Gyan Mudra is one of the most familiar

It is understood that because of the tremendous flow of energy in our hands, bringing our hands into a mudra helps draw our attention inward and aids in developing mental peace as well as sharpening memory and concentration.

The Sanskrit word Gyana means “pure knowledge” – i.e. the enlightenment of wisdom, or, that which enables us to find truth. Working with this mudra enables us to develop the spiritual feelings and qualities necessary to awaken to our own inner wisdom that leads us to enlightenment. According to Acharya Keshav Dev, each finger represents one of the five elements — the thumb is agni (fire), the forefinger is vayu (air), the middle finger is akash (ether), the ring finger is prithvi (earth) and the little finger is jal (water).

Specific benefits of Gyan Mudra include:
• Stimulates the Root Chakra (Svadhisthana) and is therefore very grounding
• Beneficial for those suffering with insomnia and mental disorders like depression, anxiety and excessive anger
• Helps energise the neurons in the brain for instant action
• Stimulates the centres of the pituitary and endocrine glands

By Angela Myers

Breathing in rhythmic formations will help you to concentrate and gain control of the breath and hence, control of the mind

In most cases of so-called “normal breathing”, the breathing action is concentrated in the upper part of the chest. There is no conscious attempt to use the diaphragm in drawing more air into the lungs. Shallow breathing gives inadequate scope for the inhaled oxygen to permeate and recharge the venous blood.

The yoga diaphragmatic breath, or the Complete Breath, which involves the movement of the abdomen, corrects this fault. The following simple exercise will give you a clear idea of what the Complete Breath is:

Lying down comfortably, raise the legs by placing a cushion underneath them, and rest your hands, finger tips touching, into the hollow section below the rib cage.

Breathing through the nostrils, inhale steadily, first filling the lower part of the lungs. This is accomplished by bringing into play the diaphragm, which, by ascending, exerts a gentle pressure on the abdominal organs, pushing forward the front walls of the abdomen. You will experience it as the finger tips part slightly and the abdomen becomes “dome shaped”. The wave of expansion now spreads upwards to embrace the chest as the intercostal muscles contract and the rib cage expands right around the front, sides and back, filling the middle part of the lungs. Lastly, the higher portion of the lungs, are filled by the expansion of the upper chest or clavicular area. Here you will feel the shoulders pushing back gently, towards the floor. In this final movement, the lower part of the abdomen is drawn in. Retain the breath for a few seconds. Exhale slowly, holding the chest in a firm position and drawing in the abdomen slightly, lifting it upwards, as the air leaves the lungs, and the chest area starts to relax.

It may appear that this breath consists of three distinct movements. This, however, in not correct – the inhalation is continuous, resembling a “wave-like” action. Practise will soon overcome the tendency to divide the breath into three jerky movements. Try and concentrate on deep, slow breathing.

In yoga, we concentrate on exercises which open and expand the chest cavity, encouraging greater intake of oxygen and the ability to retain the breath.

The below two exercises, develop awareness of rhythm and timing:

1. The Square Breath/ Samavritta Pranayama
Here all four phases of breathing namely: inhalation, retention of breath, exhalation and retention of exhalation are included in a rhythmic form.

Lye down in your relaxed position as before:

-        Breath in to a count of 5

-        Retain your breath for a count of 5

-        Exhale for a count of 5

-        Remain without breath for a count of 5

Repeat this breathing cycle for 5 minutes

2. The Interrupted Breath/ Viloma Pranayama

Lye down in a relaxed position:

-        Breathe in for a count of 6

-        Exhale partially for a count of 3

-        Pause for 2 counts

-        Exhale fully for a count of 3

Repeat this breathing cycle for 5 minutes

Breathing in rhythmic formations will help you to concentrate and gain control of the breath and hence, control of the mind. Very few of us pay five minutes attention to our breathing unless illness or some emergency gives it prominence. In this way, we can learn from the ancient yogis who taught that “one who controls breath, controls life itself”.

By Jenny Pengelly
Article first published in Complete Yoga, 1992, Volume 2

The breath, it sustains our life. Our bodies are most grateful for the sustenance it carries. We can go for days without food and water but if the breath stops for a short while…we die. The breath is also the carrier of our vital life force – the Prana which rides on the breath like a rider on a horse…

It is bizarre that even though we rely so much on this valuable commodity we hardly even notice it. The times we may become aware is obviously when we lose our breath and we panic, when we dive down into the water or when we climb to altitudes so high that we have a direct experience of how important it is to breathe.. Besides these moments we are hardly aware of our dear friend. Sportsmen & women however know the secret to the breath and work with it as a driving force to reach higher levels of physical and mental achievement. Yogis do the same but add a special spiritual spice – pranayama – the science of breath work.

Advanced yogis are not only aware of their breath at the time of an asana / pranayama session, they are able to monitor their breath during their day. They are aware of the quickness of breath at times of strong desire or anger & so too are they aware when the breath becomes slow and long in times of deep relaxation. In this way they can change their emotions, energies and thoughts just by observing and changing their breathing.

Meditators the world over use the breath as a fundamental tool to develop the instrument of mindfulness.

We are so keen to develop the body through tough physical asanas but we are so quick to neglect the breath and our valuable attention on it. Our bodies become stronger with the asana practice and hopefully we are conscious of our breath as we hold our postures.

The mind works like a muscle, the more we become aware of our breathing and we observe it in its natural state the more our minds settle and calm.

Meditators are taught to observe the breathing, in an uncontrolled and natural way.

‘Are you breathing or is the breath breathing you?’ a Zen master would say. A mind that has spent many hours meditating on the breath will become one with the breath, as if there is nothing else in the entire world but just the inhalation and the exhalation. Can you imagine a mind free of the constant chattering of thought? A mind in a truly relaxed state, at one with the universe and experiencing more bliss than a relaxed holiday by the sea.

It is hard to believe and many will never taste the true and essential peace that this practice brings. Our minds are so abused by daily life, we have the stresses of living in the city, of our jobs, of being a parent, the worries of our economic and political environment and so many blah blahs that steal our precious mind space. Our minds are really like an ocean during a storm, with thoughts and emotions like the waves. When we focus on one object and nothing else, an object like the breath, the winds of agitation that churn up the ocean into waves begin to settle. As the ocean of our mind settles we see into the still blue waters, and what we see is our own true nature which is clear, vast, aware and blissful.

Meditation is being widely taught in all forms and from many angles, the most popular form of meditation is for the teacher to take one on a journey, and often it can be a fantastic flying carpet ride through realms and chakras. The mindfulness of breath may seem very boring in relation to other types but simplicity is often the most profound path, any Zen practitioner will vouch for that.  The breath introduces us to the art of being here and now free from the fantasy of the future and the blurry patchwork of the past.

My journey grew out of suffering, I used to suffer from panic attacks which stopped my breathing and caused me to throw up. This would happen throughout the day until I noticed blood in my bile. I was told by the doctors that I would do some serious damage to my stomach lining if I did not stop my affliction. The prescribed medication did very little and I reluctantly visited a therapist. I was introduced to Pranayama by alternating my breath through the nostrils. I was ordered to practice this deep rhythmic breathing when I could feel the onset of a panic attack. Within two weeks of my breath work the panic attacks almost completely disappeared. I was most certainly a changed man!

I began Yoga classes with an elderly man who deepened my understanding of the eastern philosophies of breath and meditation. I became so absorbed in the way of the still mind that I wanted to explore more of this practice.

After travelling and living in temples in the east and in South Africa studying and meditating with gurus and lamas, I sit at home and forget these colourful experiences and do my best to absorb myself into the breath.

The more the mind can stay in that place of stillness the less we experience anxiety, fear and hope. Our minds become content and experience the high and lows of life from a quiet equilibrium.

Mindfulness of breathing is not packaged and sold or even advertised on TV as a way of curing stress and mental illness, as no one is going to make any money off teaching this profound and simple technique. Many people are used to the quick fix way of doing things and would rather take a pill than have to sit still for a few minutes. They get into the habit of being busy all the time that to relax is something alien to them. Their poor minds get bashed around in the wild waves of distraction and stimulation, it’s no wonder that tempers are short and any little problem seem to them to be huge.

Beginning meditators often become disturbed and complain that their minds are too busy and that they will not be able to meditate. For the first time they are aware of the constant flow of thoughts, feelings and emotions that flood their minds and it can be overwhelming. Once we realise that this is going on all the time and not just in a moment of stillness, we can realistically asses where we are and take steps to a calmer way of being by using the breath.

A daily practice is the most precious gift you can give yourself. You will discover amazing results if you can integrate meditation into your Yoga practice, gently training yourself to always return to the present moment, to abide in reality and to then share this knowledge of peace with others around you.

By Mark Joseph

For more information on group meditation sessions at Living Yoga, e-mail Mark Joseph at mark@buddhistcircle.co.za

The Science of Breathing

Pranayama means the control of life energy through the breath. Breath is life. When breathing stops, life stops…

Traditionally there are said to be 72 000 pranayama techniques. We need not concern ourselves with all of these (it would be quite impossible) and simply learning basic and deep breathing is often sufficient practice for many Westeners.

But what is this energy that the yogis call prana and the Polynesians call mana? It has been interpreted as life force or cosmic energy. It is the vital force of the universe which permeates all things and joins us together in the ocean of life. Through the daily practice of pranayama we learn to harness this subtle energy and so increase our own life force – so that we become totally alive and totally aware. Confusion of the mind disappears and we get clarity of thought.

Intake of breath is intake of energy. During retention, this energy is distributed throughout the body and, on exhalation, we relax the muscles and nerves. Prana is vibrating energy which vibrates to the same octaves as music. We live in a universe of vibrations and sounds. Scientists now say that even the earth breathes  – it expands with the incoming breath and contracts with the outgoing breath.

The Ins and Outs of Breathing
Our rhythm of breathing reflects our physical, mental and emotional conditions. Poor posture results in poor breathing. Shallow breathing shows a disturbed mental and emotional state. When you are afraid, your breathing is shallow and jerky. When you are happy, your breathing is deep. One of the reasons for exhaustion and disease is nervous paralysis which is caused by lack of oxygen to the nerve fibres. When you are enjoying what you are doing, you do not become tired because you are breathing deeply. When you dislike what you are doing, you become tired quickly, because your breathing is shallow and jerky. Some people do not enjoy anything – they are always depressed and tense. Their breathing is therefore always shallow and jerky.

In the same way that we have positive and negative thoughts, we also have positive and negative electrical currents and so the electromagnetic field of the body is positive and negative too. Both are necessary to create balance. Prana is the positive current and apana is the negative current. Pranayama is necessary to keep the balance of these two currents. Where there is an imbalance of the electrical energy of the body, there is also a chemical and hormonal imbalance in the body.

A calm, peaceful and joyous mind is important. If the muscles are tense, the lungs cannot do their work properly, so the muscles should be soft, neither tense nor tight. If the shoulders are stooped forward and the chest sunken in, the lungs cannot open. Bad nutrition also affects the oxygen supply.

Inhalation also creates tension. If we deliberately want to create tension, we repeat inhalations. Exhalation creates relaxation. If we deliberately want to relax, we repeat exhalations (Viloma Pranayama). Laughing is a good example of exhalation; sobbing is a good example of inhalation. If inhalation is always stronger than exhalation, you can never relax; if exhalation is always longer than inhalation, you feel sleepy. So, we can change our bodies’ and minds’ by controlling our breathing. You can change your habitual emotional state by changing the rhythm of your breath. Improved posture improves breathing.

PRACTICE

Awareness of Breath
Lie on your back with your body in a straight line – nose in line with the navel – with your heels together, toes apart and let your shins drop out towards the floor. Close your eyes making the facial expression serene and look towards your heart. The upper eyelids are relaxed and gently press on the eyeballs. Now move your eyebrows towards your temples, opening and relaxing the temples. Raise the hairline and relax the scalp. Palms are turned upwards.

Now, breathing through the nose only, watch the breath. Become aware of your breathing. Become aware of the inhalation and exhalation and watch the point where the breath turns from inhalation to exhalation; from exhalation to inhalation. Do nothing at all to control the breath or alter the rhythm. Become aware of how you breathe normally. Are you pushing your stomach or chest out unnaturally? Are you making harsh noises with your breath? Are you jerking the diaphragm?

Follow the passage of the air into your body and out again with total awareness. Listen to the sound, keeping the ears alert. The mind should be silent, but watchful.

After observing your breathing for a while, try to detect if your breathing is shallow or deep. Is the flow of air soft, or is the breathing forced? Now, time the inhalation and exhalation, counting it in seconds, and trying not to change your natural breathing rhythm. Count the turning of the breath. Do this for some time. Is there a difference in the timing of the inhalation and exhalation? Do you hold your breath unconsciously? Watching the breath will tell you about yourself – whether you are tense or relaxed. Continue to watch the breath for a while, not doing anything to change your natural rhythm.

Now, start to synchronise the duration of the inhalation and exhalation – again counting the breath if you cannot be sure of the psychological timing. Once the timing of the duration of the inhalations and exhalations are the same, you are ready to start some deep yoga breathing.

Deep Breathing
Start the cycle of breathing by exhaling, emptying the lungs completely, then concentrating below the navel breathing in slowly, deeply and evenly through the nose making the sound “SA” in your throat. Pause for a few seconds with full lungs, then exhale through the nose making the sound “HA” in your throat. Listen to the sound of your breathing, keeping the ears sharp and alert, keeping the mind alert, but silent. Do not allow the body to tense. The body should be kept relaxed and passive.

The breath should make a hissing noise. Continue to breathe like this for a while, listening to the sound of breath in the throat. When you start to feel any strain or the mind begins to wander, finish your cycle by taking a deep inhalation. Then just breathe softly for a while with soundless sound and slowly get up and that is enough for the day.

Learn to know your own natural rhythm of breathing. Become one with your breath and let it become your best friend. Throughout the day, watch your breathing, observing whether it has become shallow, rapid or jerky or whether you are unconsciously holding your breath. Learn to breathe with you whole body – not just your lungs. Learn to breathe with the universe by breathing in rhythm with your own heartbeat.  Feel how deep breathing increases your energy and improves your health.

Effects of Incorrect Breathing
There can be no ionisation of the blood without oxygen. Ionisation stimulates the flow of electrical impulses along the nerves. Collar Bone Breathers are prone to heart trouble and abdominal problems. Stomach Breathers tend towards obesity, respiratory and circulation problems, as well as spinal trouble. Both types of incorrect breathing create a physical, and consequent mental and emotional imbalance causing chronic tension and erratic behaviour.

Pranayama Techniques for Beginners
Each type of pranayama technique brings about a different result. With beginners, all that is necessary is to learn the art of pranayama by:

1.         Choosing a basic technique and

2.         Working on that technique with regularity

When the practice seems to offer an ever-new understanding of the technique, other techniques can be chosen. With pranayama, as is with yoga, not much can be learned from books. Books give an intellectual knowledge but not the experience. To gain the experience is to do the practice for oneself.

Samavritti Pranayama – The Square Breath
Here, all four phases of breathing, namely: inhalation, retention of breath, exhalation and retention of emptiness, are included in a rhythmic form.
Lying down in your relaxed position:

1.         Breath in to a count of 5

2.         Retain your breath for a count of 5

3.         Exhale for a count of 5

4.         Remain without breath for a count of 5

Then go into it straight away once more. Repeat this breathing cycle for five minutes.

Viloma Pranayama – The Interrupted Breath
Lying down comfortably:

1.         Breathe in for a count of 6

2.         Exhale partially for a count of 3

3.         Pause for 2 counts

4.         Exhale fully for a count of 3

5. Repeat

By Lyn Dorfling; Additonal Text: Durgana Inglethorpe and Jenny Pengelly