You’re already breathing all day and all night so why take extra time out of your day just to do more of what you’re already doing?
Although we are in fact breathing all day long many of us have a very shallow breathing pattern which results in a dampening of our life force (i.e. energy). When you take time to breathe with intention you create more space in the body/mind which creates more opportunity for energy to flow freely which makes you feel more alive!
Here’s some of what you might feel after several minutes of practicing Dirgha Pranayama:
a sense of mental clarity
a wave of calm and stability (due to the parasympathetic nervous system being activated)
a boost of energy
a physical sensation of openness
a deeper connection to yourself and your true desires (this comes with the mental clarity!)
a slowing down of racing thoughts
Pranayama (yogic breathing exercises) were developed to help the practitioner meditate with ease by unblocking the energy channels of the body/mind and therefore making it much easier to concentrate/dharana, so you can experience meditation/dhyana and ultimately experience enlightenment/samadhi (a direct and unmediated experience of reality).
Prana=energy Yama=restraint/control OR ayama=extension/expansion.
The yoga community has not settled on whether it’s ayama or yama —either way, in pranayama practices we explore both the control and the expansion of breath.
You could say we explore the expansion of energy through the control of the breath.
DIRGHA PRANAYAMA
Dirgha= stretched/long.
In this breath practice we are stretching out and lengthening the breath which helps to slow and deepen the breath, activating the parasympathetic nervous system while also creating a kind of internal massage for your organs!
STEP 1: Sit in a comfortable seated position (or try lying on the ground if you feel any discomfort doing this while seated).
STEP 2: While breathing in and out of your nose begin to notice the natural pace and depth of your breath. (If it feels comfortable close your eyes to help turn your attention inwards.)
STEP 3: Place a hand on your belly and softly begin to expand your belly on your inhale…and draw your belly towards your spine on the exhale.
Continue 2-3 more times.
Keep the belly soft. Your belly might feel really tight and you might feel like you need to force and push your belly to expand. No need to do this. With time the belly will expand with more ease.
STEP 4: This time, as you inhale, practice allowing your ribs to flare out to the sides. It can be helpful to place your hands on your ribs and feel them expand.
Exhale and release the ribs.
Repeat 2-3 more times.
STEP 5: Inhale into your chest, perhaps feeling the clavicle/collarbone lift.
STEP 6: Once you feel comfortable breathing into your belly, ribs, and chest combine all 3.
In one fluid breath feel your belly fill, then your ribs flare, and then your collarbone lift.
Exhale and let it all go.
STEP 6: Set your timer for anywhere from 1-10 minutes and practice filling belly, ribs, and chest on the inhale, and completely emptying your lungs on the exhale.
Aim for slow, fluid, deep breaths.
STEP 7: For one minute (or more!) just sit and notice the effects of Dirgha Pranayama on your body, mind, and spirit. (Noticing the after effects is just as important as actually doing the pranayama!)
DOES DIRGHA FEEL CHALLENGING FOR YOU?
Are you finding it easy to inflate your belly on the inhale or does it feel like a bit of a struggle?
When I first started Dirgha my belly felt really tight! I found out I had been a reverse breather all my life! I was drawing my belly in when I inhaled instead of letting it expand out. Not only did this lead to less mobility in my abdomen it also defaulted my breathing pattern to chest breathing which made me feel like I could never really take in a full breath which then led me to feeling anxious!
Even if you’re not a reverse breather you might still find you feel tightness around your belly— if that’s the case see if you can encourage a subtle and soft filling of the belly instead of forcing it to inflate beyond what feels comfortable and natural. Be gentle with your practice and gradually you might find that over time the breath deepens with more ease.
DOES DIRGHA INCREASE YOUR ANXIETY INSTEAD OF SOOTHE IT?
Your emotions and your breathing pattern are intimately connected. This is why breath work can be a great tool for emotional regulation. This is also why it could have the opposite effect and actually create dysregulation in some people.
Anxiety and fear often create a fast and shallow breathing pattern while joy and contentment create a slower and fuller breathing pattern (there are exceptions).🔹 For some people who live in a more anxious state focusing on the breath could increase awareness of the shallow/fast breathing pattern which could potentially make it worse. 🔹For some people who have experienced trauma (especially trauma relating to trouble breathing or feeling close to death) having to focus on the breath and in particular having to control the breath (as we do in pranayama) can be extremely triggering. 🔹For some people who have been living in a hyperaroused flight/flight state for a long time the muscles/fascia of the torso are chronically tight so getting the belly to expand when inhaling feels near to impossible. if this is the case for you but you’d like to learn to belly breathe know that you can take it slowly, be gentle with your belly, never force it to expand. gradually, overtime you may find it becomes easier to expand the belly.
if you are in a yoga class or any other setting where you are practicing breathwork know that you have full permission to take your attention off of your breath.
🔹orient yourself to the present moment by connecting to your 5 senses
🔹look around and bring your attention to a few different objects that interest you and be curious about colors, texture, shape.
🔹notice what you smell and taste, if anything.
🔹tune in to sounds around you bringing attention to far away sounds and nearby sounds.
🔹feel your feet on the earth.
🔹tune in to any other body part that feels neutral.
Above all: tune in to self-compassion. Allow this experience to be as it is knowing it will pass. Find refuge in the present moment and approach your exploration of the five senses with curiosity and compassion.
OK SO NOW YOU HAVE THE BASICS OF DIRGHA DOWN— WHAT’S NEXT?
Try practicing it at different times and see what feels good to you! Do it when you wake up, at your desk, in the shower, washing dishes… start integrating it into your every day life giving yourself a quick little internal massage and energy cleansing!
Make it even more relaxing and down-regulating for your nervous system by making your exhale longer than your inhale! .Start out by inhaling to a count of 4 and exhaling to a count of 4 and gradually lengthen the exhale to a count of 8.
Add a visualization! Visualize your favorite color entering and exiting your body. Visualize peaceful + loving energy entering your body on the inhale and fearful + dark energy leaving your body on the exhale.
Add a mantra! Inhale I make space for all that I am. Exhale I release all I am not.
Add breath retention! Explore holding your breath in for several counts at the top of your inhale. Rest in the steadiness, stillness and spaciousness of that moment.
What do the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali say about pranayama and breath retention?
…Sage Patanjali defines pranayama as the gap between inhalation and exhalation. Pranayama is usually considered to be the practice of controlled inhalation and exhalation combined with retention. However, technically speaking, it is only retention. Inhalation and exhalation are methods of inducing retention. Retention is most important because it allows a longer period for assimilation of prana, just as it allows more time for the exchange of gases in the cells, i.e. oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Sage Patanjali further says that retention of breath after expiration removes the obstacles to yoga. Yoga is the union of the two poles of energy within us. In mundane awareness these poles are separate from each other. In transcendental awareness these poles come closer together, and during retention the poles come closest together. Breath retention must be developed in order to stop the fluctuations of the brain and mind so that a more expansive type of experience can develop.
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika
CREATE A WHOLE MORNING RITUAL AROUND YOUR PRANAYAMA PRACTICE!
Light a candle…ring a bell… do something special to mark the beginning of your ritual.
Set an intention that you can embody in both your practice and throughout your day.
i.e. if your intention is “I move through life with ease and grace” explore how it feels to embody that intention as you breathe!
Take a moment to move your body in any way that feels good. Not sure where to start? Explore the 6 movements of the spine: forward flexion, extension, lateral flexion/extension (side bend), and rotation (a spinal twist). Check out this 10 minute practice that moves through the 6 movements of the spine.
Scan your body and mind. Check in with yourself. What is the current state of your body/mind and how does your breath move within that container?
Practice pranayama.
Feel the effects of the pranayama.
Meditate.
Reflect again on your intention for the day.
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE BREATH!
As a psychotherapist I’ve seen some powerful moments of emotional release precipitated by the client daring to breathe a little more deeply.
A soft belly, a deep inhale, a slow exhale…it’s enough to release tears that have been held back for years.
Sometimes we don’t realize to what extent we’ve been holding the breath.
It is powerful to be present with your breath- even without changing it- just being present with it as it is.
Allowing it to be.
Feeling the body pulse with the waves of breath.
Feeling the gentleness
the vulnerability
the gentle expansion and contraction.
Wishing you deeper breaths and greater joy.