Yoga Meditation 101: Breath Awareness and Posture

What do you think of when you hear about Yoga meditation? Do you picture a Yoga teacher, Guru, mystic, monk, or priest, guiding a group through meditation? Are you a bit confused about the whole process of Yoga meditation? Let's look at one of the many types of Yoga meditation and the benefits of daily practice.

There are many types of Yoga meditation, but all of them are similar to branches on a tree, leading to the same trunk. When you attend a Yoga class, you may be guided by your Yoga teacher, through meditation, in a variety of ways, but you will usually develop a favorite method of Yoga meditation.

Most likely, your favorite method will be the form of Yoga meditation, which brings you the most success. You cannot force yourself to meditate. Usually, a state of Yoga meditation will occur through focused observance and non-effort.

Breath awareness meditation is the first method, which I teach to beginning meditation students, and to students of Yoga. A beginner Yoga student can easily grasp the concepts of breath awareness and realize the deeper benefits of meditation.

Drawing the spine, into the straightest line possible, is the first goal, because poor spinal alignment is counter productive to meditation, and is not helpful for proper breathing. Many beginning Yoga students may have difficulty sitting straight, without a back rest. Some cultures have no difficulty sitting on the floor, while others sit in chairs, or on furniture, which brings them off the floor; and these Yoga students are used to back support.

If a Yoga student is sitting on the floor, in an uncomfortable position, he or she may not be able to concentrate on anything more than discomfort. Therefore, consider using chairs as a Yoga meditation prop. If you use a chair with a straight back, and lumbar support, this is ideal for seated Yoga meditation.

There is also another Yoga meditation posture where chairs become a handy Yoga prop. Place a chair at the head of your Yoga mat. Lay down on your Yoga mat, with your feet facing the chair. Then place your lower legs on the seat of the chair. You will want to adjust your body, so that the lower legs are parallel to the floor, the upper legs are perpendicular to the floor, and the back is flat.

Now that you have settled in, take some time to observe your breath, without trying to change, force, or lengthen your breathing cycle. Most Yoga students will try to control their breath, but the secret of Yogic breath awareness meditation is non-effort and observance.

Take the time to observe your breath, without effort or judgment; this will allow you to filter out conscious thoughts about your breath, noises, or your next task. Once you have put the distractions of life aside, you will notice that the cycle of your breath expands.

This is just the beginning of the many rewards you can reap from Yoga meditation. The Yoga meditation methods you learn from your local Yoga studio will reduce stress, calm your mind, and possibly lower your blood pressure. A life with less anxiety, and worry, is well worth the time it takes to practice Yoga meditation.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Yoga and the Economy, Part IV - The Economy of Yoga (Mind Work and Breath Control)

So far on our exploration of yoga and the economy/the economy of yoga, we have looked at how yoga, the most economical of wellness systems ever created, can help humans through economic hard times. I noted that when our economy is as weak as this one, it is likely our individual economies lose strength.  We need to attend to exercise, mind work, and diet in order to get and keep our personal economies-of-one strong. 

In the last article, I offered physical and breathing exercises that, if you are short on time or money, can put you on the path to strength, flexibility, and balance.  Today, we'll look at a second part of the yoga wellness package:  mind-work and breath awareness.

Even if you are exercising regularly these days but are experiencing more stress than before the economy plummeted, you are at risk of personal economy-of-one downturn.  As we know, exercise takes us a long way on the path to physical and mental health, and when done with breath awareness, can take us even further.

But what if yogic exercise with breath awareness is not quite enough for you these days?  What if, like a good friend of mine, you are not sleeping well? What if you are feeling depressed or anxious or worried, and what if even one hour of sun salutations a day is not completely helping you handle your reactions to the world, or what if you do not practice yoga at all but have an exercise regime and still find yourself suffering emotionally or mentally from this recession?  What if you do not care for exercise of the body but want to start doing something to help you?

Yoga offers a solution for all.

Exercising the mind is as important, if not more important, as exercising the body.  It is crucial that we exercise our minds the way we tune our cars at the mechanic's, or tune our bodies in yoga asana class.  A strong mind, simply put, helps us create and maintain healthy emotional and psychological perspectives.  Our ancients knew all about this and created within the system of yoga thousands of years ago two (out of eight) entire limbs of study dedicated solely to mind work. 

There are many, many mind-training exercises and systems in yoga. An internet search or a search on You Tube using keywords such as 'pranayama', 'meditation,' Yoga Nidra' or 'dhyana' will fill your toolbag with tools for calming and strengthening the mind to function at its optimum.  Today, I will instruct you on two  of my favorite tools:  Alternate Nostril Breathing and Yoga Nidra.

1) Alternate Nostril Breathing (or Anuloma Viloma or Nadi Shodhana) is a deeply relaxing breathing exercise involving a mudra (hand position).  It brings a balance of prana to the body, balances the right and left sides of the body, calms the mind, and prepares us for meditation or quiet sitting.  It is a fantastic breathing exercise to help you relax, sleep better, and feel overall relief from emotions that do not serve you.  Practice regularly.  You will notice the difference in your life.

Sit in a comfortable position on the floor, against a wall, or in a chair.  Place the right  hand in Vishnu mudra and rest that elbow in the palm of the left hand, arms and shoulders relaxed and to the sides.  To create Vishnu mudra, tuck the second and third fingers in the palm and leave the thumb, ring finger, and baby finger extended and relaxed.

Raise your right hand to the face and turn it to face you.  Close off the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril, engaging long deep breathing (see article three in this series for detailed instructions).  At the top of the inhale, close your left nostril with the ring finger.  Now you have both nostrils closed.  After about six seconds, exhale through the right nostril.  That is one round.  Do a round to the other side:  inhale right nostril (left nostril is still closed off), hold the breath, and exhale left nostril, closing off left.  You can do as many rounds as you wish.  Make your inhales, exhales, and holds as deep and even as possible without any strain at all in the body. 

2)  Let us now look at Yoga Nidra.  Yoga Nidra, an ancient meditation practice, helps restore physical, emotional, and mental health by way of deep, guided relaxation.  It is one of the least explored yet most beneficial of meditation practices and is available to everyone regardless of physical ability or age.

In Yoga Nidra, ('yoga' in Sanskrit means 'unity' and 'nidra' means 'sleep'), the body and mind are neither fully awake nor in a sleep state but, rather, are calm, still, and quietly aware.

Yoga Nidra has many benefits.  It reduces stress, improves sleep, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, brings balance and harmony to the hemispheres of the brain and nervous system, promotes higher consciousness and inner peace, and helps us drop our unwanted behaviors and habits.

Physical relaxation, breathing awareness, affirmations, and visualizations are the basic techniques employed in a Yoga Nidra practice.  Yoga Nidra sessions range from about 5 to 45 minutes in length.  The longer the session, the more work the mind does, but even a five minute session has been proven to be of great benefit to practitioners. 

Yoga Nidra is a meditation you listen to.  If you cannot find a Yoga Nidra teacher in your area, purchase a CD or download and listen regularly. (My 71 minute Yoga Nidra CD, containing four Yoga Nidra sequences, is available at my website listed at the end of this article.)

In the final article of this series, I will focus on the third part of the 'big three' in a yoga wellness package geared toward a troubled economy.  I will talk about most yogic, healthy, and economic diet on the planet and how it can help you, others, and the planet's health:  raw foods.

Marcia Camino is a registered yoga instructor and founder of Pink Lotus Yoga in Cleveland, Ohio. She teaches yoga to adults and children at all levels of fitness and loves to carry the message of the many benefits of yoga to all. http://www.pinklotusyoga.com

Yoga and the Economy, Part III - The Economy of Yoga (Exercise With Breath Awareness)

In Part II of this series, I argued that yoga is the perfect antidote for economic hard times. As modern yoga masters Iyengar and Bhajan state, yoga was created over 5,000 years ago to help the everyday individual "satisfy all human needs" in the face of "hardship and suffering" and the challenges of "making a living, raising a family, and finding meaning and purpose." Yoga is perfect for tough times since it is tough: tried, true, deep, modifiable, and life-transforming.

In this article, we will look at breathing exercise (pranayama) and physical exercise (asana), two of yoga's eight major areas of wellness, so you can create and develop a yoga practice during days when time and money might be scarcities. We'll start with breathing and move onto the physical exercises.

1) Breathing Exercise (pranayama):

Save yourself energy and make yourself feel stronger and more relaxed by practicing yoga breathing.

First, exercise without breath control is not worth doing. It is a waste of energy to huff and puff through a workout, but we often do because we are encouraged to push, compete, and strain while we engage in athletic-based movement (e.g., running, basketball). What's worse, many of us are 'top' or chest breathers, utilizing only one-third of our lungs' capacity, and since typical athlete-focus exercise systems do not teach us to feed our moving muscles and joints with great amounts of oxygen, many traditional exercise systems do little for our health and in fact over time often wear the body down.

When practiced with mindful breathing, on the other hand, yoga gives back as much energy as it uses, and this is one of yoga's greatest noted benefits. As yoga master Bikram Choudhury states, "Yoga is a gas station." You do not burn up energy when you practice, but rather gain it. Yoga makes you incredibly fuel-efficient, which is of course highly economical.

The best news is that pranayama costs nothing. It only takes time and repetition. To get the most out of your poses, and your life, practice long, deep breathing (yoga breathing) often. Inhale and exhale exclusively through the nose, filling and emptying the lungs with a relaxed chest and back and an active, soft belly. I provide a link at the end of this article to a video demonstrating this ancient, healing breathing technique that is the backbone, if you will, of yoga. Eventually, you will be a deep breather automatically, even when your heart rate is very high from physical exercise.

2) Physical Exercise (asana):

Whether you are short on money or time (or both) these days, here are some ways to get the most out of yogic physical exercise. We'll first look at yoga for those short on money and then to yoga for those short on time.

A. If you are short on money:

I do not wish to put any yoga studio out of business, but the good news in hard economic times is that yoga need not be expensive, and classes are not the only place where you can learn and practice. I practiced yoga in my home on and off for three years before taking a class, my only investment a $15.00 mat. Develop or deepen a regular home yoga practice. There are many tools to help you.

The greatest tool is the library. I first learned yoga by borrowing yoga books and videos/DVDs from my local library, and you can do the same, even if you are an advanced practitioner. Make it part of your practice to track borrowed materials' due dates to avoid overdue fines.

Other tools for learning yoga poses are Yoga Journal's website and free downloads of many high-quality yoga class video podcasts featuring many great teachers. Research your virtual teachers and try many out, and trust that you know enough yoga, and that they are knowledgeable enough, to provide you with a good home yoga practice. When practiced mindfully, yoga can be a beautiful, solo endeavor.

If you are a beginner, avoid power, vinyasa, or Ashtanga yoga videos/DVDs unless they are beginning level. These styles move very quickly or are rigorous, and not every beginner enjoys that or benefits from that speed and effort. If you already know yoga, though, these styles can create a vigorous home practice that when practiced regularly can easily eliminate the need for a fitness center membership.

If you want to attend an inexpensive yoga class, start with your local YMCA. I teach at mine, and my students pay just $4.00 per class; there is no studio in my city that comes close to meeting that deal. Your local recreation department is also a good place to look for inexpensive yoga. My city's program offers yoga for about $6 per class.

Search online using your town/city/neighborhood and 'yoga' as keywords. You will find many experienced, registered yoga instructors not affiliated with a yoga studio who often offer 'donation' (pay what you can) classes. Talk to teachers in advance about their donation classes to determine if they would agree to receive smaller donations from you for awhile.

Got a special skill or talent? Talk with independent yoga instructors about trading your talent and time for free yoga instruction.

Finally, find out if there is Yoga Alliance-recognized teacher training in your area. If there is, talk to the trainers about classes their trainees might teach, which might be offered at a reduced rate.

B. If you are short on time:

Yoga is perfect for those with little time on their hands. A few minutes of deep breathing and classic poses can alter your look, your outlook, and your health.

If you have very little time to exercise, try this 15-minute sequence (13 minutes of poses plus 2 minutes for between-pose preparation and breaks). Use yoga breathing and take breaks when necessary.

-Mountain: 1 minute

-Downward Facing Dog: 1 minute

-Triangle: 1 minute each side

-Downward Facing Dog: 1 minute

-Tree: 30 seconds each side

-Upward Boat: 30 seconds

-Cobra: 30 seconds

-Seated Forward Bend: 1 minute

-Shoulder Pose: 1 minute

-Reclined Twist: 1 minute each side

-Relaxation: 3 minutes (use natural breathing here)

Are you strapped for time and need/want fast results from yoga? Try hot yoga. By adding heat to your practice room with an energy-efficient space heater, or by wearing stretchy, water-wicking layers to keep your body's heat close to you, your muscles and joints get stronger and more flexible faster: heat boosts results. If you have cash to spare, take a hot classical yoga class (minimum temperature should be 90 degrees).

Engaging a Yoga Alliance-registered instructor for a private one-hour session can help you make the most of your exercise time. Many yoga instructors teach privately. Ask your instructor to consult with you before your session about your physical exercise goals so that your hour instruction is tailored just for you. Ask your instructor to provide you with thorough notes and handouts to help you practice on your own. A private yoga session averages about $70/hour here in the Midwest.

In the next article, we will explore more limbs of yoga that greatly benefit us, specifically in the emotional and mental realms. After all, in addition to being short on time and money during a serious recession, we humans can also find ourselves short on confidence, patience, and even sleep. Yoga can be your recession remedy in these regards, too.

Watch how to perform yoga's long deep breathing technique: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiHmvzFdzT4

Marcia Camino is a registered yoga instructor and founder of Pink Lotus Yoga in Cleveland, Ohio. She teaches yoga to adults and children at all levels of fitness and loves to carry the message of the many benefits of yoga to all. http://www.pinklotusyoga.com