PRANAYAMA - THE NEXT STEP

COURSE CURRICULUM WEEK2

Vishama Vrtti and Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

With Mudra and Bandha as a foundation, now we are ready to begin our practice of Pranayama. As mentioned in the last section, these Bandhas are necessary for the successful practice of Pranayama. It is strongly suggested to integrate them into your daily routine whether in Asana or Pranayama. They will change your body and teach you about the energetic conditions in your body. Refer to the videos Pranayama 4 and Pranayama Practice 7. Watch the 4th video titled Pranayama carefully. Be sure you understand all the minor points and nuances of the practice. Email if you have questions. Contemplate the ideas about the right and left sides as you practice. Whether you agree or can relate to them or not, they come from deep in Indian philosophy. Consider your own “good side” and “bad side.” Consider the way that all of nature is made of various kinds of opposites, such as hot and cold, day and night, male and female etc. Form your own opinion based on your experience.

Refer to the Pranayama Practice video for a starting place with the exercises. The practice video contains all 5 of the exercises taught in the course. Vishama Vrtti and Nadi Shodhana are the first two exercises. Of course you can watch the next exercises to get an idea of what is to come. It is recommended to proceed one step at a time. Pranayama is simple in structure but takes time and repetition to understand. One week for each phase is a very fast introduction.

At the same time, and in the same place each day, continue working with the Mudras. Do at least 3 rounds of Compression/Vacuum before each Pranayama practice to activate your Bandhas. Then proceed with 5 rounds of Vishama Vrtti. As stated in the videos, your ratio will be your responsibility. 7-14 is usually possible for most people. You may increase or decrease according to your needs, but keep the ratio strictly 1-2 until the time that you can do 12-24 comfortably. That might take a number of months or even years! The one month duration of the program is only for learning the material. Once 12-24 becomes comfortable for you, the ratio then goes to 12-30. This is the final step. No further extension of the ratio is recommended.

Start with 5 rounds the first day. Increase 1 round each day until you reach 10 rounds. For the first 3 days do Vishama Vrtti. Then switch to Nadi Shodhana for the next 3 days. On the 7th day do 5 of each exercise. If you prefer one over the other you may choose that one and stay with it. If not you can continue to do 5 of each exercise. The goal is to establish a 10 round practice. You should commit to this for at least the next two weeks. Again ratios should be kept low, at least until you gain familiarity and understanding. This is the foundation of the system. These exercises will give the ability to retain the breath which is necessary for future steps. The course is given in a one month format, however you may take as long as you need with each step. As a general rule, whatever is done slowly, step by step remains longer and has a bigger influence. Whatever happens suddenly often passes away quickly as well. It would not be a mistake if you were to double the time (two weeks) for each stage of the course. The hardest aspect by far is not the ratio or the exercise, it is the discipline required to be steady and practice at the same time every day. If you want profound results from yoga, if you want to make deep internal changes, this is the requirement. It doesn’t matter which branch of yoga, which technique or approach, the steady practice is the key ingredient. Take your time and enjoy the exercises! And as sure as the world, there will be some exceptional situation which causes you to miss a day of practice or have to adjust your schedule. That’s life! And that is why we call it practice. Don’t worry just keep on practicing! Notice any subtle changes in your emotions, mind space and reactions to the world around you.

Vishama Vrtti Ratio 1-2

3 Deep Breaths. Exhale freely on the Left side.

Inhale Right 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Right 7, inhale Right 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Left 7, Inhale Left 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Right 7. This is 1 Round.

Nadi Shodhana Ratio 1-2

3 Deep Breaths. Exhale freely on the Left side.

Inhale Right 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Left 7, Inhale Left 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Right 7, inhale Right 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Left 7, Inhale Left 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Right 7, inhale Right 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Left 7, Inhale Left 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Right 7, inhale Right 7, Hold 14.

Exhale Right 7. This is 1 Round.

These Pranayamas are interchangeable. They are safe to practice for people who are comfortable with Primary Series according to Sri BNS Iyengar. This doesn’t mean that you must be able to do each posture perfectly, but it means that you should be capable of keeping up a good pace (ideally not missing a single breath) for well over an hour and that you have had enough time and experience with asana practice for it to impact your body in a positive way. The question arises, should pranayama be done before or after asana practice? Again, the consistency is the most important aspect. One key point to note is that you should indeed be practicing asanas steadily while you learn this pranayama system. I recommend pranayama after asana. In my experience, immediately after asana practice and before shavasana is the most fruitful time to practice. When you do it before asana practice you should take shavasana and after that shavasana you may find yourself unmotivated for asana. It is best to work from gross to subtle. Start with physical exercises and then graduate to more subtle energetic exercises.

These Pranayamas are for gaining your initial ability. They should be well practiced for a minimum of two weeks before starting the final exercise, Shakti Chalana.

Refer to video 7 Pranayama Practice for a starting point and practice along with it until you are comfortable to practice on your own.

Always finish with Shavasana

To access the next week of curriculum please CLICK HERE

Password: ganesha108