This section is designed to do three primary things: First, we establish a basic definition of the term Pranayama. Second, because the Yoga Sutra forms the context that directs our application of the techniques, which evolved from the medieval Hatha yoga tradition, we need to look at differences in the world views embodied by classical yoga and that of the medieval traditions. Last we give descriptions of some of the existing techniques, namely Ujjayi, Surya Bedhana, Chandra Bedhana, and Nadi Shodhana. The translations of the Yoga Sutra are from Dr. Georg Feuerstein’s, The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy, and Practice.

Pranayama is composed of two words. The first is Prana, and the second is Ayama. Prana is usually translated as “life force”, or vital breath. Yama means to control or regulate. However, in the case of the word Pranayama, yama is preceded by the negative prefix “a” – – ayama – – – which therefore means to “not regulate”, or more positively – – to release. Thus the term Pranyama means the release of the life force, or in practical terms, the freeing of the breath.

Pranayama in the Classical Context: Being State, and Technique.

Pranayama is the fourth limb of the classical Ashtanga system, the fourth transformation state of the body/mind on its way to meditative absorption. It, like all the other limbs, must be understood in the dual sense of being state and technical activity – – – as descriptions of certain natural dispositions of the body-mind, and as activities that support, inquire into, and invite those dispositions.

As a disposition, Pranayama is a modification of the breath that can be understood as a refinement of the qualities that characterize Asana. In other words, in Asana, stability (Sthiram) and ease (Sukham) penetrate the gross physical body, relieving it of tension and excessive effort. This tension-free state simultaneously resonates deeply within the respiratory cycle, and eventually permeates the breath itself.

As a transformation of the breath pranayama is said to manifest in two distinct stages. In the first it becomes refined (Dhirga), and subtle (Sukshma) (YS. II – 50). In the second, the breath is said to no longer manifest any distinction between inhalation and exhalation. In this state it appears to have almost stopped. This stage of transformation is called “the fourth” (caturtha) (YS. II–51). Dr. Feuerstein comments on the caturtha: “It probably refers to a special phenomenon that occurs in a state of ecstasy (Samadhi), where breathing can become so reduced and shallow that it is no longer detectable. This state of suspended breath can last for prolonged periods”. (Feurstein, 2001, pg. 225)

Because the mind’s movements, contents, and tendencies are intimately related to the breath, its quality, and its movement, when the breath becomes unhindered, subtle, and still, the mind itself tends to become still and empty. This stillness is said to be accompanied by the revelation of the “inner light” (YS.II-52), which is the dawning of the vision of discernment, or (Viveka). Bernard Bouanchaud describes this as “a great lucidity, an unaccustomed sense of observation, and a quality of presence . . . evident in one whose mental function has become transparent”. (Bouanchaud, 1997, pg.140). In this sensitive, lucid state, the practitioner is primed for the deep states of concentration that are requisite for the next limb of transformation, which is Pratyahara, or sense withdrawal.

Patanjali does not say too much about the technique of breath inquiry and regulation. He gives two sutras in this regard. The italics are mine:

When this is [achieved] (the state of asana), breath control, [which is] the cutting off of the flow of inhalation and exhalation [should be practiced]. [Breath control is] external, internal, or fixed in its movement, [and it is] regulated by place, time, and number; it can be either protracted or contracted. (YS. II-49, 50)

There are three phases of the breath: external (Bhaya) or the exhalation, internal (Abhyantara) or the inhalation, and fixed (Stambha) or the pause that exists at the transition from inhale to exhale, and vice versa. These phases are to be inquired into by regulating their place (Desha), time (Kala), and number (Samkhya). In other words, we may direct the breath to, or emphasize feeling its effects in, a particular place in the body: the throat center for instance. We may also regulate the duration of the inhalations, exhalations, and pauses. And, we may perform a set number of breath cycles during the practice.

So within the classical context, Pranayama signifies the disposition in which the mind’s discursive, theorizing tendencies have surrendered into a deep, transparent, still, lucidity. As a technique, Patanjali does say that it supports the process of absorption by stabilizing the turnings of thought and stilling the mind, so that an ability to discern between the real and the unreal ultimately arises. But he does not give specific instruction on how.

Pranayama in the Context of Hatha Yoga: Pranayama as envisioned by the post- classical Yogins is more elaborate in its presentation, theoretical orientation, and practice, than what Patanjali gives in the sutra. Within the Hatha tradition, pranayama is a highly developed system of training that serves both meditative and therapeutic purposes.

As a system of techniques, the aims of pranayama in the post-classical tradition are still directed by the Patanjali’s sutras. Svatmarama for instance, the author of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, says that he offers the Hatha Yoga vidya (the way of Hatha Yoga) as support for Patanajali’s overall enterprise of ecstatic absorption (samadhi). However, these techniques developed around assumptions about the nature of creation that diverge from Patanjali’s sutras in several key ways. These differences are important to understand because they shed light on the techniques that we are learning and practicing.

Basically the divergence arises out of a change in cultural ethos that marks the emergence of Tantra into the larger public consciousness of India. Tantra is perhaps the most exhaustive and yet simple philosophical perspective that one can entertain. It is non- partisan in its preferences – – demanding only that our beliefs about reality are backed by the immediate experience of their truth. With the tantric revaluation of experience, many things that had once been considered as unworthy of concentration, or attention, suddenly jumped into the realm of practice. One of these things is the human body itself. As Mircea Eliade notes, “in tantrism, the human body acquires an importance it had never before attained in the spiritual history of India. (Eliade, 1973, pg. 227).

From the point of view of the Yoga Sutra, the body, the mind, our personality, nature, air, fire, water, cup cakes, whatever – – – all of that falls under the rubric of Prakritti. As such, all of it is part of phenomenal existence, which is impermanent, unconscious of itself, and ultimately illusory. According to a strict interpretation of Patanjali: at the event of awakening, when the real and the illusory have been disentangled, the forms of nature (Prakritti) are said to cease their dance of transformation, and come to stillness and equilibrium. The Sutra designates this process as Pratiprasava. Dr. Feurestein comments on Pratiprasava:

The basic building blocks of nature (prakritti) are the three types of constituents (guna), namely the dynamic principle (rajas), the principle of inertia (tamas), and the principle of lucidity (sattva). Their combined interaction creates the entire manifest cosmos. Liberation is conceived of as the reversal of this process, whereby the manifest aspects of the primary constituents (guna) resolve back into the transcendental ground of nature. This process has the technical designation of “involution” (pratiprasava). (Feuerstein, 2001, 222) This means that in the strictest sense, for Patanjali the body is ultimately illusory because it is constructed of mechanical unconscious, stuff, and in the advent of liberation, it disappears, along with the rest of the phenomenal universe. Therefore, in the sutra, the body is not overtly emphasized as a tool in service of liberation. This attitude toward the body is reflected in the scarcity of instruction that Patanjali included with reference to both Asana and Pranayama as techniques.

However, Hatha yoga began to surface in written form around 900 C.E., long after the sutra had been composed, and many things had changed. The revaluation of experience instituted by the tantric revolution, and its new vision of the human body arose out of an evolution in the understanding about the relationship between consciousness and nature.

Like classical yoga, Hatha yoga essentially understands the universe to be composed of two primary dynamics: consciousness and nature. Consciousness is known as Shiva, the passive light of illumination and witnessing, and nature is known as Shakti, the feminine power of Nature and activity. So in the new paradigm, Purusha and Prakritti have evolved to be represented as both being divine, and here lies the key. Like Prakritti, it is Shakti that becomes the world as we know it. However, Shakti is now understood to be imbued with an intelligence that Prakritti was never understood to manifest: what was once conceived of as mechanical, unconscious material, is now seen as inherently intelligent. Because Shakti is inherently intelligent, her creation is intimately linked with that which is most valuable. So, unlike the relationship between Purusha and Prakritti, from which arises the ignorance of false identification, Shiva and Shakti are seen as eternal lovers, inextricably bound together. Their union is not therefore illusory, it is rather the opposite view – – – the notion that they are separate – – – that is ultimately the fiction. So, whereas in classical yoga, the overcoming of ignorance is through viyoga – – – the dis-identification of the seer from the seen – – – in Hatha Yoga, the aim of practice is their explicit reunification, or the intuitive grasp that they have always been one.

To cultivate the conditions for the reunion of shiva and shakti, the Hatha Yogins conceived and employed a map of the human body as an awesomely complex and beautiful system of relationships between energetic and psychic phenomena. Pranayama is one of the techniques that prepares the way for the divine reunion, by harnessing and cultivating the life force, and then directing its flow into various regions.

The Nadis: The Hatha Yogins understood the body as a system of energetic relations and flow. Much like the flow of blood through the veins, they envisioned prana as moving through the body – – either freely or in an obstructed manner – – in structures called Nadis. Nadi is from the sanskrit root “Nad”, which means “to flow”. If the Nadis are obstructed, then the life force cannot move freely, and the practitioner’s task of assisting the divine reunion is impeded.

It is said that there are innumerable nadis. Dr. Feuerstein mentions various estimations ranging from 72,000 upwards to 300,000. The student of Hatha Yoga however, need only know about three of them: the Ida, the Pingala, and the Sushumna. The Ida nadi is so named because of its pale color, and is understood to be the cooling, feminine “moon” channel. The Pingala is so named because of its red color, and is understood to be the heating, masculine, “sun” channel. The Ida and the Pingala both begin from a single source in the pelvic region of the body and crisscross upwards, terminating in the left (Ida) and right (Pingala) nostrils. The stimulation of the Nadis is associated with certain physical and mental characteristics. For instance, stimulating the right nostril is said to be heating and energizing, and orients the practitioner towards externalization. Stimulating the left channel is said to be cooling, calming, and orients the practitioner towards internalization.

The Sushumna nadi means “she who is most gracious” (Feuerstein, 1998, pg 352). It is the central channel that moves upwards along the cerebrospinal axis from the pelvic region to the crown of the head.

The Chakras: Chakra essentially means “wheel”. In Hatha Yoga and Tantra, there are normally distinguished seven major chakras. These wheels of energy are situated along the central axis of the body at the places where Ida and Pingala crisscross. The chakras, like the nadis, are associated with different psycho-mental functions and states of mind. Each has certain frequency at which it is said to vibrate or “spin”. If it does not resonate at is optimal frequency, imbalance in attitude and even physical health is said to manifest.

The Granthis: Granthi essentially means “knot”. The granthis are bioenergetic constrictions that prevent the flow of the life force from traveling along its appropriate pathway. There are three primary granthis: the brahma-granthi is situated at the navel; the Vishnu-granthi is situated at the throat; and the rudra-granthi is situated between the eye-brows.

The Kundalini Shakti: Kundalini is from the root “Kunda” which means “coil”, and literally means “she who is coiled”. (Feuerstein, 1998, pg. 356) The Kundalini is envisioned as serpent that is coiled three and a half times at the base of the spine, blocking the opening to the Suhumna Nadi.

The Nadis, the Chakras, the Grathis, and the Kundalini Shakti form the landmarks in an esoteric map of the territory that the life force must travel on its way to the divine reunion with Shiva. In the untrained individual, the life force is said to be polarized along the central axis, or Sushumna Nadi. It pulsates continually along the left and right currents (Ida and Pingala), sometimes emphasized in one channel, sometimes in the other. The principle task of the Hatha Yogin is to balance the flow of the life force in the left and right channels with practices like Asana and Pranayama, and to withdraw it from those channels and condense it at the base of the spine. It is said that when the dynamic aspect of the life force, or prana, is concentrated at the base of the spine, the potential aspect of the life force, or the Kundalini Shakti, is aroused and awakened. She then rockets upward, piercing the granthis and dynamizing the chakras on her way to “blissful meltdown” with her divine lover Shiva at the crown of the head. This experience is said to culminate in a deep and profound ecstatic absorption (Samadhi), in which all time and space come to a halt. So for the Hatha Yogin, the body is essential in the process of liberation – – more on why?

The Medievil notion of balancing the flow of prana in the right and left channels is the guiding force in the development of the various techniques that we will study. The right and left nostril can be closed and opened one at a time or breathing can proceed through both at the same time, or some combination of these. Breathing through both nostril at the same time, (symmetrically) is the initial place that students begin to practice duration, place and number. Then there are the asymmetrical variations, in which breath is directed through one nostril at a time and the process of inquiring into place, time and number begins again in this new setting.

The Techniques: We will inquire into four principal pranayama techniques. This is by no means all of the possibilities to which the tradition has given birth. These particular techniques have been chosen because they clearly illustrate the way that breath inquiries been fashioned around the basic aim of balancing the left and the right channels.

Ujjayi: Ujjayi “Victorious stretching of the breath.” In the practice, there is a slight contraction in the glottis at the back of the throat. This contraction forms a valve through which the breath is drawn in, which in turn gives the breath a slight aspirant sound. Ujjayi allows the practitioner to lengthen the inhale and the exhale with great precision and sensitivity, and in so doing also offers the chance for the inhale and the exhale to become of equal lengths. Ujjayi pranayama is said to be heating, and its effect in that regard is said to increase in proportion to the intensity of the sound made by drawing the breath through the glottal contraction. There are three other Pranayama techniques that include the use of Ujjayi, which are themselves very useful and accessible to many:

• Anuloma Ujjayi: Anuloma means “with the grain.” To practice this technique, we inhale through both nostrils using the glottal contraction, and we exhale through alternate nostrils,

• Viloma Ujjayi: Viloma means “against the grain.” To practice this technique, we exhale through both nostrils using the glottal contraction, and we inhale through alternating nostrils, using Mrgi Mudra.

• Pratiloma Ujjayi: Prati is a root verb in Sanskrit that means something akin to “turning around”, or “going back”, or to counter”. Pratiloma Ujjayi alternates isolation of a breath cycle in each nostril. To practice this technique we inhale through both nostrils using the glottal contraction, and then exhale through the left nostril using mrgi mudra. We inhale through the left nostril using mrgi mudra, and then exhale using the glottal contraction through both nostrils. We inhale through both nostrils using the glottal contraction and exhale through the right nostril. We inhale through the right nostril and exhale through both nostrils using the glottal contraction.

• Chandra Bedhana: Inhale through the left nostril an exhale through the right nostril using mrgi mudra.

• Surya Bedhana: Inhale through the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril using mrgi mudra.Breath5

• Nadi Shodhana: Using Mrgi mudra, inhale through the left nostril, and exhale through the right nostril, then inhale through the right nostril, and exhale through the left nostril.

OPTIONAL PRANAYAMA HOME WORK: PRACTICE

Week 1 – 5 minutes: Sit in a chair without resting your back against the back of the chair. Observe closely the changes that the breath undergoes as you watch. Do not attempt to change the breathing pattern that you find – – though it may itself change. Observe for 5 minutes. DO NOT STRAIN!

Note the things that you experience closely in your journal: both physical and mental; repetitive distractions or any resistance.

• 5 minutes x 6 days of practice = 30 minutes.

• 10 minutes for journal entry x 7 days = 70 minutes.

• 1 hr and 40 minutes

Week 2 – 10 minutes: Sit in a chair so that your back does not rest on the back of the chair, and let it find its own rhythm. Stay relaxed. After a couple of minutes, take your attention to the quality of the inhalation and the exhalation, and the natural pause that exists between them. The inhale and the exhale may not merge into one another with smoothness. Spend the rest of the session merging the inhalation and the exhalation and the pauses together seamlessly. Be subtle and work without force.

DO NOT STRAIN!

• Note in your journal problems that you may have encountered and where specifically they took place.

• 10 minutes x 7 days = 70 minutes seated breathing

• 10 minutes/journal entry x 7 days = 70 minutes

• 2 hours and 20 minutes

Week 3 – 15 minutes: Lie on your back or on a bolster (preferably not on the bed). Let the breath establish its own rhythm before beginning to work with it. The torso can be experienced in several ways when breathing: in other words, you can take breath in while placing an emphasis on the top of the chest, on the abdomen, on the side ribs, or on the back. Each of these places can be emphasized in awareness and action.

• Step one: emphasize expanding the belly on the inhalation for 10 easy breaths.

• Step two: emphasize the expanding the ribs laterally on the inhalation for 10 breaths.

• Step three: emphasize expanding the upper chest on the inhalation.

• Step four: emphasize expanding the back between the shoulder blades) on inhalation for 10 breaths.

Note in your journal which of these areas proved more difficult to access, and your mental reactions during the exercise. DO NOT STRAIN!

• 15 minutes x 7 days = 105 minutes

• 10 minutes per journal entry x 7 days = 70 minutes

• 175 minutes = 2 hrs and 55 minutes

Week 4 – 15 minutes: Lie on your back or on a bolster (preferably not on a bed). Let the breath establish its own rhythm before while beginning to relax. This week combines last week’s areas of exploration into larger patterns.

• Step 1: fill the lungs sequentially from the belly to the top of the chest (from the bottom up) for 15 relaxed breaths.

• Step 2: fill the lungs from the top chest to the belly (from the top down) for 15 relaxed breaths.

• Step 3: fill the lungs simultaneously up and down beginning from the middle of the torso and side ribs for 15 relaxed breaths. Note any challenges in your journal along with mental reactions and etc.

DO NOT STRAIN!

• 15 minutes x 7 days = 105

• 10 minutes per journal entry x 7 days = 70

• 2 hrs 55 minutes

Reclaim all three parts of your natural Breath Body; Inhale, Exhale and the pause that lies after the exhale.

We use Ujjayi at this level because it does not change the location, place or duration of the breath. It simply stretching the natural breath out and has a heating effect. Both help with concentration and movement.

Teaching the Internal Dynamic – the Bandhas from the Breath: After the lengthening and broadening dynamic has been established in the extremities and the torso, it is again taught from the internal perspective, or from the breath. This is important because it demonstrates that all of the structural transformations that were initially engaged via the extremities – – – from the outside in – – – can also be engaged from the inside out. This realization is important because is deepens the experience of the power and primacy of the breath, and reinforces the notion that the core must be softened during practice.

The internal dynamic of all the postures is experienced as softness, as a release in the core of the body, which is the area of the cerebrospinal axis: from the crown of the head to the base of the torso in the pelvic floor. It is the core, its quality, and a willingness to experience its contents that determine whether or not the student’s practice is truly transformative in a deep sense. As Godfredev notes:

While we take in chemical nourishment through our lungs, biological nourishment through our digestive systems, vital nourishment through our meridians and nadis, we receive spiritual nourishment through our core. Through our core we access our connectedness to the whole universe, of which we are but a momentary expression. If our core becomes hard or blocked, we lose touch with this connection. We feel isolated and cut off, vulnerable and insecure. When we feel safe we are soft in our core. When we act from a feeling of safety, our core remains soft. When we act from the aggression of insecurity, our core hardens, and we deepen our sense of isolation and insecurity. (Devereux, 2000)

Yoga is training, and it makes little sense to train ourselves in a way that reinforces the tendencies of insecurity, hardness, and the sense of isolation. If we truly desire insight into the nature of our own ignorance and the suffering that it causes, we cannot continue the inertia of everyday life. We cannot continue to turn away from a perspective and a bodily disposition that may grant insight. Teaching students to place priority on the core and its quality is one of the safe guards that help to ensure that training does not itself create further imbalance.

Said in another way, the presence of the soft core within the actions of the postures manifests the full significance of Hatha Yoga in the student’s experience from the outset of practice. The literal, or esoteric, definition of Hatha is “forceful”, and indeed practice can involve strenuous work, but this perspective lacks an essential part of the entire picture.

The metaphorical, or esoteric, definition is multifaceted, and extremely useful for understanding the experience that the classic techniques are aimed towards, an experience in which the usual sense of ourselves as limited beings – – – defined by bodies, and memories, thoughts, and theories, is undermined – – – giving way to a sense of boundlessness. Hatha is a compound word composed of “Ha”, and “Tha”. “Ha” represents the sun, activity, masculinity, heat, effort, and the right side of the body. “Tha” represents the moon, receptivity or release, coolness, and the left hand side of the body. Thus the term in its completeness suggests the primordial union of these of these two apparently opposing aspects.

In contemporary settings, the active, forceful part of the practice is relatively easy to access: the body is moved through a series of positions, and this in itself requires the skillful and deliberate distribution of weight and effort throughout the body, which creates heat, and etc. But again, if there is no softness, no receptivity, no yielding, or release, then the full significance of the practice is not embodied. In this case there is only the sun.

Within the context of Dynamic yoga, the presence of the soft core balances the naturally active side of the practice, so that we do not harden through and through, so that we do not miss the significance of the moon and her presence in our lives. In a stable situation, students must be taught the actions we take – whether by effort or the relaxation of effort – to cultivate and sustain a soft core. These actions are, revealed, clarified and sustained by a repeated inquiry into the practice of mula and uddiyana bandhas.

Like the large muscles of the anatomical body, the core itself harbors latent patterns of tension, which result from the impressions of past experience. These patterns must be experienced directly before the possibility of releasing them arises. Embodying a soft core requires only two things: that the outer body is stable and secure, and that we continually inquire into the core’s quality. As Godfrey notes: “Once we know that the core can and should be passive, receptive, and open, becoming aware that it is not triggers its release” (Devereux, 2000). Thus, placing priority on the core of the body reinforces the notion that action in practice is taken for the purposes of cultivating a stable and easy bearing. At the same time, contextualizing those kinds actions as inquiries short circuits the student’s habit of turning away from what is deepest and most true about themselves, which in turn grants them access to an experience capable of manifesting their primordial connectedness to the entire cosmos.

The basic sequence for teaching the bandhas from the breath proceeds through three basic foundations: supine, sitting up in the sukhasana variations; then standing, during which the distinction between pure Uddiyana bandha as a standalone exercise, and applied uddiyana bandha,which is maintained in posture practice, is made and clarified. As in the case of posture sequences, each krama increases incrementally from simple to complex, from least challenging to most.

The Supine Sequence: The supine sequence is designed as an inquiry into the activity of the accessory muscles of respiration in the least challenging situation, so that those muscles can function with the least amount of external resistance. Thus, supine is the chosen foundation, and shavasana is the chosen posture. The sequence isolates both the accessory muscles of inhalation and exhalation, and the structural changes to which each corresponds.

1. In Shavasana, release any tension in the pelvic floor, abdomen, jaw, and face. (If students are unsure about the degree of tension on the pelvic floor, have them contract and release the anus several times.) Place the right hand on the low belly and the left hand on the chest. Without manipulating the breath too much, come into conscious relation with each hand and its degree of movement in relation to the other. Notice if you tend to breathe more in one area than the other.

2. Over the course of a few breaths (3-5 full cycles) reduce the amount of movement in the left hand by taking the breath into the belly. This will be experienced as a relaxation and deep expansion of the belly on inhale, thus the right hand will now rise and fall much more than the left. Continue while maintaining a soft core.

3. After several minutes, reverse this process: reduce the amount of movement in the bottom hand so that chest becomes more active and full. The left hand will move much more than the right hand. Do not let tension come into the core.

FINDING THE ACCESSORY MUSCLES OF INHALATION AND EXHALATION

1. In Shavasana, relax as deeply as possible, especially the jaw, the facial muscles, and the pelvic floor (anus and genitals).

2. Focus attention on the breath as it presents itself without immediate manipulation. Do not deepen or regulate the breath in any way if possible. It is important for the students to learn that focusing on something does not mean the immediate manipulation of that thing. The breath is often deeply restricted by psychological restrictions. This must be seen and

experienced clearly before it can be changed. This stage of the breath cycle is “mid-level” in relation to our full capacity. Clearly delineate the mid-level breath before going further.

3. Follow the exhalation to the place where you begin to use muscles in the abdomen to empty the lungs completely. At this point, the pubic abdomen will begin to tone, or firm just slightly around the edges. Come back to this place for several minutes without creating tension in the core.

4. Follow the inhale to its natural end, to the place where the muscles in the rib cage and the back are consciously used to fill the lungs completely. Tension must not come into the pelvic floor, the mid belly, throat or face. Come back to this place for several minutes without creating tension in the core.

These muscles (abdomen for exhale, between ribs and deep in the back for inhale) are the accessory muscles of respiration. They are utilized in creating and sustaining the bandhas.

APPLYING THE BANDHAS: GENTLE RESTRAINT

1. Contact the accessory muscles of exhalation. Follow the exhale until it naturally begins to taper off; continue exhaling until the low belly begins to tone (keep the anus and genitals relaxed). Setting the pubic abdomen in a basic, toned, configuration is the key-stone of the bandha practice. The tone in the pubic abdomen is maintained throughout the cycle of inhale and exhale. This adjustment lifts the perineum and thus accomplishes mula bandha. Godfreydev notes that: “Mula Bandha is an adjustment on the pelvic floor: like uddiyana it is activated from above. The muscles of the pubic abdomen act on the pelvic floor, the pelvic floor itself remains internally passive.”

In addition to the lifting action it creates on the pelvic floor, toning the pubic abdomen places a gentle restriction on the diaphragm’s ability to expand downward. Because it cannot distend the abdominal organs down and out, it expands instead out to the sides and cantilevers the rib cage out and up at its costal attachment. This upward movement is the beginning of the energy of uddiyana bandha. Godfredev notes that, “Uddiyana Bandha is an adjustment on the abdomen. The abdominal wall and the internal organs are drawn in and up, towards the spine and the lungs. This makes the abdomen long, hollow, and empty.”

2. With the pubic abdomen toned but not tense, follow the upward movement of the inhale until it naturally starts to die off, and begin to actively assist the expansion of the chest in the upper regions of the inhalation, engaging the muscles between the rib cage and deep within the back- – – Enquire into the possibility of maintaining this basic expansion of the chest even as the exhale begins.

After the articulation of the bandhas, the torso takes on a broad, full, stable dynamic. The accessory muscles of respiration remain active from this point on, without creating tension in the core. Though there is little movement in the torso in relation to the inhale and the exhale, the full capacity of the thoracic cavity is maximized and maintained. The basic energy of the bandhas is felt as a stability that begins in the pubic abdomen, and then a lengthening in the sides of the waist and the middle abdomen, and finally a lateral broadening manifest in the top abdomen, and up to the top chest and collar bones.

Opposition – Placing the Inhale and Exhale inside One Another: So far, the techniques have followed logical sequence: the low belly is isolated and gently engaged on exhale. The muscles between the ribs and deep in the back are isolated and gently engaged on inhale. This is roughly how things work during normal respiration: there is a downward, rooting, movement that naturally results on exhale, and an upward, expanding movement that naturally happens on inhale. However, the essence of the bandhas is not made fully manifest until an opposition between these two obvious patterns is established, cultivated and maintained. Setting up opposition means to cultivate the sense that rooting and spreading, up and down, and inhale and exhale, exist and operate simultaneously – – – all as facets of a single diamond.

With the bandhas set in place and a soft, surrendered core, gently pull the low belly in during the inhale, and consciously expand the chest on exhale. Thus, the normal functioning of the musculature during breathing is engaged and maximized, but its activity in relation to inhale and exhale is consciously reversed: inhale and exhale happen simultaneously in a dynamic state of opposition. The lungs are held open even as the exhale leaves the body, and the low belly remains stationary, even as the inhale enters the body.

In its most basic sense, the pattern of structural transformation which bandha manifests can be witnessed externally as a lifting, a broadening, and an opening. Bandha is experienced internally as the presence of a conscious opposition in the torso: there is the sensation of the rib cage moving upward inside the body, while on the periphery, the skin and the musculature of the torso provide opposition to this by descending toward the hips. If we were to illustrate the movements of these two basic patterns of sensation in three dimensional space, they would form a spiral – – – like an uncoiled spring, joined together at its ends.

Assisting the Spine; the sukhasana variations: After the lengthening Easy seatand broadening dynamic has been clarified from the outside inward and then again from the inside outward, the process of integrating the hands/feet/arms/legs with the torso continues by teaching that their action is oriented toward opening and supporting the spine. One of the principle sequences that Godfrey used to clarify this relational dynamic is illustrated below. It consists of variations of the seated meditation posture called sukhasana (easy pose). It would be contra indicated for those who have lower back or knee problems, or for those who have limited range of motion in the hips. It can be replicated in the standing position or to some extent (with bit of difficulty around backward bending).

A: LEANING BACK, HANDS ON THE FLOOR, ASSISTING INHALE

1. Come to a seated position with the legs crossed, and each shin resting on the opposite foot. The outer edges of the feet will be on the floor, and the inner edges of the feet will be in contact with the opposite shin, the shin coming to rest in the slight indention that the arch creates on the inner edge of the foot. Broaden between the mounds of the big toes and the little toes, and extend the toes which fanning them out at the same time, so that the feet become active, and the muscles of the lower leg gently firm. The knees will be higher than the hips.

2. Take the hands back behind the torso, shoulder width apart, with the finger tips facing forward, lightly touch the fingertips to the floor, there will be a slight bend in the wrists. Extend the arms fully so that they become active and alive with awareness. On an inhalation, lean back gently so that the shoulders move slightly behind the hips. On an exhalation, gently bend the wrists and allow the palms to come to the floor completely. Keeping the arms straight and the palms completely grounded, allow the chin to drop toward the chest as you tilt the pelvis forward (extension) so that the weight of the body comes onto the front edges of the sitting bones. You will be in a slight back bend. With each successive inhalation and exhalation, balance the weight of the body between the sitting bones and the hands, and clarify the grounding of the hands from the inner edge to the outer edge.

3. Maintaining the even groundedness of the hands, and the even distribution of weight over the various aspects of the foundation, clarify the activity of the accessory muscles of exhalation in the lower belly: add gentle assistance to the exhalation at its end, and bring tone to the pubic abdomen.

4. When the activity of the accessory muscles of exhalation is clarified and maintained in both awareness and effort, on the next available inhalation, keep the tone in the low belly and lift and expand the rib cage. Connect the grounding of the palms, and the extension of the arms into the floor, to the lifting and broadening in the rib cage. At this point, do not resist the descent of the rib cage that is naturally coincident with the exhalation. Remain in the posture for a time to clarify the connection between the activity of the hands and arms, and the broadening and lengthening in the chest.

B: SITTING UP STRAIGHT/WRISTS ON KNEES, ASSISTING INHALE

1. Come to sitting in Sukhasana. On an inhalation, take the flesh of the

buttocks out to the sides diagonally and bring the weight of the body onto the front edges of the sitting bones. Find the accessSittingory muscles of exhalation, and set the pubic abdomen in a basic toned configuration. Maintaining the tone in the low belly, allow the rib cage to expand naturally on the inhalations.

2. On the next inhalation, extend the arms forward so that they become parallel to the floor, keeping the shoulders and the arm pits aligned directly over the hip bones. With the arms straight, on the next exhalation, lower the hands toward the floor until the wrists come to rest on the knees – – – the arms remain straight. On the next inhalation broaden from each index finger base to each little finger base, and extend each finger from its own base so that the entire hand becomes alive. On each successive inhalation, connect the broadening between the index finger bases to the broadening in the chest.

3. After the connection between the broadening of the finger bases and the broadening across the chest is clarified in awareness and effort, on the inhalations, use the contact that the wrists have with the knees to assist the lifting in the rib cage that arises during the inhalation. Do not resist the descent of the chest that comes naturally with each exhalation. Stay in the posture for a time to clarify how the arms may assist the upward momentum of the rib cage.

C: HANDS BACK, SUPPORTING EXHALE

1. Come to a seated position with the legs crossed, and each shin resting on the opposite foot. The outer edges of the feet will be on the floor, and the inner edges of the feet will be in contact with the opposite shin, the shin coming to rest in the slight indention that the arch creates on the inner edge of the foot. Broaden between the mounds of the big toes and the little toes, and extend the toes which fanning them out at the same time, so that the feet become active, and the muscles of the lower leg gently firm. The knees will be higher than the hips.

2. Take the hands back behind the torso, shoulder width apart, with the finger tips facing forward, lightly touch the fingertips to the floor, there will be a slight bend in the wrists. Extend the arms fully so that they become active and alive with awareness. On an inhalation, lean back gently so that the shoulders move slightly behind the hips. On an exhalation, gently bend the wrists and allow the palms to come to the floor completely. Keeping the arms straight and the palms completely grounded, allow the chin to drop toward the chest as you tilt the pelvis forward (extension) so that the weight of the body comes onto the front edges of the sitting bones. You will be in a slight back bend. With each successive inhalation and exhalation, balance the weight of the body between the sitting bones and the hands, and clarify the grounding of the hands from the inner edge to the outer edge.

3. Maintaining the even groundedness of the hands, and the even distribution of weight over the various aspects of the foundation, clarify the activity of the accessory muscles of exhalation in the lower belly: add gentle assistance to the exhalation at its end, and bring tone to the pubic abdomen.

4. When the activity of the accessory muscles of exhalation is clarified and maintained in both awareness and effort, on the next available inhalation, keep the tone in the low belly and lift and expand the rib cage. Connect the grounding of the palms, and the extension of the arms into the floor, to the lifting and broadening in the rib cage.

5. After the hands and their contact with the floor has been engaged for the purposes of assisting the upward momentum of the rib cage during an inhalation, on the next exhalation, resist the descent of the rib cage that naturally comes on exhale, with both the muscles between the ribs (external intercostals) and the contact that the hands have with the floor. The activity of the hands and arms now resists the falling of the rib cage, and the waist and the abdomen are more steadily in a long and broad state.

6. Remain in the posture for a time so that the role of the arms in both assisting the inhale, and resisting the natural structural collapse that comes with exhale, is clarified and maintained in both awareness and effort.

D: SITTING UP, WRISTS ON KNEES, SUPPORTING EXHALE

1. Come to sitting in Sukhasana. On an inhalation, take the flesh of the buttocks out to the sides diagonally and bring the weight of the body onto the front edges of the sitting bones. Find the accessory muscles of exhalation, and set the pubic abdomen in a basic toned configuration. Maintaining the tone in the low belly, allow the rib cage to expand naturally on the inhalations.Sitting3

2. On the next inhalation, extend the arms forward so that they become parallel to the floor, keeping the shoulders and the arm pits aligned directly over the hip bones. With the arms straight, on the next exhalation, lower the hands toward the floor until the wrists come to rest on the knees – – -the arms remain straight. On the next inhalation broaden from each index finger base to each little finger base, and extend each finger from its own base so that the entire hand becomes alive. On each successive inhalation, connect the broadening between the index finger bases to the broadening in the chest.

3. After the connection between the broadening of the finger bases and the broadening across the chest is clarified in awareness and effort, on the inhalations, use the contact that the wrists have with the knees to assist the lifting in the rib cage that arises during the inhalation, and when the exhalation begins, use that same contact to resist the descent of the rib cage that is coincident with letting air out of the lungs. Stay in the on inhale, and resist the natural downward momentum of the rib cage on exhale.