Pranayama

Have a moment while listening to a mix recorded from The Next Level last Sunday on Glitch.Fm & transferring files to write a blog entry about Pranayama.

I know it has been talked about before for thousands of years, and its importance expounded by more recent mystics and masters in our current new age of spiritual enlightenment, but let me just emphasize again, how important it is.

Pranyama connects us with the light. It brings us to the place of flowing peace that is undisturbed by any storm. It should be practiced before any magickal ceremony, worship, meditation, or healing. Through the practice of Pranyama, one may connect with the knowledge that we receive all we need for life directly, through experience. It allows us, if we allow it, to calm any fears or thoughts not in the present. If we let go, and follow the breath in and watch as it turns to breath out, and flow with it out, feel gratitude to the omniverse, it is a chance to give thanks. It removes all doubt, and worry, and calms, centers, and connects the mind with higher vibrational states and frequencies of consciousness. Crowley recommended its use at least thirty minutes every day. I would highly recommend this practice as well. I recommend using an alarm clock to prevent oneself from looking at a clock every 30 seconds or minute to seen if it is time to stop, as time goes VERY slowly while practicing. It is as if it is through concentrated awareness we can slow the flow of time, make it denser. Achieve more peace in less time. Even just 23 full ins and out breaths is so effective at calming the mind in times of anxiety.

Pranayama is something that should really be shown to you, by a master, in order to avoid misunderstandings in language. But I will attempt as best as I can to explain what need be done

Very simply, take your hand and bend your index finger and bend it halfway. Then using your middle finger and your thumb you will be blocking or releasing each nostril in turn. It doesnt really matter which nostril you start on (although some argue it does), as the amount the nostril is open or closed will even out during practice. If you plug one nostril and breath in through your nose, then switch nostrils and breath out through the other nostril, you will notice one nostril is more open than the other one. Your body actually switches which nostril is dominant all by itself in thirty minute intervals. The Hindus noted this long ago, and ascribed many theoretical reasons to this phenomena, most interestingly, they said it had to do with different types of Prana, or life force, we take in during the cycle of the day. I digress however.

To perform Pranayama, block one nostril with your thumb or middle finger and breath in or out completely. when breathing in, yogically breath. Breath completely into your lower lung first, then your middle lung, then upper, in a slow, complete, manner. A good breath in relies on an appropriate breath out, when breathing out, empty your lungs completely, most people in western society have forgotten how to breathe, and do not exhale completely when the awaken, and run around all day with stale air in their lungs, not using their lungs to their capacity.

So breath out - or in - doesnt matter, through your nose, mouth closed, with one nostril blocked by either the thumb or middle finger depending on the side and the hand used. Then, if it was a breath in, switch nostrils and breath out, if a breath out, breath out completely until your lungs are empty, feel the breath turn from out to in for a moment, then breath back in through the same nostril, feel it turn from in to out, and switch nostrils again.

repeat until the breath in and out are the same length, and there is a rolling pause from in to out and in to out of the same length.

ideally the breath flows in one nostril, feel it turn from in to out (small pause) switch nostrils, let the breath flow out completely, feel it switch from out to in on the same nostril, feel it switch from in to out and switch nostrils again.

you should breath in this fashion until breathing is flowing and circular, without straining or effort, and the thoughts flow calmly through your mind with no attachment.

observe the thought flow, but do not go into them or be attached to them, like leaves on a tranquil stream - or some equate it to ocean waves rolling in or out

try it for 10 full breaths (1 in and out = 1)

then try it 23 full breaths

then set an alarm and try it for 5 minutes

then try 10 minutes

then try to get to 30 minutes once a day.

and see how your life and perspective changes.

Thats all i have time for today

Light & Love

Namaste

The Avatara VII23