Guest guest Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Hey! Does anyone know any particular technique to improve the ujjayi breathing? For years I been practising and still I find it hard to go deeper in the breathing. Any Advice id greatly appreciated Patricio Correo Espacio para todos tus mensajes, antivirus y antispam ¡gratis! Regístrate ya - http://correo.espanol./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hi Patricio, I don't know any particular tips for getting deeper into the breathing (I'm assuming you know the proper way to do the ujjayi if you've been practicing for years). However, I notice that if I practice slower and make sure my body follows my breath, rather than the other way around, that I can keep a consistent and deep ujjayi breathing. But normally that will mean that either I take longer to do my practice or that I cut it shorter than I could do if I kept up a quick pace with less deep breathing. I find it beneficial to have the capability to work both ways, depending on how I'm feeling that day. To be honest, if I'm having a hard time concentrating and I'm just not in the mood to practice, having a quicker pace helps....less time to let the mind wander, I guess. But when I feel that I want to feel the postures, the breath and really be in the yoga, it's great to deepen and slow down the breath. Also, I wonder if sometimes we get so caught up in doing more postures that we lose the quality of the breath and the posture? Especially in the ashtanga system where it is quite hierarchal and if we are not comparing our practice to others (oh, he’s already doing up to that position, I should be too) then we are comparing our practice to our “yesterdays” practice (well, yesterday I did up to this position, I need to do at least that again). Much to consider. Hope this helps a bit. Namaste, Linda Linda Munro Ashtanga Paris www.ashtangayogaparis.fr "Patricio Andrés Vargas S." <patriciovsepulveda > ashtanga yoga ashtanga yoga ashtanga yoga ujjayi breathing Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:29:41 -0500 (CDT) Hey! Does anyone know any particular technique to improve the ujjayi breathing? For years I been practising and still I find it hard to go deeper in the breathing. Any Advice id greatly appreciated Patricio Correo Espacio para todos tus mensajes, antivirus y antispam ¡gratis! Regístrate ya - http://correo.espanol./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Linda: Thank you. very generous of you to share your insight. very interesting to read. you´re right, much to consider. slowing down is the option. Still believe thouth, that there must be some techniques. i.e. smiling during the breathing supose to help... thank you again. Namaste Patricio Linda Munro <munro_linda (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> escribió: Hi Patricio, I don't know any particular tips for getting deeper into the breathing (I'm assuming you know the proper way to do the ujjayi if you've been practicing for years). However, I notice that if I practice slower and make sure my body follows my breath, rather than the other way around, that I can keep a consistent and deep ujjayi breathing. But normally that will mean that either I take longer to do my practice or that I cut it shorter than I could do if I kept up a quick pace with less deep breathing. I find it beneficial to have the capability to work both ways, depending on how I'm feeling that day. To be honest, if I'm having a hard time concentrating and I'm just not in the mood to practice, having a quicker pace helps....less time to let the mind wander, I guess. But when I feel that I want to feel the postures, the breath and really be in the yoga, it's great to deepen and slow down the breath. Also, I wonder if sometimes we get so caught up in doing more postures that we lose the quality of the breath and the posture? Especially in the ashtanga system where it is quite hierarchal and if we are not comparing our practice to others (oh, he’s already doing up to that position, I should be too) then we are comparing our practice to our “yesterdays” practice (well, yesterday I did up to this position, I need to do at least that again). Much to consider. Hope this helps a bit. Namaste, Linda Linda Munro Ashtanga Paris www.ashtangayogaparis.fr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Hi Patricio, You're welcome. It's true there are some techniques but I notice that the more experienced practitioners who already understand the breathing technique, that it is more often a problem of wanting to do more. I noticed that with myself after about 5/6 years of practicing that I was too much into wanting to go further than really being in where I was. And when I practice what I can practice while being strong and comfortable it is much easier to keep the breath flowing throughout the practice. When I get to an asana which is more challenging for me then the breath tends to become shorter. I figure that is fine for a couple of postures during my practice (since I still want to have the challenge) but not for half the practice or all the practice :-) The slight smile during practice relaxes the palate which helps to soften the ujjayi breathing and lets the air flow more smoothly. You probably already know also to have the sound of the breath come from the back of the throat and the upper part of the nose (rather than the tip of the nose), right?! If anyone has other technique tips, would love to hear them as well. Always interesting to hear other secrets :-) Namaste, Linda Linda Munro Ashtanga Paris www.ashtangayogaparis.fr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 the way i have found best to describe it to my students is to imagine you are trying to fog up a window but your mouth is closed (i got this from david swenson <http://www.ashtanga.net/dev/aboutus.php> ). also, there is a very interesting article <http://www.ashtanganews.com/2006/06/20/the-anxiety-inducing-effect-of-u\ jjayi-breathing-health-benefits-of-yoga-part-2/> on how ujjayi breathing induces stress until it is mastered on ashtanganews. which is good, this anxiety seems to be happening (at least it seems to be from your email). i also believe that playing with different breath is important. so one day you do take longer and one day it isn't as long. david roche <http://www.haveyoga-willtravel.com/about.html> was a guest teacher here <http://www.yogaisyouth.com/> and during one lead class had a wonderful exercise where he brought in a metronome. each inhale and each exhale was 4 beats on the metronome. it caused the class to go very late (i can't remember exactly how long, but it was at least 2 hours). but on other days, he would have us inhale and exhale much more quickly. i found it educational and fun to play with the practice in this way. hope this helps! -- Wendy (McKibben) Spies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 What helped me when I was learning and how I describe ujayi to my students is to first introduce the breath in a sitting position before moving into the asana practice. I have the students inhale and then exhale making a "ha" sound at the back of the throat. Then I ask students to try making that same "ha" sound only keeping the mouth shut and breathing out the nose. I also make comparisons of the sound to Darth Vadar. The other thing I like to always mention is that like asana practice, the ujayi breath is a practice & it takes awhile practicing before one can maintain ujayi breath throughout the practice. Hope this helps! I really enjoy hearing other techniques folks have used--thanks very much for the tips for the experienced as well as beginning students. Best, Megan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 The problem I have with ujjayi breathing is that I end up pulling phlegm up into my throat, which causes me to have to swallow more often. How do I get that to stop? Cori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2006 Report Share Posted July 24, 2006 Don't swallow it! Really - if it has come up, you should spit it out. Guruji, and all Ayervedic doctors, would say that. (Of course, you don't need to SPIT! You can just discreetly wipe it into a handkerchief or paper-towel.) ashtanga yoga, "Corine" <klingcori wrote: > > The problem I have with ujjayi breathing is that I end up pulling > phlegm up into my throat, which causes me to have to swallow more > often. How do I get that to stop? > > Cori > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2006 Report Share Posted July 24, 2006 maybe it is good that the phlegm is comming out...just a thought Corine <klingcori > wrote: The problem I have with ujjayi breathing is that I end up pulling phlegm up into my throat, which causes me to have to swallow more often. How do I get that to stop? Cori Groups are talking. We´re listening. Check out the handy changes to . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 try jala neti before practising Corine <klingcori > escribió: The problem I have with ujjayi breathing is that I end up pulling phlegm up into my throat, which causes me to have to swallow more often. How do I get that to stop? Cori Preguntá. Respondé. Descubrí. Todo lo que querías saber, y lo que ni imaginabas, está en Respuestas (Beta). Probalo ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Hi Corine, Perhaps you are contracting the throat too much. It is subtle contraction of the back of the throat that is needed but not the entire throat. I've done workshops where the teacher asked us to put our hand on the throat around the area of the adam's apple and to make sure this area is relaxed while doing the breathing. In fact the only area to contract is the very back of the mouth just the beginning of the throat. At first when learning the technique, often students will need to contract the whole area just to get the feeling but as you become more experienced you can make it more subtle and only contract the area needed to regulate the sound and smooth out the breathing. This will also help to regulate the breath going through the nostrils evenly. It's a difficult subject to discuss in writing but hope it makes sense :-) A teacher that is very good at working with the ujjayi is Richard Freeman, if you ever have the opportunity. Namaste, Linda Linda Munro Ashtanga Paris www.ashtangayogaparis.fr "Corine" <klingcori > ashtanga yoga ashtanga yoga ashtanga yoga Re: ujjayi breathing Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:10:38 -0000 The problem I have with ujjayi breathing is that I end up pulling phlegm up into my throat, which causes me to have to swallow more often. How do I get that to stop? Cori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Hi Cori Your problem with phlegm may not be related to ujjayi breathing itself, but to the types of foods you are eating and when you're eating them. If like most ashtangis you practice in the morning, most people experience runny noses mostly in the morning. If you are going to eat before practice it is best to eat three hours before practicing. You may want to pay attention to the types of foods you are eating, because some foods are more conducive to congestion than others. Dairy products, for example, produce a lot of mucus. How is your weight? Practice tends to make us slimmer and the slimmer one is, the less the propensity for colds. Colds result sometimes from excesses in a person's system. A vegetarian diet low in dairy products may help. Hope that helps Arturo Re: ujjayi breathing Posted by: "Corine" klingcori klingcori Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:31 am (PST) The problem I have with ujjayi breathing is that I end up pulling phlegm up into my throat, which causes me to have to swallow more often. How do I get that to stop? Cori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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