9 Changes to Yoga-Asana Practice Since Pranayama and I Went Steady

Some noticeable changes are happening to my asana practice as a direct consequence of pranayama becoming a steady part of my life.  Well, maybe not just pranayama, but the whole practice: including the withdrawing of the senses, and meditation as well. They all work together.  These are the 9 most notorious changes I have noticed since the fourth limb of yoga made its presence known steadily and over time:

Taking in the air on Mari C

1.- New Lung Space.  I have discovered areas of my lungs I did not know I had and I know exactly why this happened. I read Iyengar, and he said that when he was young he was so sick that he worked especially hard at the marichasanas, the deep twists, where breathing is difficult.  Copy cat that I am I started to imitate. Could not help it, the lines from the book came alive while in the twists!

And voila!, new areas of the lungs discovered. Sometimes it even hurts a little reaching into them.  The air does not 'dare' go all full in.  I wonder how much more space there is. I bet you a lot.

2.- Less Dizzy.  Dizziness has not been completely eliminated. I am one of those special low-pressure cases. However, the deep breathing and retention has trained my lungs to go slow as I come up from forward bends and there is less of the seeing double.  Now if it only worked for attempt drop backs! Oh, I long for the day, or should I say "lung" for that day... hee hee

3.- Pranayama work with bandhas informs asana.  Yesterday in particular the bandhas and the breathing TOOK OVER ME.  That is the only way I can describe it. It was as if asana was doing me, and not the other way around.

I simply observed in the very first position of asana how the tightening of the perineum was linked to the air filling the lower portion of my trunk and as the arms started to rise.

Then I felt unddhyana bandha engage as the arms continued to rise and the air filled the middle of my trunk and finally found my eyes looking at my palms and the ceiling above, as the inhale came to a stop.

And that was just the first move, of the first sun salute.  It was as if there was no me.

There was no me?

Where did I go?

Did I just say that?

Did not last long, but it was the breath that led the salutes and some of the other poses, like the prasaritas. most of the sitting poses and even kurmasana.  Wish that happened all the time.

4.- Bursts of Anger.  This took my by surprise.  Apparently there was a tornado level 100 brewing within me.  Maybe all the backbending and the pranayama fanned the fire?  What ever happened to me last Friday?  I will spare you the details, perhaps will share in another post,  the point is, I need to pay more attention at what the emotional body says because all this work seems to 'awaken' certain energies.  And they are not always pleasant to put it mildly.

I do admit that this may have more to do with the work on intermediate series. I have heard of many practitioners breaking into tears, losing weight and bursting into anger while starting the nadi sodhana series, the "nerve cleansing, intermediate series", guess is called that for a reason. Respect.

5.- Eyes Closed.  I know, not supposed to close the eyes.  I hear you, and it is true, do not imitate me.  But I feel that at certain places my eyes are just closing during asana.  It seems more connected to pratyahara (sense withdrawal)  than to pranayama really.

My eyes close because the whole system wants to go in.

Yesterday it happened in the prasaritas, the  feeling of being internally aware, inner-eye wide-open, outer eyes closed, that led me to feeling every possible nuance of the pose.  Then it happened again in some of the forward bends.  Even the light was a distraction and it felt good to connect to the body like that, to feel it, to put every iota of attention I had into it.

Preparing for Prasarita Padotanasana A

6.- Sweating.  The renewed awareness and depth of breath results in more inner heat generated during asana.  The Ujjayi breath is longer in the inhale and longer in the exhale, it is smoother, a lot more controlled, and as a consequence more heat is produced and sweat pours out.

7.- Deep Facial Muscle Relaxation.  Graduate-level relaxation of the mouth to the point where I have began to get images of my face being so out and hanging that I probably look like a 130-year-old lady with no teeth.  I know the image is my mind trying to scare me.  If relaxing the jaw was equal to seeing God earlier this year, then this goes beyond.   Great feeling.

8.- Inversions.  Breathing deeply, with bandhas, and for longer and longer periods of time is highlighting how intense it is to breathe against gravity.  The weight of the diaphragm makes the slow exhalation much more difficult, and so it becomes a challenge to tame it.

This in turn helps in pranayama where suddenly the exhalations are smoother because all the work during asana trained them and so it actually feels lighter and easier to breathe out.  Who knew?

9.- Respecting pauses.  When the breath takes over in asana practice there is no Ashtanga, no Jois, no Krishnamacharya or Iyengar that counts.  The breath, well: TAKES OVER.  And that means pausing sometimes.  Not savasana pausing. No, not like that.  But stops nevertheless for example before Utkatasana, or as directed, by her majesty: the breathing function.

If the breath needs to re-group then the body stops and let me tell you I am not about to interfere...  I dare not mess with the breath.


Also:
32 Unusual Ways to Practice Pratyahara - Sense Withdrawal
The Claudia Sutras
32 Ways to Start Paying Attention to Your Breath {Pranayama Preliminaries}