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| My copy is getting pretty crowded with notes... you can click on the image to go to Amazon |
Enter the Aha! Moments of Chapter 3:
If you understand this chapter you would be insane not to practice pranayama, says Gregor [my bold], but I paraphrase, here are his words:
"I consider this the most important chapter in the book, because somebody who really understands it would be insane not to go on and practice pranayama. The reason for writing this book is, after all, to get you to go beyond asana and practice pranayama too"
WHAT YOU DON'T HEAR IN A MODERN YOGA CLASS:
Meditation does not work if we are heavily breathing through one nostril and not the other. Not something you hear in a modern yoga class.
Asana paves the way, at least for me it does, and if you want to check for yourself, pay attention after your next practice to how your breathing is functioning. Chances are your will be breathing evenly through both nostrils, especially if you practiced the Ashtanga method of asana which encourages balance, alignment, use of bandha, drishti and deep breathing with sound.
Meditation does not work if we are heavily breathing through one nostril and not the other. Not something you hear in a modern yoga class.
Asana paves the way, at least for me it does, and if you want to check for yourself, pay attention after your next practice to how your breathing is functioning. Chances are your will be breathing evenly through both nostrils, especially if you practiced the Ashtanga method of asana which encourages balance, alignment, use of bandha, drishti and deep breathing with sound.
We are then invited to experiment and see how whichever nostril happens to be more active influences each side of the brain.
"Try it out: study an academically difficult subject... and see how far you get when breathing through the left nostril... or try to be empathic and compassionate to the woes and suffering of another being when breathing through the male, analytical right nostril"
RIGHT NOSTRIL VS LEFT NOSTRIL MORE ACTIVE
Check on yourself right now, close one nostril and then the other, I bet you one of them is a lot more active. If not you may be on the changing period.
There is a moment every 90 minutes or so where the changing of the guards happens. At that time, for a short, brief, moment, we are breathing through both.
There is a moment every 90 minutes or so where the changing of the guards happens. At that time, for a short, brief, moment, we are breathing through both.
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left nostril at work, creativity is auspicious
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As I sit here, reading over my notes of the chapter, compiling info, thinking about clear ways to convey a message, and writing, guess what nostril is more active? The right one indeed. I am thinking, collecting, distilling information. The mind is hard at work. Here are other activities auspicious for right nostril breathing.
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| Right nostril at work? This should be appealing |
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Would you fight?
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And then there is the parasympathetic system that "enables us to recharge, rest and sleep, and experience pleasure" activated by the, you guessed it, left nostril breathing.
But it does not end there, there is then the afferent and efferent nerve currents and the catabolic and anabolic functions. A lot of very wordy terms which I had not heard before in the context of yoga and a wonderful read from page 45 on.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BREATHE THROUGH BOTH NOSTRILS
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BREATHE THROUGH BOTH NOSTRILS
That is the most auspicious time to meditate, whenever both nostrils are working together. It is also the least auspicious time to do anything that has to do with ambitions and the world of reality as we have come to know it.
From page 51:
"A Tibetan lama told me that pain meditation without any additional aid would take on average 300 lifetimes to lead to success"
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| If you saw all of the episodes in the show Battle Star Galactica You probably understand what 300 life-times could feel like |
"The core idea of pranayama is that meditation is almost a waste of time if it does not take place when the middle ssvara is predominant, that is when the sushumna (see previous chapter conversation), the central nadi flows."So in pranayama we are working at not only extending the breath, controlling the count of inhale, exhale, retentions, using proper technique etc, we are also aiming at getting both nostrils to be active at the same time, and for longer and longer periods of time.
How do we do this? It seems, after all, pretty involuntary that the nostrils take precedent and start working and change on us.
There are ways to change the flow, all of them are described in the book. In Thailand I learned of the easiest method perhaps, which is, if, say your left nostril is blocked, lay down on the right side and within a few minutes the left nostril will open. (This is unless you are sick, or under the influence of something).
The book also points out that you can insert a stick or a book or something firm under the opposite armpit and press your arm towards your torso to open the opposite nostril.
Once you have both nostrils working at the same time you have accessed the mechanism that can take you into the mystical states of yoga.
I like this quote from page 53:
"Mind and the five senses operate trough the left nostril. Prana, the creative life force, and the five organs of action express themselves through the right nostril. Consciousness, the true self, is activated and accessed through the central channel. Use each one at appropriate times."QUESTION FOR YOU
There is a question that stays with me, maybe you can tell me what you think. All this talk about both nostrils being active makes me wonder about those people who got to the state of yoga without practicing the eight limbs, for example: Ramana Maharshi, Eckart Tolle. How does it work for them? Do they breathe through both nostrils at the same time all the time?
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CLAUDIA'S BOOK CLUB:
"PRANAYAMA THE BREATH OF YOGA"
Chapter One: How Many Breaths Do You Do Per Minute?
Chapter Two: Part I: Who Is An Expert In Yoga?
Chapter Two: Part II: How To Get Your Body To Be 16 Years Old Again
Chapter Three: Meditation is Useless Unless Both Nostrils Are Active
Chapter Five: How Do I Know If I Am Ready For Pranayama?
Chapter Eight: Pulling Your Brain Updwards. On Bandhas and Pranayama
Chapter Nine: Why Gross Purification Is Critical To Yoga
Chapter Ten: The Breathing Exercise That Gets Rid Of Our Fears
Chapter Eleven: How Not To Be An Idiod In Pranayama. Nerve Purification
Chapter Twelve: Bhastrika Pranayama - Life Force on Steroids
Chapter Thirteen: What The World Needs Now Is More Left Nostril Breathing
Here is a link to the book in Amazon. Join me in reading!
Thanks for the post Claudia. Great Bog! Don't know about Eckart but with Ramana Maharshi the self-realization occurred spontaneously and Maharshi needed no preparation. I believe he was 16 years old. Once realization occurs, pranayama and Yoga are not necessary. It should be noted that Maharshi told those who asked him that the quickest way to Self-realization is through the method of Self-inquiry. He taught that the other methods would eventually work but were not as efficient as Inquiry. All the best!
ReplyDeleteVery Quality techniques
ReplyDeleteare used here for meditation. I like these techniques even I tried these
techniques and found lot of benefits. During my meditation experience, I felt
myself in a totally different world.
Really very effective
techniques..
http://www.spiritualsuperpower.com
BTW, yes I read a bit about Maharshi, he did indeed become or get into self realization spontaneously. So did Eckart Tolle, after a night of suicidal thoughts and tendencies, he woke up, alraedy in that state...
ReplyDeleteMaharshi was asked once about pranayama and he said it was good, it was the way to ascend up to the state of yoga, or one of the ways. But, like you say, that the self inquiry (asking constantly "Who am I"" and not responding) was the most effectie method.
However my question was different, it was more along the lines of what nostril is active for them since they are already up there, in the state of yoga.
But I suppose it does not matter, they are there already, life goes on... and they are blessed to be in the state.
Thanks for commenting.
I just finished Chapter 3 :). I found it very interesting. I may have to read it over again and open my right nostril so that I better capture the words he is expressing. Not that I didn't understand what was being said, but simply so I can better understand.
ReplyDeleteI think the moment for me when I couldn't help but laugh was when Maehle wrote, "If you find while driving that your middle svara starts to flow, pull over and start to meditate" (pg. 53). I wonder if someone would actually pull over on the side of the road to meditate if they found their middle svara was open. I honestly can't say if I would or not. Maybe I would once I became more adapt at practicing pranayama.
Great post and glad I'm catching up slowly :).
thnks for this information
ReplyDeletei saw another center which makes me more attracting here i have sent the link of that site please refer it
ttm
I saw a webinar on research
ReplyDeletedone by the leading academic research group on PNSE (enlightenment, nonduality,
etc.). I've heard they have circulated an unpublished book manuscript that
expands on the research summary they have posted athttp://nonsymbolic.org/publications.
Does anyone have it to send to me? Thanks!