If, for the final time you imagine that your body is a factory, your udana breath would be the creative director and spokesperson, making sure that your energy is properly channelled into communicating effectively with the outside world. Your expressive breath also directs the energy produced from the fuel you burn into appropriate channels around your body, as well as determining the type of product you manufacture and assessing the quality of its output.
Physically, the ultimate purpose of breathing is to provide your cells with the oxygen they need to burn their fuel – the food you eat. This process of metabolism is sometimes referred to as “internal,” or “cellular breathing”. When the various nutrients within your food are oxidized in this way, energy is released into your body (along with carbon dioxide, which your cells expel). The primary object of breathing exercises is to stimulate this cellular breathing by enhancing intracellular combustion – all breathing exercises increase your production of internal heat.
Breathing exercises also have a revitalizing effect on your body by enhancing your posture. Udana governs the back of your body and your muscles, and it is udana energy that endows the muscles in your neck with the strength to support the weight of your head. Indeed, only by virtue of the power of udana are you able to stand upright. When your udana energy is free-flowing, you will feel as if you are standing and moving around effortlessly – you may even have a sensation of lightness in your gait, as if you are walking on air.
The breathing exercises in this chapter help to bring your physical body into better alignment with your subtle energy body, too. Yoga teaches that once energy has been released at a cellular level, your expressive breath is free to help you manifest your “self” in whatever way you choose – physical or mental, emotional or spiritual – since udana represents your ability to grow and change in every sphere. Bringing your breath under your conscious control by practising these breathing exercises cultivates greater self-awareness as it enhances your udana energy, strengthening your ability to express yourself honestly and to manifest your creativity. This equips you to convey your emotional needs more freely, without fear of what others might think and also without becoming carried away by your feelings.
As you use the breathing exercises in this chapter, ask yourself the following questions. They can help you to see how to optimize your flow of transformational udana energy.
• Do I express myself openly and truthfully? Do my words reflect my thoughts and actions? Or do I waste my expressive breath on small talk and gossip?
• Does a tendency to excessive talking distract me and make it difficult to feel peaceful?
• Is my voice clear, firm and of good timbre?
• Is my life a whirlwind of meaningless activity? How could I better focus my actions?
• Do I often feel light-headed? How might I balance this with a sense of being grounded?
• Do I regard life as a journey? If so, am I able to explore new directions?
• When things are going badly, do I rise to the challenge or sink into despair?
• Do I allow myself to grow and change in positive ways?
• Do I make the most of available resources? How could I use them more effectively?
• How inspired do I feel? Do I have the energy to put my ideas into action?
Your udana breath is the key energy you can use to develop your body and evolve your consciousness, so nurture it with care. The most important breathing exercise in this book may be simply to pause and take a deep breath before you speak or react, not doing anything until you feel able to say only what you need and want to express in the most truthful way you can. Using your breath in this way gives your words great power and makes all your communication more meaningful.