Receive in abundance

January 2017 Life Positive Magazine
By Saraswathi Vasudevan (www.yogavahini.com)

In the third of her series on right breathing, Saraswathi Vasudevan imparts the secrets of good inhalation

In normal breathing inhalation is an active process. When we are stressed out, we almost always breathe in from the upper chest, and the breath is shallow and sharp. You might even be holding your breath a lot when you are stressed. Neck and shoulder muscles are overstrained because we use these accessory muscles to breathe instead of chest and abdomen. This can also account for a lot of tension and fatigue in the neck, shoulder area, even poor sleep.

The first step in learning how to inhale more efficiently is to actively engage the chest and the abdomen in breathing in. Initiating inhalation from chest to abdomen is always far more efficient. Chest  to abdomen inhalation helps to maximise the intake of air for exchange, it helps the diaphragm movement to the extent required to fill the lower lobes of the lungs, and straightens your upper back to counter a stooping posture.

When you breathe in from chest to abdomen rather than abdomen to chest, it prevents the lower abdomen from bulging out and lower back from being hyper-arched (which is already deep for most women, causing much strain and stiffness).

When you learn to inhale better, your energy level improves dramatically, you feel more active and productive. It enhances self-confidence and helps counter feelings of depression. It improves your posture, inter-vertebral space in the upper spine and neck thereby countering and preventing neck problems precipitated from tight and stooping upper back with neck thrust forward.

Also breathing in from chest to abdomen helps open up your heart centre which is also the centre for emotions thereby helping us clear pent-up emotions!

When you learn to integrate the technique of deep inhalaltion and exhalation, you can breathe in and out almost 9-10 times the volume of air you are normally breathing in. Longer breath means longer life span and good health.

So, do you want to inhale more efficiently?

Try this, even as you read this article:

Sit up (on a cushion/chair) with back straight (not leaning on to a back support).  Place one hand on your upper chest and the other hand above your navel.

Take a few breaths slowly deepening the exhalation and inhalation. Exhalation to be initiated from lower abdomen as discussed in the last issue. As you draw the lower abdomen in and up relax your chest. After extending exhalation to a comfortable extent, deepen your inhalation.

Start breathing in from the upper chest downwards and outwards (also opening the sides of the chest). The upper abdomen is extended automatically as the diaphragm is pushed down, no need to push the stomach out. And ensure that you don’t push the lower abdomen out (portion below the navel).  When you inhale from upper chest downwards, upper back automatically straightens improving your profile with every deep inhalation.

Exhale as usual by gently drawing lower abdomen in and up, relaxing chest.

Slowly begin to extend the inhalation from 3 seconds to 4 to 5 until you reach your maximum inhalation capacity. Stay with each step for 2-3 breaths with extended exhalation. Stay with the maximum inhalation and exhalation for 10-20 breaths with gentle hissing sound in the throat. You have now started doing pranayama! We will start looking at pranayama techniques from the nest issue.

NB: It is best to take the help of a trained yoga teacher or therapist to guide you through this process.

About the author: Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specialises in adapting yoga to the individual.  (www.yogavahini.com).

Exhale fully to receive fully

December 2016 Life Positive
By Saraswathi Vasudevan (www.yogavahini.com)

Long and deep exhalation can lower your blood pressure, reduce pain, improve sleep, and facilitate healing of the body quite effortlessly, says Saraswathi Vasudevan

Breathing is the fundamental cleansing process of the system. When we breathe efficiently, we release a lot of impurities and end products of metabolism allowing all organs, systems and cells to receive fresh nourishment through the blood. When breathing is inefficient, we accumulate the waste products that toxify the system and prevent fresh intake of nutrients.

Exhale first!

Yoga Sutra says one of the ways to calm the mind is to focus on exhalation, and retention after exhalation (YS 1.34). Good exhalation reactivates the parasympathetic response, shifting the system from sympathetic domination (stress mode). When the mind calms down and becomes quiet, we begin to conserve prana that is wastefully dispersed through incessant thinking and strong emotional reactions.

Exhalation helps relax the muscles that may be held tight because of inherent stress response. When muscles relax, flexibility improves, general aches and pains come down and the breath expels waste products from muscles and joints to be eliminated through the breath!

If you can extend your exhalation long and deep, you can lower your blood pressure, reduce pain, improve sleep and facilitate healing of the body quite effortlessly. All you have to do is breathe out long and deep!

How to exhale efficiently?

Lie down in a comfortable position with your legs bent so that your lower back and abdomen are relaxed. Pay attention to your natural breathing. When you begin to observe your breath, it is no more natural, it becomes slightly longer and deeper. Observe where you are able to feel the movement. With natural breathing – like a baby asleep – abdomen goes up on inhalation and relaxes on exhalation.

Exhalation is a passive process in normal breathing but in yogic deep breathing, we make exhalation more active! To facilitate good exhalation and emptying of air from the lower lobes of the lungs where 75-80 per cent of gaseous exchange takes place, we actively but gently draw the lower abdomen in and up, simultaneously relaxing the chest. The diaphragm gets pushed up and the lungs are emptied more efficiently. Make sure you are not holding up the chest while drawing the abdomen in.

Once you get the technique right, begin to extend the exhalation by gently slowing down the movement of the lower abdomen and chest. You can begin with 3 seconds exhalation and extend up to 6 or 8 seconds, to the extent you are comfortable and there is no strain in the body. Do this practice in seated position (on a mat/chair), extending exhalation.

 As you draw the lower abdomen in and up, the often overarched (lordosis) and strained lower back flattens and relaxes. The organs in the abdomen are squeezed out so that they can receive fresh oxygenated blood with the next inhalation. The floor of the perineum is lifted up, toning the lower abdominal muscles and reinstating the organs that are pulled down with gravity. The technique helps to pull the lower chakras up, thereby allowing the circulation of prana, and removal of impurities that are accumulated in the lower abdominal area. You start feeling lighter in your body and mind as the breath is trained to flow out slowly, smoothly, unimpeded.

Try this technique every night before you go to bed, to prepare for a beautiful day ahead!

About the author : Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specialises in adapting yoga to the individual.  (www.yogavahini.com).

Befriend Your Breath

November 2016 (Life Positive Magazine)
by Saraswathi Vasudevan (www.yogavahini.com)

When you give your breath your loving attention you will have earned a friend who will come to your aid in all situations, assures Saraswathi Vasudevan.

“One can only understand the things one tames, the Fox tells the Little Prince. If you want a friend, tame me. You must be very patient. First you will sit down at a little distance from me, like that, in the grass. I shall watch you out of the corner of my eye and you will say nothing. … But everyday, you can sit a little closer to me” (From The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

The fox here presents a very important pre-condition for developing a friendship: the time you invest and the loving attention you give.

This is the kind of relationship one seeks to establish with one’s own breath through practices such as pranayama.

It might sound strange when I say pranayama is about befriending your breath. For most of us, pranayama practice means inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through the other, or breathing like a bellows! We have been conditioned to focus on these aspects so much that the real purpose of pranayama the mind being an active witness to the breath has been lost! This article is about reconnecting with the real purpose of pranayama.
Before we even try to understand how to befriend the breath, we need to know why this is important.

Do you have any friend in your life you can call for help anytime, in any situation? And also reach that friend in a moment? Yes, we know technology has advanced so much today that you can reach a friend in a moment but ironically, the same technology has also caused so much separation and isolation, has it not? But you do have one companion who will come to your aid anytime you want unconditionally (well, almost)! Your breath perhaps your only companion who comes with you from birth to death. Breath is our sole connection to life and to all life forms around us. To the extent we have nurtured this friendship with our breath, we can be assured that this friend will come to our aid in any emergency. And if you want to learn how to use your breathing to deal with stress, observe your breath in a stressful situation.

Try to observe the reactions in your body, breath, thoughts and emotions as they arise.
How comfortable are you in your body?
How is your breath? Where can you feel/hear your breath? What is the quality of your breathing?
Are you in control of your thoughts and emotions?
Just observe the complex dynamics of a stress response as you stay with your breath.
At other times, work on lengthening your exhalation systematically. Start with three seconds exhalation, and then go to four seconds, then five seconds till you reach your maximum comfortable exhalation, and maintain it for some time. Practise this as often as possible (not immediately after a meal) so that you develop a stronger relationship with your exhalation.

Try this practice at bedtime:

Sit on the bed with your back straight and eyes closed. Rewind the whole day in your mind’s eye from the present moment backward and look at everything that comes up in your memory. Exhale deeply and let everything drop clearing your mind of all residues from the day. When your exhalation is long and complete, it induces a deep relaxation response in the body and mind. Lie down and have a wonderful sleep!

Wake up feeling fresh and rejuvenated, ready to welcome a new day with a smile!

About the author: Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specialises in adapting yoga to the individual. (www.yogavahini.com).

Exhale!

October 2016 (Life Positive Magazine)

Saraswathi Vasudevan reiterates the importance of breath in asana

Somehow, breathing in asana practice has been relegated to the background because of the excessive focus on the body and movements! How to breathe is very important in order to make the practice more efficient and effective! And when we learn how to breathe deeper and fuller, we can also make our pranayama practice more efficient!

We begin with learning how to exhale. Exhalation allows for efficient emptying of the lungs, preparing for a more efficient in-breath. It is said that through good exhalation, we remove more than 70 per cent waste products from the system. In normal unconscious breathing, exhalation is passive but in yogic breathing, we make exhalation more active than inhalation.

Start with a comfortable lying position – preferably with legs bent. Focus on normal breathing for a few minutes, checking if we are breathing naturally – like a baby breathing – abdomen pushed out on inhalation, relaxing on exhalation. Next, initiate a conscious exhalation by drawing the lower abdomen in and up, simultaneously relaxing the chest. It will take some training to gently contract the abdomen muscles inward and upward (without creating any tension in the lower-abdomen-back area), while dropping and relaxing the chest at the same time.

Thirdly, extend the exhalation step by step while keeping inhalation free. This will give us an opportunity to refine the exhalation technique and have better control over it.  Start with 2 seconds  or 3 seconds and slowly extend till you reach your maximum comfortable exhalation. Once you reach your maximum comfortable exhalation – maybe 5-6 seconds – stay with that ratio for 6-10 breaths, further refining your technique of exhalation. You will also observe that your inhalation has also considerably improved in depth, length and smoothness.

Ensure you are not pushing out the lower abdomen during inhalation – which counters your exhalation movement. 

For people with heaviness in the lower abdomen, this technique may be difficult initially as we hardly ever use the lower abdomen muscles to breathe! Also with the constant downward pull of gravity on the abdominal organs and weight gain in that area, this technique does not come so naturally. However, it is a great way to counter the effect of gravity, and prevent or address mild prolapse of bladder, or uterus. It also helps to flatten and relax the lower back with every conscious exhalation – especially for women with deep lordosis (lower back curvature). This technique helps with efficient movement of the diaphragm and provides parasympathetic activation, relaxing the body and mind. Each exhalation is also a detoxifying process.

Tataaka mudra 

Lie down on the mat with your legs stretched, feet close together, arms by the side of the body, chin down, eyes closed. Lock your fingers together and turn your palms out – hands on the abdomen. As you inhale, raise your arms up, fingers locked and stretched, bring the hands to the floor above, palms facing out. Stay in this position and slowly begin to extend exhalation with each breath, drawing the lower abdomen in and up and flattening the lower back. Hold the breath after exhalation for 4-5 seconds with the abdomen in, lower back flat and legs stretched, neck, arms, shoulders relaxed. Stay in this posture for 5-10 breaths before lowering the arms on exhalation. Relax with legs bent.

It helps with better circulation, massaging and detoxifying organs in the abdominal area.

Originally published in Life Positive Magazine.

Farewell to Sir

September 2016 (Life Positive Magazine)
Saraswathi Vasudevan pays rich tribute to her yoga teacher, Sri TKV Desikachar, who passed away recently

On August 8, 2016, at 2.45 am our teacher, Sri TKV Desikachar, “Sir” to all of us, breathed his last. Son of Sri T Krishnamacharya, acclaimed yoga guru of the 20th century, he had been ailing for sometime and we knew that the end was near. Despite this, the pain of losing him is immense and difficult to deal with. As we grieve the loss and try to cope, using all the ways he equipped us with, we also realise that he has left a big part of himself in each one of us to cherish, nurture, preserve and share!

Our teacher was not out in the world, proclaiming great knowledge or demonstrating extraordinary yogic powers. What was most inspiring and endearing about him was his quiet, unassuming nature, clarity of mind, and subtle strength that anybody in his presence could draw from. Over the 17 years I studied with him, he has been available for all of us anytime we wanted his help and support. For a teacher who had students spread across the world, with a busy schedule and strict personal discipline, how he managed to give everybody quality time – one-on-one – is still a great mystery!

Yoga is a “relationship”

What Desikachar lived and taught was a simple, yet profound philosophy. He defined yoga as a “relationship”. “When you establish a heart-to-heart connection with a person, and offer what is appropriate, from that space, healing happens,” he would explain. And we saw this happening all the time.
Whether we went to him with our own problems or witnessed him working with people who came for healing, he always held unwavering attention, reverence and compassion for the person in front of him. It did not matter if it was a playful child, a rebellious teenager, or a sceptic; the person walking out of the consultation room was not the person who entered.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not talking about faith healing or magic here. My teacher knew how to calm the person and awaken his healing force within most effortlessly. With an almost clairvoyant intuition and absolute precision, he brought in a rare kind of beauty and freshness to the yoga practices he offered each person. Even a simple asana-pranayama routine helped in healing the most complex problems people came in with.

Yoga is resourcefulness

All that he taught, he said, was what he had learnt from his father, quoting his “Appa” often. But we know that the very precise method of course planning in asana, or building ratios in pranayama, or creating highly specific meditative practices for each individual that were creative and quite unconventional, were perhaps his own innovations. He prescribed special diets that he also taught us to cook. He drew from a rich repertoire of tools of yoga, offered with great thoughtfulness, even negotiating with the student rather than imposing. “Yoga is yukti” he would say, “we have to be resourceful!” He taught us to keep this creative spark alive in us so that we could develop the most appropriate practice for a student.

Our teacher could hold so many of us together, inspire us to continue to study, practice and offer only the best of ourselves to our students.

Even when he was ailing and lost to the world, he was, and continues to be, very much alive in our life and work each day. When I receive a student into my class, I remember how he would greet and make somebody meeting him for the first time feel so much at ease! When he walked with them to the gate after the session and said goodbye, he left people feeling they had already overcome most of their hurdles!

About the author : Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specialises in adapting yoga to the individual. (www.yogavahini.com).

Originally published in Life Positive Magazine.