Flow with the power of the relaxing breath…

For this exercise,we will again sit in a comfortable, stable, and solid position maintaining good posture throughout the exercise.When ready,we will also be mindful of our tongue’s placement in the mouth- for what is called the “yogic” position.Touch the tip of the tongue to the backs of the upper front teeth, and then slide it up just a bit until it’s on that ridge of hard tissue between the teeth and the palette- touch it lightly. In brief, and according to yoga tradition, this completes a special circuit in the body with the placement of tongue here- and helps to keep energy within the body.We will keep the tongue in this position for the duration of the exercise.

In this exercise,we are going to inhale through our nose quietly, and exhale through our mouth noisily.We will be exhaling around our tongue- so it helps to purse the lips outward and the noise we make when we exhale sounds like a “phooo”. Let’s practice this a few times in order to get comfortable with exhaling around our tongue.

A brief description of this exercise is as follows-
We are first going to exhale completely through the mouth- then quietly inhale through the nose with a count of four (4)- hold the breath for a count of seven (7)- and exhale through the mouth- lightly closed- to a count of eight (8). Notice the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation. We are going to repeat this sequence for a total of four (4) breath cycles. Now,what’s important here is this ratio of 4 (inhalation) : 7 (hold) : 8 (exhalation). The actual amount of time that you do this for is not so important, it’s the ratio that’s important. Initially, the limiting factor tends to be how long one can hold their breath.With practice and time, you should be able to slow the whole process down- as well as hold your breath longer. Mentally (silently), we should count at a comfortable rate for our breath rhythm– initially, the count may be a little faster to start and slower as we progress. The exhale should be slow and measured to synchronize with the eight (8) count- i.e. don’t exhale all at once.

The practice-
When ready- the eyes can remain open with a slight downward gaze, or closed. Let’s start with letting all the air out through the mouth- lightly close the mouth breathe in through the nose (count 4)- and hold (count 7)- and breathe out (count 8).  Lightly close the mouth- and repeat three more cycles. When finished- just breathe normally, and let’s notice how we feel.

When doing the first time,most feel good- and relaxed. If there are any feelings of light headedness, this will pass with regular practice. Over time, this whole breathing sequence will slow down and become easier with practice. Also, in practicing this breathing exercise regularly, there is often a pleasant, altered state of consciousness associated with it. Regular practice of this breathing technique is a minimum of four (4) cycles- twice a day. After a month or so,with comfort and ease in your regular practice, one could move up to eight (8) cycles- twice a day. The exercise should never exceed eight (8) cycles.

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