session. Over time, and as you become more familiar with the technique, gradually increase your sessions to five minutes. When this time has passed, gently and slowly return to normal breathing for a minute or two.
If it is physically possible, and if you are in a place where you feel safe and comfortable, quietly lie down on the floor on your back and rest. If you want to, close your eyes. Let your arms rest next to you, slightly out from the sides of your body with the palms face up, and your legs separated about as far apart as your hips, with your feet falling out to the sides. Stay in that position for a few minutes and rest, keeping your eyes closed.
When combined with asana, ujjayi pranayama is the powerful engine that drives and carries a beautiful, flowing, uninterrupted practice. In the next chapter, as you move through the sequence of postures, you will be harmonizing your movement with this conscious yogic breathing technique. As I mentioned previously, when used to support our asana practice, the outbreath helps us to let go and release tension and tightness, the in-breath helps us to be resolute and stand firm. We learn to bring these two opposing forces that are present in every aspect of the universe—expansion and contraction—into balance within ourselves.